Small Kitchen Design Ideas to Maximise Space

Monday, 30th May 12:52pm 2022

Don’t let limited dimensions get in the way of creating your dream kitchen. Instead, keep your space ship-shape with these small kitchen design ideas. At Masterclass Kitchens, we believe nothing should get in the way of creating your dream kitchen, including size.

While tiny spaces present more design challenges than larger ones, there are plenty of ways to create a small kitchen that’s just as functional and beautiful as grander designs.

So, if your kitchen sits on the smaller end of the spectrum, read on for small kitchen design ideas and hacks to help you create a stunningly practical petit space. Along the way, we’ll work through a small kitchen design photo gallery to help you visualise your ideal features.

A Moonlight Blue and Scots Grey Kensington range by Pb Kitchens and Bathrooms

Remove Wall Cabinets

Many homeowners overcrowd small kitchens with wall-mounted cupboards because they fear they can’t fit everything they need into base cabinets. Our base cabinets, however, are strengthened so don’t need a centre post, and are deeper than the industry standard, culminating in a 41% increase in usable space.

A Moonlight Blue Shaker range by George Robertson Shetland Ltd

The innovative design of our base cabinets eliminates the need to bombard your small kitchen with wall cabinets. Use too many in your small kitchen, and you’ll run the risk of creating a cramped, claustrophobic space. Instead, replace some mounted units with open shelving.

A Sutton Scots Grey range by County Kitchens in Esher

Open shelves will keep your small kitchen feeling airy and spacious. What’s more, your shelves will provide the opportunity to create a pretty design feature and offer easy access to your most used items.

Choose Light Colours

Light, neutral colours, such as grey and white, are renowned for their unique ability to make small kitchens appear larger. Scientific researchers support this theory, too, claiming that lighter walls – particularly those that appear in the upper visual field – reflect more light, mimicking natural light in open fields.

A H-Line Sutton Scots Grey range by Moulton Kitchens Northampton

Don’t feel disheartened if you’re a fan of colour, though. There are plenty of ways to add a dash or two into a small kitchen design. Simply use a light hue as your primary colour. Then add more intense sections in cabinet runs, worktops, handle rails or splashbacks. Using colour sparingly will keep the space feeling bright and large.

Add Mirrors

When designing a small kitchen, it pays to… reflect on adding mirrors to your design. After all, adding a mirrored splashback or wall-mounted mirror is a tried-and-tested method for creating the illusion of more space.

A Hatfield Scots Grey range by Sigma 3 Kitchens in Cardiff

Much like painting the walls a light colour, mirrors maximise light reflection in rooms, boosting brightness and making your small kitchen appear bigger. And the effect compounds when you pair a mirror with bright walls.

Use Corner Space

Corners can be tricky areas to incorporate into designs, but you needn’t overlook a corner. Indeed, use clever storage ideas for small kitchens and you can enhance your corners, turning those hard-to-access obstacles into features that are both beautiful and functional.

A Moonlight Blue and Scots Grey Kensington range by Pb Kitchens and Bathrooms

You can, for example, utilise otherwise wasted corner space by incorporating a corner pantry. This unique storage feature offers heaps of storage whilst taking up very little space.

A Hardwick Scots Grey range by Sigma 3 Kitchens Cardiff West

Bench seating is a fantastic small kitchen design hack. Adding banquette seating to your small kitchen makes great use of corner space, eliminating the need for a space-eating table and chairs set. Plus, you’ll get added storage space beneath your integrated benches.

Leverage Tall Storage

There’s nothing quite like tall storage to improve the usability of your small kitchen’s design. Slimline units provide a lot of storage space while accentuating perceived ceiling height.

A Sutton Inkwell range by Neat Kitchens

Adding a tall storage feature, such as a larder cabinet, will provide easy access to your pantry staples and eliminate the need to rummage at the back of cupboards. Not only this, tall larder cabinets are sleek and slender yet, meaning you can remove unnecessary wall units.

Ready to Plan Your Small but Mighty Kitchen?

If you need more help maximising the space in your kitchen then find your nearest Masterclass Kitchens showroom and book a consultation with an expert designer. Or, if you just want more ideas, become a Masterclass Insider. As an email subscriber, you’ll get exclusive design tips and design guides – totally free!

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