Are you stuck with a small kitchen but you have some big ideas? Do you have kitchen envy and you wish that you had the counterspace and floor space that your friends or family have. At times, you've thought of knocking down a wall or putting an addition on to your house but that's simply not in the cards right now. You are stuck with a small kitchen so you must make the best with what you have. How can you make the most of a small kitchen, though? How can you make your small space feel more spaceous and more pleasant for you and your family?
Acceptance is the name of the game when you have a small kitchen. Coming to terms with this and embracing it is important. You might wish that you had room for a big island in the middle of your kitchen or a rolling butcher block table or enough room to practice ballroom dancing but small kitchens can be cute. When done right, a small kitchen can be even more attractive than a large kitchen. Your small kitchen can and will turn heads once you're done and you may be surprised to find that your friends and family feel more at home in your tiny kitchen than they would in a large sprawling space.
Planning is essential to your success in this project. Again, while you might still long for a large kitchen, you will find that your project will take less time and be less expensive than if you had a larger room to remodel. For instance, 8 feet of new countertop is going be much less expensive than twice that amount and matching countertop material for a center island. As a result, you can buy high end materials such as marble or granite for your countertops where the price might be prohibitive if you had a big kitchen. The same holds true for materials like flooring, fixtures and appliances. Don't cheat yourself by settling for inferior materials. You can often find leftover materials from contractors and home improvement outlets that you might not be able to use or afford otherwise.
Good lighting is one area of your kitchen remodel that you need to pay attention to. Light can make a room appear larger than it is. Planning out your lighting is something that many people don't put a lot of thought into. Find some nice light fixtures that you really like and forget about the price. Make use of under cabinet lighting and accent lighting for both aestetics as well as to light dark corners of your kitchen. Under cabinet lighting makes a big difference when you're cooking and track lighting adds some style. Put your lights on different switches so you can have multiple lighting designs. Having some accent lighting to light your way when you visit your kitchen for a midnight snack can be very helpful and romantic.
Try to keep everything to scale in your small kitchen. Smaller appliances such as refridgerators and microwaves can add space and give the illusion that the room is a little bigger than it actually is. Allow this thinking to come into play when you're choosing flooring and wallpaper, if you want to go in that direction. You can also find small coffee makers, mixers and blenders that won't overwhelm your space. Even your central lighting fixtures should be smaller as well as your hardware for you sink. Try to keep this in mind when your choosing these elements for your remodeling project.
Planning our your storage is also another concern that you should think about before you begin to remodel your kitchen. Finding storage for things that you don't use often such as mixers and blenders can free up counter space and keep things looking uncluttered. Buying some of these appliances and household items that come ready to mount under a cabinet is another option. Microwaves, can openers and even coffee makers are made to go under the cabinet these days. Take advantage of this nifty option. Putting other large items tucked away in a cabinet is a good idea also. While it might be nice for your mother to see the mixer that she bought you when she comes to visit, allowing it to live in an upper cabinet or in a nearby closet might make things easier at other times. In a kitchen, less is often more.
These are only a few tips and recommendations for making your small kitchen remodeling project more successful. There are always many rules that interior designers preach when it comes to space and style and best practices but in the end it's your kitchen. Spend some time thinking things through and getting a feel for what is going to make your kitchen enjoyable for you and your guests. Your kitchen doesn't have to be a place that you hide or that you are ashamed of. With a little thought and effort you can make your small kitchen feel as luxurious as one in a high end estate. You might actually find that you and your guest fall in love with the space and flock to your tiny kitchen.
