the Small but mighty kitchen

Small kitchens can be wonderful, with the right design tips and tricks. Here are our tried and true ways to make your small kitchen feel mighty.

small but tall

If your kitchen has a small footprint but high ceilings it’s time to leverage that space. Upper cabinets can be extended to the ceiling which will not only add storage space, but also draw the eye up and give the feeling of a larger space. Another alternative is to stack upper cabinets, this gives a different look to one tall cabinet and offers the ability to add glass doors and interesting hardware.

open shelving

I know, you think I’m crazy. Who has room for open shelving in a small kitchen? Hear me out. Well placed, well proportioned open shelves create an open feel which makes a space seem bigger. Open shelves offer the opportunity to display beautiful items, either decorative or functional which adds to your sense of design. Just because a kitchen is small doesn’t mean it has to be all function and no fun. The caveat here is that your other cabinetry needs to be well planned and able to fulfill your storage needs.

Highly functional cabinet interiors

The ultimate key to a really wonderful small kitchen is what goes on behind closed cabinet doors. Every inch of space should be functional and useful. While it’s tempting to think that you can plan out a place for everything you own, that’s not entirely realistic. We buy things, and our needs change over time. But, we can plan out functional storage areas that can be flexible and change with you. From magic corner solutions to custom drawer inserts, vertical storage for baking sheets and trash pullouts (always trash pullouts). There are so many wonderful ways to completely customize your cabinets, too many to get into here, but to get more in depth give us a call and schedule a visit to one of our showrooms.

Maximize cabinet shelves

Open any upper cabinet, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll see a gaping space between the top of your water glasses or coffee mugs and the bottom of the next shelf up. If the cabinets offer truly adjustable shelving you could be able to double your storage by moving your shelves and maybe adding one more.

clear your countertops

Nothing clutters up a small space faster than counters that are overloaded. I know, keeping them clear is no easy task. Countertops are a natural landing place for mail and school paperwork and any number of other random things. While we can’t stop your family from leaving their lego and laundry on the counters, we can find ways to store common kitchen clutter. Move your small appliances off the counters, consider a countertop cabinet as an appliance garage, a pocket door can hide your mixer, toaster, kettle and coffee maker while leaving things accessible for when you need them. If that cabinet is also tall, it will provide extra storage for things you use less frequently. Consider vented fruit and vegetable drawers to get the fruit bowl off the counter.

Smaller appliances

American appliances are historically huge. But things are changing. We are seeing more options in appliance sizes which are a much better fit for a small kitchen. A narrow fridge will feel more proportional in a smaller space, a 4 burner range may fit the scale of your space without limiting your culinary creations. Consider European brand appliances, they’ve been making small and efficient appliances for years.

Design beats square footage

Great design and custom built cabinetry will transform a small kitchen into a powerhouse. Our designers have the skills to create beautiful kitchens from tiny to sprawling. Don’t let your square footage hold you back.