Anna’s choice: SPACE SAVVY DESIGN
Stretch your kitchen space with these clever tricks and easy updates that will make it feel miles bigger
While a roomy kitchen is the dream, the reality is many of us are stuck with a small space to work with. But there are lots of visual tricks and clever ideas to make a small kitchen look bigger that don’t involve knocking down walls or a major refurb.
HAVINGCABINETDOORS AND WALLS ONE COLOUR REMOVES VISUAL BARR IERS THAT CAUSE THE EYE TO STOP SHORT AND MAKES THE ROOM APPEAR LARGER
How do I make a small kitchen look bigger?
‘Think about the work triangle,’ says Lizzie Beesley, head of design at Magnet. ‘One of the benefits of small kitchens is that you can easily access all working areas, making cooking and cleaning efficient. Try to place your cleaning, cooking and preparing areas into three separate zones, with plenty of floor space in between.’
What colours work best?
Light-reflecting colours make a small kitchen feel bigger, so a combination of pale walls and kitchen cabinets in light tones and glossy, reflective finishes will help open up the space. White is an obvious choice, but pearly-sheened pastels and neutrals, as well as pale wood finishes all help to boost light levels.
Are dark shades a no-go?
Having a small kitchen doesn’t mean that you have to steer away from dark colours. Small doses of colour can help energise the space, but use them sparingly. Dark coloured base units can help ground the layout and if teamed with a paler colour at the top, the eye will be drawn upwards.
What about flooring?
As with kitchen cabinets and wall colours, light-reflective finishes and pale flooring will help make a small kitchen look bigger. The size and scale of flooring will also have an impact. Tiny tiles can make a small kitchen feel overly busy. Opting for large floor tiles in a small square kitchen will reduce the number of grout lines and create a visual illusion of more space. Or with a small, galley kitchen, choose directional flooring that draws the eye outwards and make the space feel larger.