How to Make Your Small Kitchen Stylish and Efficient

Keep counters relatively clear and make use of walls in small kitchens.

Your small kitchen can be the model of efficiency and style with a few simple changes. While it may feel like you lack space and storage, the truth is a small kitchen can be very efficient. Smaller means fewer steps between counter and stove or refrigerator and sink, cupboards and drawers at your fingertips. These characteristics can actually be more help than hindrance, so embrace your small kitchen and maximize the space you already have.

Instructions

1. Look for smaller scale appliances. Manufacturers are offering more choices in sizes of refrigerators, dishwashers and stoves, so look for ones that scale down a bit from regular-sized ones. Your room will have more space and feel less crowded.

2. Paint walls and cupboards light colors to make spaces look larger. Try cream-colored cabinets, beige walls, or if you like a splash of color, chose light greens, blues or yellows. Lighter colors reflect light and create a brighter space.

3. Install cabinets with glass fronts make the kitchen seem roomier while showcasing your favorite dishes or china. Try glass fronts on the upper cabinets and leave lower ones solid to keep the eye-level part of the kitchen airy.

4. Add a free-standing island or a butcher's block if your kitchen is wide enough to increase work space and add storage space. An island on casters can easily be moved when it is not needed.

5. Hang your pots and pans from the ceiling on an overhead rack or shelf to keep them close at hand while saving precious cabinet space for your other cooking items.

6. Use pantry units and stack from floor to ceiling to maximize storage in a small space.

7. Use under cabinet lighting to create the illusion of space while brightening those dark workspaces.

8. Try a diamond pattern tile or wood floor. Or try painting your existing floor with a diamond pattern of two different colors. This pattern tricks the eye into thinking the floor is much wider than it is.

9. Fit a large cutting board over your existing sink or half of your sink. You will have more space to work on but then can store it away when not in use.

10. Get rid of small appliances you don't use. Give away the items you don't use and enjoy the new storage space you've created. You can store items you use, but only infrequently, in the basement or garage.

11. Maximize light from small windows by using less fabric for curtains. Try using coordinating scarves over a curtain rod to dress the window allowing more sunlight in.