Sprucing Up a Small Kitchen

The kitchen is probably the most important room of any house. Not only is it the place where food is prepared; it’s where the whole family convenes and bonds together over a good meal. Small kitchens can be quite a challenge, both in terms of daily usage and design options. But just like any part of the house, you can make the most out of your small kitchen space with a little careful planning. Don’t get too excited and start doing a complete overhaul of your kitchen. Before making any major changes, you must first assess what your kitchen has, figure out which items can be moved, and which appliances are worth updating.

For the walls and ceiling, choose bright colors as these will give the illusion of more space through the tone and scale. Keep the color and scale in mind when choosing tiles for the floor. Patterns in laminate flooring and narrow-strip wood creates an illusion of length and depth, and just like the walls, lighter colors automatically enlarges a room.

Pick light finishes for your cabinets and opt for open shelves and glass cabinet doors to add depth to the room. If you don’t really want to experiment with wallpaper on your walls, spice things up a little by using wallpaper to line the shelves - provided that they match the overall color scheme. Also look out for cabinets that have special features, such as spice racks and appliance storage racks, so you can maximize your storage space.

Kitchen countertops are usually the first thing you notice in a kitchen and you can use them to make a bold statement. Look at the color scheme you chose for your walls and ceiling and use complementing colors for your countertops. The advantage of having a small kitchen is that high-end countertop materials like granite are more affordable because you’ll need less to work with. If you don’t want to go for the high-end variety, ceramic tiles are an excellent choice - they’re inexpensive, easy to install, and easy to clean and maintain.

As for the appliances, many manufacturers create small-scale versions of their most popular products, from refrigerators to microwaves. Bulky appliances will eat up counter space and will make the kitchen look smaller and cluttered. Make sure you choose “Energy Star” rated appliances, which are 10% more energy efficient than the average appliance and will save you money on your electricity bills.

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About the Author Lauren Dado has been maintaining a personal blog since 1996. A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, she is now taking up an MA in Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippines Diliman while working as a professional blogger and freelance copywriter. Read more from this author

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