4 Tips to Make Your Kitchen Space Seem Larger
At one time or another, most homeowners have to deal with the challenges of inadequate space around the house. Whether it’s about storage in general or simply a better way to set up the frequently used bathroom or kitchen areas, space often seems to be an issue.
Even a fabulous, newly renovated kitchen can still present some challenges, especially if it wasn’t possible to increase the square footage in the process.
Here are some simple tips that make use of illusions and space-saving techniques to give an expanded new look to your kitchen using the same amount of existing space.
1. Connect the kitchen to the dining room
For relatively larger houses, kitchen designs that have a divider between the kitchen and dining room can work well. Smaller kitchens, however, do not have the same roomy luxury, and maintaining or adding an extra wall will only give a boxed-in feel to the kitchen.
This is why kitchen ideas for smaller spaces suggest that you remove any obstruction or division between the kitchen and the dining room. This will create the illusion that your kitchen is larger, when in fact, it merely allows the spaciousness of the dining room to cross over to the kitchen, opening up both rooms. Even a half or “pony” wall can bring a feeling of greater spaciousness.
2. Go vertical with kitchen cabinets
Instead of trying to have a lot of floor level cabinetry taking up the room’s footprint, why not try overhead or ceiling kitchen cabinets? One of the best kitchen storage ideas, especially if you are limited in terms of space, is to make maximum use of the area above your kitchen work surfaces. There are a lot of very functional pull-down cabinets available on the market today to easily access those high places.
Also, make use of suspended racks and hooks for your pots and pans, which can be hung on the available space below your ceiling cabinets. Not only will this serve as a great space saver, but you will also have easy access to frequently used cookware.
3. Unclutter your kitchen counters
One helpful tip to give the appearance of more space is to put as few items as possible on your kitchen countertops. Cluttered spaces automatically give the impression that you no longer have the storage capacity to put them somewhere else, making the overall kitchen design concept feel more cramped than it really is. Make sure that the items on your countertop are those that you use frequently, and tuck the rest out of sight.
4. Improve the lighting
Although this doesn’t seem to have anything to do with space-saving, getting rid of dark corners, which not only deaden the overall atmosphere of a kitchen, will make it seem more spacious and less cluttered than before. Add under the counter and pot lights in the nooks and crannies instead of opting only for overhead lights. This will allow you to illuminate corners and other under-lit areas without adding large, out of scale fixtures to your kitchen. Space: remember, it doesn’t have to be “the final frontier”!
To find out what we can do for your kitchen, we offer a free, no-obligation consultation to go over your project and give you a workable plan whether you use us or not.