How to Decorate a Small Kitchen With Doors

Decorating a small kitchen can seem limited. Considering doorways, pantry doors and cupboard doors, there don't seem to be many options. Many rental apartments have this challenge, but you can beat it by using these surfaces and obstacles as your canvas to create a cozy kitchen with personality. Door frames, appliances, curtains and even the doors themselves can be embellished to create the style you want in a tiny kitchen. These decorating ideas are a simple start for decorating a small kitchen, even if you are not handy.

Things You'll Need

• Interior semi-gloss paint
• Paint brush
• Painting tools
• Measuring tape
• Long curtain panels, one pair per window
• Curtain rods and hardware
• Tools to attach hardware
• Scissors
• Iron
• Fusible web tape
• Laundry starch, one box
• Silk ivy garland
• Decorative accessories for small vignettes
• Storage baskets
• Thumb tacks
• Small kitchen rug
• Potholders, pair
• Kitchen towel

Instructions

1. Paint the kitchen to give you a fresh clean canvas to work with. If you live in a rental, you will need permission, but most landlords will be thrilled to have this job done for them. Choose a basic neutral color to avoid competing with your decorations. A small space can begin to look cluttered very quickly, so leave the style statement to the decorating layers.

2. Measure the window or windows for the curtain width you will need, and purchase a pair of long panels for each. (You will use the additional fabric for other accessories.) Attach your curtain hardware and rod to the wall, also with permission if necessary. Measure from the rod to 4 inches below the window frame. Use this measurement for your curtain panels, starting at the rod casing of the panels. Cut off any additional fabric at the bottom of each panel. Fold the cut ends of the curtain tops 1 inch to the back side of the curtains and press. Cut a strip of fusible web tape the width of each panel. Lay the tape in between the pressed folds at the bottom of the panels, and press to create a no-sew hem. Hang the curtains.

3. Measure the inset on the cupboard doors. If there is no inset, measure the doors and subtract four inches from both the width and length. Measure and cut pieces of fabric from the cut-away bottoms of the curtains, using the inset measurements. Cut enough pieces for all the cupboards. Mix fabric starch according to the manufacturers instructions. Soak the fabric in the mixed starch, then remove it and squeeze out the excess. You will want the fabric wet, but not dripping. Stick the fabric to the cupboard insets, and smooth out any bubbles or wrinkle. If there is no inset, center the fabric on the front of the door. Wipe off the surface of the doors, and allow the fabric to dry. This project is wonderful in a rental, because you can easily pull it off and wash the doors when you move.

4. Lay a length of silk ivy garland in the space between the top of the cupboards and the ceiling. Position it on the front edge of the cupboards. Create small vignettes of items that reflect your style in the space behind the ivy. Add storage baskets to store items not used on a daily basis.

5. Drape silk ivy garland on the top and sides of the entrance doorway and the window or windows. Use thumb tacks to hold it out of sight and in place on the side edges of the frame. Cut 1/2-inch by 6-inch pieces of leftover curtain fabric. Tie the strips in a knot around the silk ivy garland, 8 inches apart. This will continue to blend more style into a small place.

6. Add finishing accessories to the kitchen. Place a small rug in front of the kitchen sink. Hang a pair of potholders from the knobs on a cupboard door, and drape a kitchen towel through the handle on the oven or refrigerator.