How to make a small kitchen seem sizeable

A compact kitchen certainly doesn’t have to mean a claustrophobic one

Despite being referred to as the heart of every home, if your kitchen is small, it’s hard to see it as anything but a hindrance. Less room to move while you cook can make the whole process feel stressful and incredibly cramped, while manoeuvring around a fully loaded hob with little surrounding space to prepare ingredients can be just plain dangerous.

If you have a small kitchen, it can be easy to give up on fancy meals and even inviting guests over. But there may be some easy tips and tricks you can try to give your scullery a sizeable revamp – without ripping out the gable wall.

Try giving your kitchen cabinets a new lease of life with a lick of paint. Doors that are a light shade of grey or green, or even white, will give the room a light and roomy atmosphere, especially if your walls are a similar colour. Furthermore, if you’re able, consider switching out your current cabinets altogether for a slimmer version. Cabinets with a slim base are a handy way of achieving more overall floor space, whilst visually looking like an ordinary kitchen unit. While you’re at it, try switching out chunky door handles for push/click catches to create a much sleeker, streamlined space.

Installing slim-line fridges and freezers is another excellent way of saving space while giving your kitchen a sleek, modern finish. Or, again, go one step further and integrate your appliances with your kitchen units; a fridge or dishwasher that blends in with its surroundings will appear to take up far less room than one that is bulky and mismatched.

The use of mirrors is always a surefire way to create the illusion of more space in any room. Mirrored tiles lining your work surface could be an easy and stylish way of adding another, albeit intangible, dimension to your kitchen. Polished floor tiles, stainless steel appliances and glossy paint all work to the same effect.

If you have any form of seating in your small kitchen, swap this out for a see-through model. Transparency allows for an uninterrupted visual path; if your eyeline remains open throughout the room, it will seem to go on for longer. Furthermore, avoid too many decorative items that may be visually obstructive. Clutter is the enemy of any small kitchen.

To free up counter surfaces, make use of shelving and wall hooks for crockery, ingredients and even appliances. Minimalist, open shelving units add style as well as functionality to your kitchen and allow for a de-cluttered work space to prepare meals and drinks. And hanging kitchen utensils don’t need to be messy; one utensil hanging per dainty hook will make your kitchen appear far less cluttered than one jar stuffed full of ladles and wooden spoons.

A compact kitchen doesn’t have to be messy, hectic or claustrophobic; with the right vision, you can make it work for you and your needs. Take the time to think about its décor, functionality and organisation, and your small kitchen could become the room with the biggest heart in your home.