Good Kitchens Come in Small Packages

If you long for a luxury kitchen, but despair that your small space won’t lend itself to big, beautiful ideas, think again.

A more diminutive kitchen can be elegant, efficient and certainly luxurious. You’ll find that most (if not all) of your “wish list” of amenities and necessities can be achieved – with careful and creative planning. For example, an eat-in area can be created with a drop table, a built-in or drop down counter along a wall, or a small table for two nestled in a corner. A center island can provide additional storage, a work/prep area and a breakfast bar.

Here are some additional small kitchen design strategies that can help you “stretch” the space you’re working with.

Use the power of light.

• Employ under-cabinet or under-counter lighting to “open up” the room.
• Choose lighter-colored cabinetry; use glass in cabinet doors for a lighter, larger feel.

Take a Page From Fashion Designers.

To elongate a figure, designers create looks that draw the eye up and down. To make your small kitchen appear larger, install floor tiles on a diagonal, or lengthen a galley kitchen with hardwood flooring throughout, perhaps even continuing into an adjacent room or area.

Hide It In Plain Sight.

Instead of storing pots and pans, hang them right out in the open so they become a part of the kitchen design.

Think Small.

Compact space-saving appliances can be a small kitchen’s best friends. Today you’ll find everything from shallower refrigerators, to under-counter refrigeration units and drawer- style dishwashers, to narrow pullout trash and recycling bins.

 Think Big.

• Use longer, deeper drawers for storage. For example, Neff of Chicago offers 16” drawers and rollouts with tempered glass extensions.
• Install a larger sink to more efficiently handle cleanup of pots and pans.
• Create floor-to-ceiling pantry storage that incorporates high shelves for items you use less frequently, and rollout shelves or lazy susans within arm’s reach.

Above all, as you tackle the design and remodel of your less than spacious kitchen…Think possible!