Are you stuck with a small kitchen but you have some big ideas? Do you have kitchen envy and you wish that you had the counterspace and floor space that your friends or family have. At times, you’ve thought of knocking down a wall or putting an addition on to your house but that’s simply not in the cards right now. You are stuck with a small kitchen so you must make the best with what you have. How can you make the most of a small kitchen, though? How can you make your small space feel more spaceous and more pleasant for you and your family?
Acceptance is the name of the game when you have a small kitchen. Coming to terms with this and embracing it is important. You might wish that you had room for a big island in the middle of your kitchen or a rolling butcher block table or enough room to practice ballroom dancing but small kitchens can be cute. When done right, a small kitchen can be even more attractive than a large kitchen. Your small kitchen can and will turn heads once you’re done and you may be surprised to find that your friends and family feel more at home in your tiny kitchen than they would in a large sprawling space.
Planning is essential to your success in this project. Again, while you might still long for a large kitchen, you will find that your project will take less time and be less expensive than if you had a larger room to remodel. For instance, 8 feet of new countertop is going be much less expensive than twice that amount and matching countertop material for a center island. As a result, you can buy high end materials such as marble or granite for your countertops where the price might be prohibitive if you had a big kitchen. The same holds true for materials like flooring, fixtures and appliances. Don’t cheat yourself by settling for inferior materials. You can often find leftover materials from contractors and home improvement outlets that you might not be able to use or afford otherwise.
Good lighting is one area of your kitchen remodel that you need to pay attention to. Light can make a room appear larger than it is. Planning out your lighting is something that many people don’t put a lot of thought into. Find some nice light fixtures that you really like and forget about the price. Make use of under cabinet lighting and accent lighting for both aestetics as well as to light dark corners of your kitchen. Under cabinet lighting makes a big difference when you’re cooking and track lighting adds some style. Put your lights on different switches so you can have multiple lighting designs. Having some accent lighting to light your way when you visit your kitchen for a midnight snack can be very helpful and romantic.
