How to Make Your Kitchen Look Bigger Than It Is
Your kitchen is the heart of the home. This is where you make your meals and have casual family conversations. You and your family likely spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so it’s natural to want to remodel and renovate it after a while. If you’re working with a small kitchen, your job can seem a lot harder than it is. After all, smaller spaces are naturally more limited.However, with few tricks and techniques, you can make a tiny kitchen look even bigger than it actually is. Here are a few tips on how to achieve this:
Incorporate White Paint
One of the most commons ways to increase space perception of any room is to brighten it up with white. There’s a bit of method to the madness here: white reflects light. The reflection of light against white surfaces helps enhance the balance and sense of space in an area. Of course, don’t mistakenly believe your kitchen has to be all white throughout. Experiment with different shades of whites, various textures, and pops of color spread sporadically. You can also spray paint if you’re on a tighter budget or have less time.
Remove a Wall
There’s no doubt about it: open spaces are all the rage in today’s real estate market and interior design trends. Not only will knocking down a wall help open up your space, but it can also be beneficial later down the line when you put your home on the market. Use a focal piece in your kitchen to create a visual dividing line between your kitchen and dining room, or any room near the kitchen. If you don’t have a permanent island, consider investing in a rolling island. Otherwise, you can use different paint colors to separate the rooms.
Lastly, you’d be surprised at how inexpensive knocking down a wall can be. Contact a few local professionals and have them take a look at the wall you plan to knock down. They’ll let you know whether your wall is load-bearing and take a look at your electrical setup to see how complicated a knockdown will cost. Gather a few quotes to see what will work best for you.
Incorporate Glass In Cabinetry
When you add glass to the front-facing cabinetry, you create another dimension of depth and space. This is because the eyes are naturally drawn towards the inside of the cabinets, and not just the cabinet frames. Think of it like an optical illusion: with a glass barrier on your cabinets, the walls appear further than they are.
Of course, there are some pros and cons to glass cabinetry. While it does create increased space perception, this means that you’ll have to be extra organized with what’s behind cabinet doors. After all, your visitors will be able to see what’s behind them.
As another pro, glass cabinetry is highly versatile. There are all multiple types of glass you can take advantage of, depending on your personal preference and kitchen theme/decor. There are many types of cabinet glass types to choose from, such as fully transparent glass, frosted glass, and ribbed glass.
Get Rid of Clutter
One of the more easier tasks on the path to increasing the visual space of your kitchen is eliminating the clutter in your kitchen. This doesn’t just mean tossed items like envelopes or a pile of napkins. It also includes appliances, dish racks, spices, and more. The ultimate goal is to clear up your surface area. A cleaner surface creates a clearer space. Get rid of bulky appliances and other items that you don’t use on a daily basis. If you can’t store it safely and hidden in a cabinet, consider getting a small storage unit.
“Many people rent storage units simply to put items away that aren’t often used,” says Livible, a Seattle storage company. “Clearing up space in your home is one of the best ways to declutter your life, and it’s a very common goal for the customers we see.”
You should also think about different organization techniques for the kitchen. For example, instead of letting your coffee machine take up space on your countertops, why not create a cool coffee station on a standing island or corner wall, complete with your machine, sugar, coffee mugs, and other essentials?
Brighten It Up
As previously mentioned, brighter spaces create an illusion of bigger spaces. In addition to painting your walls and cabinetry white, let the light in. This means taking out your current curtains and replacing it with sheer curtains. Breezy window treatments can make things seem much more light. To help accentuate this, add a mirror to make your natural light reflect better.
