A kitchen is the central hub of a modern home as it’s the place where you cook, eat meals with your family, gather around, and share special moments with your loved ones. It’s really important that it has a great design so that there’s maximum efficiency and minimum clutter.

However, when you have a small kitchen, you need smart planning to create an aesthetically pleasing and multifunctional space. There’s no reason to think that a kitchen with limited space will have less efficiency. You can do a lot in a small space to transform it into a better and happier place where you’ll love to work and live in.

If you’re thinking of getting a small kitchen renovation in Vaughan, Brampton or Toronto, here are some ideas to improve the visual appeal, maximize space and efficiency from Kitchen Nation, a leading kitchen contractor in the GTA. Keep reading if you want to learn more.

Opt for a Galley or Island Layout

These two layout designs are mostly recommended for small spaces. A galley layout, also known as corridor kitchen, has counters on either side of the hallway. One of the counters hosts all the activity-oriented services such as a cooktop, dishwasher, sink, etc. while the other is comprised of countertops, cabinets, meals corner, refrigerator, etc. In other words, the other counter serves mostly like a wall.

An island layout is a versatile design solution as it equally works well for small and large kitchens. In this layout, most of your appliances are installed in your kitchen island to make it the functional hub of your space. Based on your kitchen area, a design expert can recommend the best layout to bring the best out of your place.

Include Smart Storage

One of the most common problems in limited-space kitchens is that the work area shrinks whenever you try to increase storage. Including smart solutions in your remodelling plan is the best solution to maximize storage capacity in such cases. You can take advantage of every inch of your small room by investing in custom cabinets. Here are some ideas to get inspired for your project.

Use dividers, trays, and shelves in your pantry cabinets and drawers to make them more purposeful. Each section can store specific items in an organized way, providing you with more kitchen real estate.

Utilize the space between cabinets, walls or appliances by installing hide panels or slide panels in those areas. These racks can be used to store bottles, spices, jars, cans, and other essentials.

Cabinets are usually constructed leaving a few inches from the floor. Avoid wasting this space underneath the cabinets with toe kick boards and add drawers instead. In them, you can store flat pans, baking molds, lesser-used bags and other items.

Make the corners of the kitchen more functional with customized drawers and sliding racks.

Install Ceiling-High Kitchen Cabinets

When your small kitchen has a low ceiling, taking the upper cabinets up to the ceiling is a smart idea to create the illusion of a taller space. It also helps you get rid of the clutter. Ceiling-high kitchen cabinets are suitable if your ceiling is 8-10 feet tall.

There are a few ways to accommodate the height with upper cabinets such as –

The custom-made cabinetry and the crown moulding are installed right up to the ceiling.
The cabinetry and two crown mouldings are installed when the ceiling height is more than 8 feet. In such a case, a small crown moulding is constructed above the upper cabinets and a large crown moulding is built up to the ceiling. The two mouldings are separated by a riser or a furring panel.
The upper cabinets are stacked with small cabinets on top of them, including crown moulding up to the ceiling.

Your kitchen renovation contractor will guide you with the right choice based on the height of your ceiling and functional needs.

Install Glass Front or Mirrored Glass Cabinets

To make a small kitchen appear more open, large, and airy, wall cabinets with glass doors or mirrors are excellent options. They offer storage for your essentials while adding to the visual volume. If your cabinet boxes are in good shape, you can simply opt for replacing the solid cabinet doors with glass or mirrors. Glass helps to draw attention to the depth of the cabinets past the frames and makes the walls appear farther. Mirror, on the other hand, reflects the space in front and creates an illusion of a bigger area.

Keep Your Walkways Wide

It’s necessary to plan proper foot space in a small kitchen. Make sure that the foot area or the path throughout the space is at least 3 feet wide. Depending on the available area, you can plan for a one-cook or a two-cook configuration. It’s recommended that you keep a foot area of 3.6 feet and 4 feet for the configurations respectively within the cooking zone. A kitchen design expert can guide you with the right dimensions after examining your kitchen and its possibilities.

Replace the Flooring

Having the right flooring material is very important because it’s one of the foremost things that attract attention when you walk into a room. We recommend laminate, vinyl, cork, or hardwood flooring to transform your dream place into reality. These are some of the best options as kitchen flooring is an investment that adds value to your home.

Choose patterns that can make the flooring area appear wider such as oversized chevrons, diamonds, side-to-side stripes or checkerboards. Make sure to opt for low-contrast colours. Depending on the style of your room, a kitchen design company can help you select an appropriate colour and pattern for your floor covering.

Consider Open Shelving

Besides glass door cabinets, consider installing open shelves in your kitchen. They’ll help create the illusion of a bigger space while offering a good amount of storage. Display your exclusive crockery, dishware or decor items on them to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the room.

Use Light Colour Schemes

In a small space, choosing light shades of paint is a smart idea. Keep the colour scheme limited to white, ivory, beige, neutrals, soft greys, and other lighter shades to make the room appear larger instantly. White is a popular choice for small kitchens as it reflects light and enhances the sense of space. You can add visual interest by introducing a bright pop of colours in the form of kitchen essentials, cabinets, and accents. Learn more about how to refresh the look of your kitchen with dreamy cabinet colours.

Some Additional Tips

Figure out how and where you use various kitchen items and identify the importance of keeping everything organized. For example, keep your flatware and dishware accumulated near the dishwasher so that the process of unloading becomes easy. Similarly, store plastic containers and wraps neatly organized at a specific easy-to-reach spot of the workstation; and breakfast dishes and foods near the breakfast corner.
If you’re creating a kid-friendly kitchen, make sure that the cooktop is located in an isolated area so that the kids don’t come in contact with containers and cause spills when moving or playing around.
Make sure to work out a good lighting plan for your space. A correct lighting plan and proper lighting fixtures are vital to making your kitchen look spacious. You can opt for light-weight, airy pendant lights which are very popular in small kitchens. Be it overhead lighting, task or ambient lighting, consult your kitchen designer when making a choice.
If you have space between the ceiling and the wall cabinets, use that space for extra storage. You can use some baskets or containers to keep lesser-used things organized together in style.
Keep your kitchen window treatments minimal to maximize incoming light. Natural light helps visually enlarge a space of any size. Blinds and opaque shades are ideal choices.

Follow these ideas and make the most of your small kitchen. At Kitchen Nation, we offer exceptional kitchen renovation in Brampton, Vaughan, Toronto and all around the GTA. Our highly skilled and experienced team will help you find versatile solutions for your kitchen.