23 SMALL KITCHEN REMODEL AND DESIGN IDEAS TO REJUVENATE YOUR KITCHEN
The kitchen, often considered the heart of the home, requires thoughtful design to achieve peak functionality, especially when space is limited. A few small kitchen design ideas can help make small spaces more open and usable, while also reflecting your personal style. For guidance and inspiration as you make your plan, check out these ideas for remodeling a small kitchen to see how you can make the most of your small and essential cooking space.
There are myriad ways to adjust aspects of your small kitchen to feel more modern, stylish, usable and spacious. By maximizing storage, shelving, major and small appliances, color and decor, these kitchen remodel ideas can transform your small space into a special room where you love to gather and create.
1. INSTALL OPEN SHELVES
A great way to create visual space in a small kitchen is to replace the upper cabinets with open shelving. Shelves allow you to organize and more easily reach dishes and glassware while prominently displaying family heirlooms, antiques and handcrafted items.
2. HANG ITEMS FROM THE WALL OR CEILING
Use rods mounted on the ceiling or at the top of the wall or special racks that suspend from the ceiling to hang your pots and pans, mugs and other items that can easily hang. This is a stylish storage solution for kitchens that have less cabinet space.
3. INSTALL FLOATING SHELVES
If you have even a small area of empty wall space, you can hang one or more floating shelves for a sleek storage solution. The shelves can be a complementary wood, painted a contrasting color to add dimension or painted the same color as the wall to help them blend in. Use the shelves to store jars of dry foods, dishes, glasses or herbs.
4. HANG PEGBOARD
Like floating shelves, pegboard is one of several affordable ways to remodel your kitchen. Store teacups, mugs, pans and lids by hanging them from pegs against the wall and free up prime cabinet and shelf storage for other items.
5. HANG RODS OR HOOKS UNDER UPPER CABINETS
Small items like mugs, cups with handles or even wine glasses can also hang on hooks or rods mounted on the underside of your upper cabinets to add more storage. You can also mount a dowel rod on the underside and use hooks that loop over the dowel to hang these items.
6. ADD A STORAGE BENCH DINING NOOK
Turn the dining area of your small kitchen into a cozy dining nook with a built-in storage bench. These benches can be the perfect place to store less-frequently used items such as large servingware, table linens or kitchen items you buy in bulk like paper towels or pet food.
7. ADD DRAWERS TO THE INSIDE OF CABINETS
You can maximize the storage capacity of some cabinets by adding drawers or shelves. Using more of the interior cabinet space can help you most efficiently organize your utensils, baking dishes, storage containers and more.
8. CREATE A PULL-OUT PANTRY
If your kitchen has an empty, tall, narrow space next to the refrigerator, you may be able to build a custom rolling pantry with shelves that are open on both sides. A pantry like this is ideal for storing canned goods, jars and boxes of dry food, as well as spices, nut butter, oil and vinegar.
9. OPEN A WALL BETWEEN ROOMS
You may be able to make a tiny kitchen feel larger by opening up the wall between it and either the dining or living room. Adding a counter that overhangs the cabinets between the rooms might allow you to create an additional seating area with stools and help make the kitchen feel like the center of the home.
10. ADD COLOR TO YOUR KITCHEN
Just because the space you’re working with is small, doesn’t mean you have to miss out on adding your personality. Add color by painting an accent wall or ceiling or by choosing color tile or laminate for your flooring. KitchenAid brand offers appliances in a variety of rich colors, like stand mixers in varying shades of blue and blenders in beautiful varieties of red, that complement your decor—and your cooking style. Tie color elements together with rugs, artwork, light fixtures, outlet wall plates and displayed dishware.
11. HIGHLIGHT AREAS WITH WALLPAPER
There are countless options for adding design elements to your kitchen remodel using wallpaper. Just like with paint, you can use wallpaper to create a visually arresting accent wall or backsplash.
12. PAINT CABINETS HIGH-GLOSS COLOR
A small kitchen can feel more spacious with the addition of super high-gloss paint on cabinet faces. The gloss adds light, depth and dimension, which can help brighten the space and make it feel bigger.
13. CHOOSE LIGHT COLORS
To help a small kitchen feel larger than it is, you can also choose matching or coordinating light or white neutral colors for appliances, walls, cabinets and flooring. This helps create a unified visual flow for the eye without the interruption of different colors and textures, which can make a space feel smaller.
14. INCLUDE A KITCHEN RUG OR RUNNER
A small kitchen can feel more warm and cozy with the addition of a rug or runners. This is another way to tie color into the overall design flow while also adding personality and comfort in a nearly endless variety of style possibilities.
15. INCORPORATE STRIKING LIGHT FIXTURES
Small kitchens can sometimes feel dark, and adding lighting can make a room feel brighter while also creating a statement. Use interesting pendant lights, sconces and track lights to help make your small kitchen feel larger, vibrant and stylish.
16. ADD TASK LIGHTING
Consider installing brighter, more direct lighting above the zones in your kitchen where most of the prep, cooking and cleanup tasks occur. Task lighting fixtures can also add a unique style to your small space.
17. REMOVE CABINET & DRAWER HANDLES
By removing handles from cabinets and drawers, you create clean lines without the visual interruption that hardware can make. This can subtly help a small kitchen feel more spacious, modern and open.
18. CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIZE FOR MAJOR APPLIANCES
Properly sizing major appliances can help make a small kitchen appear more spacious. Built-in refrigerators, wall ovens and dishwashers are easy to access and can create more space for moving around the kitchen. Appliances that are flush with a cabinet face or wall help make a room feel more seamless.
19. SELECT A SMALL KITCHEN RANGE
If your kitchen lacks counter space, consider adding a range to your suite of appliances. A kitchen range combines a stovetop and oven to offer a two-in-one appliance that can free up some much needed space.
While KitchenAid® slide-in ranges can create a seamless look in your kitchen, freestanding ranges from KitchenAid brand also offer a flexible option, as they can be installed virtually anywhere. Consider whether a gas or electric range would be compatible with your kitchen’s current fuel source, as well as the type of vent hood you’ll need.
20. INSTALL AN UNDERCOUNTER REFRIGERATOR
In small kitchens, a freestanding refrigerator can dominate the space. If you’re wondering where to put a refrigerator in a small kitchen, there are a few options to consider. An elegant solution is to install an undercounter refrigerator from KitchenAid brand and keep a freezer in your basement or garage. The LED lights and touch controls on select models make it easy to organize and access your refrigerated food and beverages while creating a sleek look for your small room.
21. INCLUDE SMALL APPLIANCES
Countertop appliances can offer powerful cooking versatility in a small kitchen. You can optimize space with small appliances with versatile tools like a KitchenAid® countertop oven and a KitchenAid® stand mixer.
22. OPT FOR A WALL OVEN AND COOKTOP
Create a functional kitchen layout by installing a KitchenAid® cooktop and wall oven. Integrating a cooktop into a kitchen island can help free up more undercounter cabinet storage compared to a range unit, while an accompanying wall oven can utilize more vertical space.
Wall ovens also come in a variety of configurations that can increase the functionality of your kitchen, such as KitchenAid® microwave wall oven combinations. These models help move the microwave off the countertop to increase your overall usable space and might free up space above cooktops or ranges for additional cabinetry.
23. ADD A MINI WINE CELLAR FOR MORE STORAGE
If you find beverages like beer, wine and kombucha take up too much precious storage space in your refrigerator, consider adding a wine cellar like one of these undercounter models from KitchenAid brand. These appliances are built to seamlessly fit under standard countertops and help free up refrigerator space.
Your kitchen remodel is an opportunity to take your small space and optimize it to function in a way that supports your creativity and highlights your unique style. Even with a small kitchen, you can design a space for making.
