13 Ideas For Small Kitchens

Not every home has a large kitchen, but just because you have less space to work with doesn’t mean that you can’t have a stunning, luxurious design integrated into your kitchen. There are many storage solutions and clever illusions that you can incorporate into your design to make the kitchen feel much bigger than it actually is. So, if you’re wondering how to make the most out of a small kitchen, then here is a guide on the best tips, storage solutions and general ideas for small kitchens that will help you do this.

Ideas For Small Kitchens To Elevate Your Space

With years of experience providing homeowners with beautiful bespoke kitchens in Milton Keynes, we have worked with a range of sizes, each bringing its own hurdles in terms of awkward areas and limited space for units. However, as our kitchens are custom-made, you can fully customise your space to suit not only your needs but the space you have to work with. Units are made to measure and professionally fitted to ensure that you can maximise your space without making it feel cramped and overcrowded.

If you have a small space to work with, there are plenty of ways to make your kitchen appear bigger while also providing you with sufficient storage space for all your cooking appliances and food. Some of these include the following:

• Small Kitchen Island Ideas
• Small Kitchen Storage Ideas
• Small Kitchen Furniture Ideas
• Small Kitchen Colour Ideas
• Small Kitchen Floor Tile Ideas
• Small Kitchen Lighting Ideas

Small Kitchen Island Ideas

When it comes to maximising the space in your kitchen, designing a layout that makes it feel open and bigger than it actually is will be essential. If you’re stuck on small kitchen island ideas, read on for some of our recommendations!

1. Kitchen Island

For many open-plan living homes, the kitchen is located against one wall, meaning that you may be able to install a kitchen island. A kitchen island can provide you with an extra stylish feature while also offering functionality by incorporating storage solutions. Many of our clients choose to integrate stunning kitchen islands into the home, giving you the perfect haven for inspiration and a host of small kitchen island ideas over on our projects page.

Your island can feature an array of products and solutions, with some of our clients choosing to integrate their hob into the island, as well as wine coolers and much more. Adding a kitchen island to your small kitchen design will enable you to utilise the space as efficiently as possible, helping you make the most of it.

2. Breakfast Bar

If you would like your small kitchen to include a dining area but simply do not have the space for a full dining table and chairs, why not incorporate a breakfast bar into your design? This way, you and your family can enjoy meals in the kitchen space, which often becomes the heart of the home, without things becoming extremely cramped. If you also liked our previous small kitchen layout idea of including a kitchen island in your design, you could always build your breakfast bar into the island so that it can be used as a dining area, as well as a work surface and storage area. For more creative breakfast bar ideas for small kitchens, you can check out Homes & Gardens.

Small Kitchen Storage Ideas

The storage inside your kitchen is crucial when it comes to using space efficiently to make a small kitchen seem larger. Check out our small kitchen storage ideas below for ways to do this:

3. Floating Shelves

While the classic large cabinets and shelving units that wrap around the perimeter of your kitchen can provide an extremely useful storage solution, they may not meet all of your needs. For example, you may require additional shelving to accommodate all of your cooking equipment, or you may wish to have a small amount of shelving in a particular location for easy access or decorative purposes. Floating shelves provide a solution to these kitchen dilemmas! You can place these smart storage solutions practically anywhere, whether you plan to use them for ornaments or dishware. If you would like to incorporate this idea into your kitchen design, why not check out IKEA’s range of floating shelves?

4. Bespoke Cabinets

Cabinets containing shelving are perfect for storing food items and utensils where they will not create clutter, become an eyesore or gather dust. Although you may think that you have little space to work with, in many cases, there is a lot of space that is wasted on walls or in corners where you believe you are unable to fit a cabinet when in fact, you can. With bespoke units, you are able to fill every aspect of the room, ensuring that you can maximise your work surface and storage space. It is important to make sure that you take advantage of the space that you have, as it not only gives you more space to store your things, but it can also clear up space on worktops.

5. Glass-Fronted Cabinets

One disadvantage of standard cabinets is that their opaque nature can sometimes make a room feel more cramped. One way to prevent your cabinets from having this effect is to design them with glass fronts. This will also enable you to display your dishware with pride, as well as allow you to reap the benefits of cabinet-enclosed shelves over standalone ones. With a vast range of styles and designs to choose from, finding glass-fronted units that work around your needs, kitchen space, and style preferences couldn’t be easier. You can find examples of how a glass cabinet can be modernised in your kitchen by heading over to our kitchen styles. For example, our Fitzroy range incorporates a stunning glass cabinet with a thick frame to make a statement, while our Clarendon range shows how a glass cabinet can add elegance to your kitchen with a subtle touch of character.

6. Storage Solutions

Storage solutions are key to de-cluttering your kitchen in order to make the space feel as big and open as possible. As specialist kitchen fitters in Milton Keynes, we have developed an array of storage solutions that are perfect for every aspect of the kitchen, from the lower counter units to the high-rise storage. For example, our range of full-height pull-out larders is ideal for filling small spaces in the corners of kitchens, allowing you to store all of your dry and tinned goods. Additionally, our narrow base pull-out range is perfect for creating seamlessly hidden storage areas that can be accessed easily when needed. To make sure that you use up all your space wisely, we also offer carousel and Le Mans storage, which can be hidden inside units and gently pulled out to reveal ultra space-efficient shelving; this is ideal for utilising corner space in the kitchen, no matter how awkward it may be.

Small Kitchen Furniture Ideas

Furniture is, naturally, an essential component of even the most minimalist of kitchens, so it’s important to make sure that the pieces you choose fit with your aesthetic vision for the space, especially if it involves making your kitchen feel as big as possible. Here are our small kitchen furniture ideas that should help you do this:

7. Kitchen Tables For Small Spaces

When it comes to choosing a kitchen table that takes up as little room as possible, you must take the shape of your kitchen as well as its layout into consideration. If your kitchen is long and thin, your best option may be a rectangular table, as this will leave plenty of space to move around the table without bumping into things! Meanwhile, if your kitchen is more of a square shape, you may find that a circular or rounded table works better with your available space. Make sure that you position your kitchen table so that it does not obstruct any doorways and allows easy access to the cooking area of your kitchen. This way, accidents and injuries will be avoided.

8. Slim Furniture

Furniture can take up a considerable amount of space in your kitchen, and for those that do not have a dining room, the kitchen is the only option for your breakfast chairs and or dinner table. If this is the case, then the furniture that you choose will have a significant impact on how big the room feels. Instead of choosing chunky chairs and tables that could result in a cramped feel to the space, opt for something slim, as this will provide you with additional space to move around the kitchen. There is a host of slim kitchen furniture that you can choose from, and you can find a range of designs and styles online, such as those found on Wayfair.

Small Kitchen Colour Ideas

If your main goal is to find out how to make a small kitchen look bigger in order to make the most of your available space, read on for our top colour scheme tips on how to do so. Follow our advice, and you’ll be able to transform the look and feel of your kitchen with ease!

9. Light Colour Schemes

As is the case with every room in your home, it is always wise to think about the colour scheme you are going to use for your kitchen. This is especially important when designing your bespoke modern, eclectic or contemporary kitchen, as it will be a big investment in your property. If your focus for your kitchen design is to make the space feel as big as possible, we recommend opting for a light colour scheme, as this will cause light to bounce around the room, giving the impression of a bright and open space.

The best place to start is with white walls; by having white walls, you open the door to multiple possibilities when it comes to kitchen units and worktops. Many of our clients with small kitchens will opt for light greys, duck egg greens/blues and incorporate a range of natural materials such as light oaks to add some character. While these are extremely popular, you can choose to add a pop of colour with your splashback through kitchen furniture or even choose to have brightly-coloured units with a light work surface. The possibilities truly are endless, and as long as you stick to about 60% light colours, your kitchen is sure to feel wonderfully big and bright! Check out Dulux for a handy guide on how to create a colour scheme for your home if you are in need of more advice.

Small Kitchen Floor Tile Ideas

To transform your kitchen and create an area that feels airier and larger than it really is, ensuring you think of the floor tiles prior to decorating is a massive help! We recommend following these tips when it comes to floor tiles to create the illusion of a larger kitchen:

10. Larger, Lighter Tiles

It’s beneficial to understand that the smaller the tile, the busier the kitchen will appear, making you see the kitchen as it really is! In order to create the illusion of a larger kitchen, try opting for larger tiles because this will decrease the number of lines on the floor which will limit the cluttered look of the kitchen and ensure the room feels bigger, impressing your guests when they arrive and helping you feel comfortable when at work in the kitchen. As well as painting the whole kitchen in lighter colours to create the illusion of a larger room, we recommend sticking to neutral or complementary grout and tile colours to blend in the floor instead of making each tile more pronounced and separated from the rest.

11. Tile Design and Finish

If your goal is to ultimately create a kitchen that feels bigger than it actually is, our experts recommend opting for glossier and simple designs for the floor tiles. A glazed or glossy finish will reflect the light and make the light bounce around the room, making it feel larger, whereas matt tiles absorb the light, so be mindful of this when choosing your tiles. Additionally, the type of tile design you choose is incredibly important and will have a significant effect on the aesthetic and feeling of your kitchen; for example, plain white tiles create the illusion of more space, whereas a design with a busy pattern may do the opposite of what you wanted it to do. We recommend going for floor tiles with a gorgeous, subtle and light pattern if you want to incorporate a more traditional aesthetic and personality into your kitchen; however, stick to plain and simple if you are looking for a contemporary look for your kitchen!

Small Kitchen Lighting Ideas

Lighting for a small room is particularly essential; with a large room, you usually have a better option for incorporating natural light into the kitchen; however, it is harder to do so for a small kitchen, as there is less room for the light to bounce off. We understand that if you have a smaller space, you still need to set the mood and atmosphere for your kitchen, so here are our top tips for incorporating lighting into your small kitchen:

12. A Centrepiece Light

A perfect way to light up a small kitchen without the need for natural lighting whilst also creating a personality is to incorporate a centrepiece for your eyes to be drawn to as soon as you enter the room. A simple, gorgeous hanging pendant light above a dining table or kitchen island is a functional and flawless way to complete this; opt for something that suits the aesthetic of your room perfectly and complements the surrounding colour scheme and style. We adore going for a row of three pendant lights, with clear glass shades or even in different lengths, to create some layering and texture, which will illuminate your kitchen wonderfully whilst maintaining the style and look that you wish for!

13. Spotlights

If you want to enhance the space in the kitchen and not use any up, you may love the look of spotlights; they are small, easy to install and perfect for smaller kitchens because of the amount of light they give off, especially when LED, and the way they enhance every area of the room. We recommend positioning the spotlights directly above any key areas in your kitchen and places you want to illuminate, even dimming them and placing them under cabinets or shelves to illuminate smaller areas of the room, ultimately enhancing the entire lighting and sense of your room!

How To Make The Most Of A Small Kitchen

Just because you have a small kitchen, it doesn’t mean that the designs and styles that you can choose from are limited. In fact, having a bespoke kitchen designed and installed by our team of expert kitchen fitters in Milton Keynes means that you are able to incorporate a range of stylish and smart designs and storage solutions that can help you to make the most out of your kitchen, regardless of space. Not only this, but you can choose from a range of high-quality yet affordable styles that cater to all preferences when formulating your small kitchen design, such as eclectic, contemporary, modern and traditional. If you are looking to transform your home and would like a helping hand with your small kitchen design, then please feel free to contact our team or come and visit our kitchen showroom in Milton Keynes for more inspiration.