Small Kitchen Design

A small kitchen used to be a design nightmare. With new design trends and utilizing every inch of space, a great kitchen can be developed without looking cramped or overstuffed. Many smaller homes did not leave much space for the kitchen, so to make it functional and roomy, designs have been developed to increase the usage area.
There are several ways to design a small kitchen. You need to decide what you need to fit in the space and how to do it. You will definitely need to have great lighting, ample storage and of course appliances. One of the most important things to consider is your personal taste. If you have created a lovely country atmosphere in your home, this is certainly a design element that can be easily incorporated into any kitchen. If you have a particular love for the modern and spacious look, then stainless steel appliances and dark wood cabinetry might be a better fit. Take the time to think about what styles most appeal to you. If you are undecided, talking to a design expert and looking at different showrooms can help give you more ideas to choose from.
When purchasing appliances for a small kitchen, you will want to get slightly smaller space saving items. Refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers are available in small sizes to accommodate small spaces. As you look at cabinets, you may want to get lighter shades as it will make the space seem larger. Dark colors and grains go much better in larger spaces. Utilizing glass fronts for some of the cabinets can give depth to the room.
The counters should be somewhat deeper to give you more work space as well as more room for table top appliances. As with any kitchen, seating can be difficult to fit in. You can create seating by using a small round table with two chairs that can tuck into a corner. A wall mounted counter to create bar seating is also a great way to use space. The stools can be pushed under the counter to create more work space. Your kitchen space is the other important aspect that will affect your choice. While large industrial quality appliances are certainly appealing to the budding chef within all of us, for example, they are often a poor fit for kitchens with very little available space. Making certain that your appliances, counters, and cabinets are a good fit for the space you have to work with is essential. If space is an issue, you will find that a designer can add, remove, or rebuild your existing cabinets to offer more space. Appliances can be moved to more convenient parts of the room as well. If there is ample floor space, you may also find that creating an island with counters above and below is a great way to add storage and prep room.
To increase storage, you can build your cabinets almost to the ceiling to give vertical height and extra shelves for items you do not use often. A small island in the middle of the space can give extra counter area to work as well as storage underneath. By hanging pots and pans, you can save the space for these items for other things. For more narrow and long kitchen spaces you may want to line the counters on either side of the walkway to create a galley style kitchen.