It’s easy to think that transforming a small kitchen into a beautiful, highly functional space is a pipe dream, but there’s plenty you can do to get the most out of minimal square footage. Things like creative shelving solutions, dual-purpose surfaces, and design tricks can make the room more usable and even appear larger than it is. If your kitchen is lacking in the size department, use these simple small kitchen remodel ideas to add utility, storage, and your own personal flair.
Quick Takeaways
Focus first on making your small kitchen usable by optimizing the layout and adding functional storage.
Choose large floor tiles, make the most of vertical space, and use two-tone colors to create the illusion of more square footage.
A small kitchen gives you the freedom to go bold without things getting overwhelming, so add personality with unique backsplashes and cabinet colors.
Consider Small Appliances
When most people imagine their dream kitchen, they probably picture an oversized double-door fridge, a large oven, and a beefy dishwasher capable of cleaning all the dishes after a big meal. But appliances take up a lot of space, and one of the easiest ways to get more storage space and counter space is to compromise a bit on your appliances. Consider a compact fridge and a half oven that still gives you space for additional storage underneath. And if you think you can live without a dishwasher, that’s another kitchen cabinet you can add to your space.
Make Mobility a Priority
Functionality should be one of your key focuses when it comes to kitchens, and that’s all the more important when you’re working with limited square footage. In cramped spaces, things like cabinet pulls and even fridge handles can become a nuisance as you’re moving around while you cook. Consider a simple kitchen design that includes hidden pulls on cabinets, ovens, and refrigerators to get the most out of every inch. These features also help create a modern simple kitchen design, so it’s a great solution if modern or contemporary is your preference.
Don’t Skimp On the Lighting
The lighting in a room sets the stage for how it feels, and small spaces can feel even more cramped and claustrophobic if they’re dark. Use thin linens for privacy over windows to let natural light flow in, and brighten up your kitchen at night by adding plenty of artificial light. Use hi-hats in the ceilings to add light without taking up space, and consider under-cabinet lighting that will brighten up your counter without the need for visible fixtures.
Use Space-Creating Color Pairings
You may already know that accent walls in a room that are a shade darker than the rest can create the illusion of a larger area, so bring that trick into your small kitchen, too. You can use accent walls, but you can also opt for two-tone cabinets. Using a darker paint for cabinets on the bottom and a lighter one up top will expand the look of your kitchen vertically, and different tones on opposite sides of the room can create the feeling of more square footage.
Choose Large Floor Tiles
If you’re going with a tiled kitchen floor, pick bigger tiles to create a similar illusion of more space. Small tiles and even thin hardwood or luxury vinyl planks can make your kitchen feel more cramped. Open things up with bigger tiles that make the floor look more expansive. This comes with the added benefit of lower installation costs, as your contractor will cover more square footage with each tile they install, decreasing the price of installation labor.
Get Creative With Storage
Storage is where small kitchen remodels fail or flourish. With minimal room for cabinets and countertops, storage spaces can quickly fill up and make your kitchen less functional and less visually appealing. You can solve this issue by using creative storage solutions.
Mount knives on a magnetic strip on the side of your fridge rather than using a knife block, hang cooking utensils on hooks on your backsplash, and build custom shelves to lift the clutter off of that precious counter space. You can also DIY open spice displays and set them on the sides of end cabinets or build open shelves on an unused wall to store plates, bowls, and mugs.
Open Up Those Walls
Small kitchens feel extra stuffy when there are walls blocking off the perimeter. If you can spare the lower cabinets on one of the walls, you can install a steel I-beam to remove a partition, or you can install a pass-through wall opening into an adjoining dining room. Removing a wall or creating a window to another room can instantly make your small kitchen feel larger. You get the added benefit of more convenient entertaining, too, as you’ll be able to converse with guests while you prepare food.
Kitchen Islands Aren’t Out of the Question
Dreaming of a kitchen island but don’t think you have the space? Think again. A large, permanent island with an inset sink and stools to create a breakfast bar might be a stretch, but you can get the added utility and storage that an island provides by installing a small butcher block. You get some additional counter space, as well as added storage underneath. Opt for a rolling island for flexibility.
A smaller kitchen island dimension also gives you another opportunity to introduce that two-tone cabinet design to give the illusion of a larger space.
Opt for Open Shelving
Just like partitioning walls can make a small kitchen feel more cramped, so can those upper cabinets that take up precious real estate. Think about mixing in some open shelving to create a more open and airy feeling. These can also make for good storage spaces for small appliances to clear up counters while still allowing you to use them as decor.
You can also consider installing glass-faced cabinet doors, which can help create the illusion of a larger kitchen.
Use Height to Your Advantage
Taller spaces feel significantly larger, even if the actual square footage remains the same. It might take some creative problem-solving and the help of a structural engineer, but you may be able to add height to your kitchen by infringing on your attic space to create vaulted ceilings. This expands your room visually, but don’t let that extra vertical space go to waste. Install floating shelves up the wall to add storage and bring attention upward to distract from the minimal horizontal span.
Hang Your Pots and Pans
Dishes and silverware take up a lot of space, but pots and pans are really what test the limits of your kitchen storage. Instead of cramming them in your lower cabinets, where they’re out of reach anyway, hang them. You can hang them on a ceiling pot rack over a permanent kitchen island, suspend them from hooks on the underside of floating shelves, or build a custom solution to store them between upper cabinets that break for a window opening.
Consider a Standalone Pantry
Short on kitchen space but have a nearby closet? Install some perimeter shelves and use the space as a standalone pantry. This frees up space in your cabinets and on your countertops, as you can store food and small appliances that you don’t use every day.
Stay Organized
Even a budget small kitchen remodel should begin with the end in mind, so speak with a kitchen designer or interior designer to help keep your kitchen organized before it’s even finished. A professional can discuss how you use your kitchen, the equipment and small appliances you have, and your goals for the space to optimize cabinet size and placement, countertop shape and design, and more.
When you’re working with minimal square footage, remember this golden proverb: a place for everything, and everything in its place. Having your designer figure out the best layout and storage options for everything you plan to store in your kitchen will help keep you organized and get rid of unnecessary clutter.
Go Bold
One upside to having a small kitchen is that the design choices you make will also make relatively small statements. In an oversized kitchen with 100 square feet of backsplash, a unique tile color or pattern can easily look overwhelming, but in a small kitchen, bold is often better.
Feel free to customize to your heart’s content. Craving a crazy tile pattern? No problem. Love an off-beat cabinet color? Not an issue. With a small kitchen, the impact on your home’s decor is minimized, so you have a bit more freedom to play with your design choices.
How Much Does a Small Kitchen Remodel Cost?
A small kitchen renovation costs $12,000, on average, and most projects will total between $8,000 and $16,000. For a cosmetic-only kitchen remodel, you could pay as little as $5,000, while a high-end remodel for a small kitchen could push your budget up to $30,000 or higher. Your total will depend on the quality of the materials and finishes you choose; the size, number, and quality of the appliances you want; and whether you’re making structural changes, like removing a partitioning wall between the kitchen and living room or installing vaulted ceilings for more vertical space.
FAQ: Small Kitchen Remodel
A budget of $10,000 is reasonable for some small simple kitchen designs, but most homeowners will pay a touch more than that, with the average sitting at $12,000. A $10,000 small kitchen remodel budget can include installing new stock cabinetry, a mid-grade countertop, new appliances, and new mid-grade flooring. Upgrading to higher-end materials or making the most of your space with custom cabinets will push your total higher, into the luxury kitchen remodel cost range.
The best kitchen layout for a small kitchen depends on the room’s dimensions, but some popular options include galley, L-shaped, and U-shaped kitchens. A galley kitchen, which features countertops and cabinets on two opposite walls, is ideal for narrow kitchens. An L-shaped kitchen is best for small kitchens with no partitioning walls between it and the adjacent rooms, as it makes the most of the two walls that are present. A U-shaped kitchen is ideal for small kitchens that are wider than a galley kitchen, where the third wall is wide enough to accommodate ample counter space or an appliance.
The average cost to remodel a kitchen is $150 per square foot, which puts the cost to remodel a 10x10 kitchen at $15,000, on average. Prices can run as low as $10,000 if you refinish your cabinets rather than replace them, choose more budget-friendly materials, and keep some or all of your appliances. Your total could climb to $25,000 or more for higher-end finishes or if you’re making significant changes to the layout or structural components around your kitchen.