Make your kitchen feel bigger without breaking the bank!
Before you start planning a costly extension, try these small kitchen renovations. Getting an extension for a small kitchen can be an expensive and time consuming process. You have to secure planning permission, get the builders in, and have enough space outside to accommodate your new kitchen.
Instead, you could try a few smart kitchen renovations to make the most of your space. There are a variety of small kitchen renovations that can transform your kitchen no matter what your style and budget.
1. Smart Storage
Before you think about your storage options, take an inventory of your kitchen utensils. Do you really need that many slotted spoons? Have you EVER used that salad spinner? Be ruthless with your utensils and keep only what you really use. When space is at a premium, why waste it by storing things you don’t use?
For clever storage, consider slimline cupboards. They can fit much more than you think, including jars, bottles, or long utensils. Racks inside your cupboard doors add discreet extra storage. If you have a tall cupboard then you can easily add in some strategically placed racking which will allow you to store any dry goods neatly and save space on shelves inside the cupboard itself.
A carousel shelf is a must for any small kitchen renovations. It allows you to optimise the space in a corner cupboard, giving you access to all the big kitchen items with ease.
Countertop space is premium in small, functional kitchens. So get creative. A slide out chopping board can give you extra space when you need it and be hidden away when you don’t.
2. All Over The Walls
With the limited space, you wouldn’t want to cut the line of vision and make your kitchen space look smaller. Use glass storage where possible to keep the kitchen feeling open and free.
Putting up too many cupboards can make the space feel cramped and tight. Floating shelves perform the same job, but make your space feel airier and better lit. Plus, you can show off all your fancy cups, plates and recipe books!
Racks and hooks also make good use of the walls. Instead of hanging a picture or a decorative feature, install racks and hooks for additional storage and organising help. This keeps your cupboards free for things that don’t hang well, like bags of pasta!
3. Enlightened Lighting
Access to light is one of the biggest reasons to get a kitchen extension. Small kitchens often have small windows or are positioned in places where light is obscured. This small kitchen renovation eschews the need for knocking down walls in favour of decorating them. White tiles are not only clean and functional, they make the best use of the light by reflecting it around the kitchen, making the whole room seem lighter and airier.
Dark grout and inventive zig-zag patterns can help elevate cheap white tiles to the next level without breaking the bank. Adding an accent colour to the cupboard doors warms up a small kitchen and allows you to add a splash of personality into your renovation.
If you are in need of more natural light, look up! Open up your ceiling with a skylight to allow loads of natural light to come in, while providing a striking visual feature to your kitchen.
Many people forget the magic of lighting for making a room look and feel bigger – not just brighter! Accent lighting can illuminate specific zones or areas in the kitchen to create the illusion of more space. Meanwhile, task lighting and under cabinet lighting are really effective for making small, gloomy spaces appear larger.
4. Simple Seating
Another reason for getting an extension is to allow for a better dining experience. Open or “broken” plan kitchens are in vogue right now and these designs are all about the kitchen-as-entertaining-space idea.
For a small kitchen, a breakfast bar and some tall stools is a simple renovation that can transform a dining experience. You get a whole new perspective when you eat and don’t have to fold away a table afterwards.
5. Open the Floor
Alternatively, opt for an open floor effect. A small kitchen doesn’t look small when your dining room or lounge opens right onto it. By matching the floor in both spaces, you create a seamless, large-room effect without having to get an extension.
If you aren’t keen on knocking down walls, try a galley design. Galley kitchens put everything against the wall, leaving the middle for traffic and movement. This is particularly effective if you have a window or outside door at one end, allowing the light to easily get in.
There are dozens of ways to reinvent your small kitchen without having to fork out for costly extensions. If you need help with your kitchen renovation or design, contact KNB today. We provide the best kitchen fitting and design in the Nottingham area.