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When Brandon and I bought our house we thought, the kitchen is small but it’s ok because we don’t really cook. Oh boy- mistakes were made. We have a VERY small kitchen and we have had to make some weird things work. Here’s my tips for how to make your small kitchen feel bigger:
Clear as much off your counters as possible
This can be difficult but do your best. I used to have thing on the counters all over-blender, teapot, dish drying rack… these things feel normal on the counter. Once I took them off though, I didn’t miss them. Try taking these things off the counter and putting them in a storage space close by. I keep the blender & teapot in a cabinet, the drying rack under the sink, all within reach (I’m working on getting my husband on board with pulling the toaster off the counter too). I promise you, it is NO BIG DEAL to pull these out when I need them. Yes, even in the summer when I’m having a smoothie every morning.
Nothing on the front of your fridge either
Another “clear it off” hack. It’s real though. We still have things on the side of our fridge, that’s where we keep important papers, gift cards, emergency numbers, calendar and of course pictures of Lincoln. I don’t want you to get rid of your personality but, just know, less visual clutter will make your space seem bigger!
Don’t over shop
This is sort of a *duh* but if you buy more stuff than your space can hold it’s going to overwhelm you. Now here’s the thing- you can store some food items elsewhere. We love Costco and we’re not going to stop shopping there. Sooooo we keep a lot of non-perishable food in our garage on shelves and in the fridge out there. The trick with this is make sure you check your stash before you shop.
Lighten it up!
If it’s possible, bring a lighter color into your space. Can you paint your cabinets? Can you redo backsplash or countertops? If you’re renting, can you apply a vinyl sticker to your walls or countertop? Can you change out lighting/ lightbulbs? Brighter spaces make your space feel more open and airy. I’m not saying you need to make it all white! There are SO MANY light fun colors that a kitchen can rock. I’m a big fan of the white uppers and a color on the lowers like this pic below.
Borrow space from another room
Does your kitchen connect to your dinning room or family room? You might be able to get drastic and remove part of a wall making the room feel bigger. If that’s not an option can you put some storage in another room for the things you don’t use everyday. For example, our crockpot is in the garage, our serving platters are in a cadenza in the dining room, you get the idea.
Get your pantry together
Shocker- getting organized is going to make any room in your house feel bigger. Duh. No, you don’t need to decant everything. No, it doesn’t have to cost a ton of money. Sort your stuff, get rid of expired items, make it easier for yourself to see what you have. I promise it’ll make a big difference!
Do you have any hacks I missed? Lemme know about it in the comments below!
