Tips on Small Galley Kitchen Spaces

A small galley kitchen can be hard to decorate and arrange.

Decorating a small kitchen can be a challenge, especially when the kitchen is galley style. Galley kitchens are small, with just two sides available for counters and cabinets. This type of kitchen design is often found in city or rental apartments. To create a visually aesthetic, as well as efficient kitchen, every inch needs to be taken into consideration to make it work well.

Mirrors

Mirrors can make your small kitchen appear larger and more spacious. A grouping of five or six small framed mirrors under cabinets and above the back-splash will reflect the other wall in the kitchen. This can made it look like there is a pass-through into another room beyond the counter, visually enlarging the space.

Clean and Contemporary

One way to make a small kitchen appear larger is to keep it uncluttered and contemporary. Cluttered counter tops can make the kitchen look even smaller. Find ways to integrate appliances into your kitchen design, so that they don't take up valuable counter space. For example, opt for a built-in microwave rather than one on your counter. Keep the wall decorations simple, such as one or two framed photographs in neutral colors. Gather all your odd bottles of spices and oils, sponges and soaps, into uniform trays or baskets.

Colors

Using a cool paint color on the galley kitchen walls makes the kitchen look larger and more spacious. Some examples of cool colors are sage green and icy blue. Warmer paint colors will make your kitchen look smaller. Painting the ceiling a lighter color than the walls makes it seem higher and more spacious. For example, if you paint your walls a light blue color, paint the ceiling white with just a hint of blue.

Shelving and Cabinets

To free up counter space, add shelving to the walls. Metal or wooden shelves can be hung on the walls in single lines. Baskets, boxes and jars on the shelves hold miscellaneous kitchen tools and supplies. This is a good place to use basket lining or containers in bright colors, like red or orange, to give a pop of color without being overwhelming. Cabinets should be built up to the ceiling to give additional storage space. Glass-fronted cabinets make the space seem bigger and brighter.

References

• Kitchens: Small Galley Kitchen
• The Sexy Kitchen: Kitchen Design Basics, Tips and Ideas
• iVillage: Make Galley Kitchen Look Bigger