Beautiful, Efficient Small Kitchens

Here’s how to make the most of space you have in a kitchen.

Often the center of the family home, the kitchen is a place to gather together, cook, eat, laugh, do homework or pay bills, and share in special moments together.

When space is small, it takes smart planning to create a multifunctional and elegant appealing kitchen.

Here’s how to make the most of space you have.

Bringing your cabinets to the ceiling.

When it comes to thinking precipitously, kitchens stand to get the most benefit.

Take cabinetry all the way up to the ceiling, but be smart about what you pack where.

Store what you use within arm’s reach.

Reserve the highest cabinets for seldom-used items such as roasters and holiday dishes.

Put storage overhead.

Free up base cabinets for other kitchen equipment by hanging pots and pans from a rack mounted to the ceiling.

You get an instant focal point!

Add a multi-functional island.

Islands offer handy work tops for kitchen helpers. But why stop there?

Choose a slim island with at least one additional shelf to hold cookware and dishes.

Use baskets or bins to corral smaller items such as utensils or seasonings.

Invest in custom cabinetry.

Custom cabinetry is designed and built to fit your kitchen.

Not being limited to standard cabinet heights, widths, and shapes means you can use every possible square inch of space for storage.

Turn areas of obsolete space into wine shelves.

Use the area beneath base cabinets to add drawers for dishtowels, placemats, or baking sheets.

Install cabinets that follow the angle of the ceiling. All the bits and pieces add up to big storage benefits.

Store more with drawer organizations.

Help your cabinetry work harder by including cabinet organizers and drawer inserts.

Pullout racks, cupboard pullouts, tray dividers, pull-down spice racks, cutlery organizers, knife blocks with dividers, tilt-out trays, wine compartments, and more.

Upgrade corner cabinets.

Making difficult corners work more efficiently and you’ll be able to store more than you expected.

Swing-out organizers bring the contents to you, which means you can make full use of a corner cabinet without bending and twisting.

Look for models that include rails on the shelves to keep items from tumbling over the edge.

Organize your drawer interiors to find what you need easily.

Whether part of a custom design or purchased on line, drawer dividers will help you and your kitchen get and stay organized.

You may not be able to store a lot more in a particular drawer, but what’s stored in there is going to be easier to see and find.

Squeeze in wall-mounted shelves.

Open shelves keep priority items visible and accessible. But here’s what makes them especially useful for small rooms: They can be installed in spaces that are too small or uncomforted placed to hold cabinets.

Carve out space on the backsplash.

Keep your countertops and drawers less cluttered by setting up your backsplash with storage accessories.

Install a magnetic strip to hold knives.

Add a horizontal rail framework with specific components chosen to meet your needs: hooks for utensils, racks for spices, paper towel holders, and more.

Hide and go sleek.

Keep your kitchen a bit more clean and uncluttered by hiding storage behind the backsplash.

In this range area, a sliding panel reveals rows of spices within easy reach.

When the panel is closed, the area returns to being a sleek marble-tile backsplash.

Turn a obsolete end into storage.

If your galley kitchen culminates in a window, you have the opportunity to create a storage-smart window seat with built-in cabinets or drawers.

The beauty of this design is that such storage is still only steps away from the work area.

Downsize other elements.

If you’re in the building or renovations stage, you may still have time to choose smaller appliances that leave more room for cabinetry.

For example, choosing a slim refrigerator. Install a drawer dishwasher, or an 18-inch wide dishwasher, instead of a full-size model.

Look for appliances that perform multiple functions within a single space.

Scale Down

Do you really need 25 extra bowls?

Scale down your kitchen stuff to the minimum and you'll be surprised how much space you actually have.

Subway Tile

Here's one more reason to love subway tiling. Use it all around your kitchen and it will help the space feel wider.

Organize Strategically

If you're adding shelves for storage, you don't want them to look cluttered.

Arrange bowls and mugs by colour so everything feels consistent.

Warm It Up With a Rug

When there's not much you can do with a small space without making it feel even smaller, add a rug.

It'll warm it up, and add colour and pattern without overwhelming your kitchen.

Glossy Lacquer

Once you decide what colour to go with, don't forget about the finish. A high-gloss coating can help a small space feel larger.

Copper Shelving

If you're low on cupboard space, add storage on shelves.

Copper-pipe shelving has hooks for hanging mugs, shelves to stack dishes, and looks stylish.

Mirrored Kitchen Cabinets

Mirrored glass on cabinet doors instantly enlarges a small kitchen.