Small Kitchen Remodeling: Making The Most Of Limited Space

by Ernest Jarquio

Small kitchen remodeling is a challenge even for the most savvy of home owners. You may have little to work with but big ideas of what you want. By using a few tricks you can give your room a look of spaciousness.

Get Flooring Patterns that Emphasize Contrasts

Start with the flooring. Use flooring that is attractive and easily kept new-looking. Marble flooring is one example, and it will be less expensive for you since you have less floor space to cover. Another example is a durable linoleum floor. You can get patterns that emphasize contrasts, like black and white checkered designs. Designs that are too busy will not work for your small kitchen, though, because this will create an atmosphere of confusion.

The best arrangement of cabinets and appliances for a small kitchen space is the galley kitchen style. This means that you put everything on two sides of a center aisle. In a cozy kitchen, everything is more orderly if you can move quickly across the aisle from one work area to another.

Install Extra Deep Lower Cabinets for More Counter Space

Your cabinets deserve much attention in your small kitchen remodeling project. In order to have more counter space, you can put in extra deep lower cabinets. With all this extra space to use for food preparation, you will not want it cluttered up with appliances. You can get built-in appliance racks to store them safely out of the way when you are not using them.

If you want a look of more space, try using open shelving for your top cabinets instead of the traditional ones with closed doors. This will give an airier feel to the room, and will create interest by showing off the dishes and other things you have stored in your cabinets.

Position your cabinets where they are going to be used. In other words, if your stove is in one spot in your kitchen, your large cabinet with roll-out drawers should be near it so you will have a place to store pots and pans.

Get Small Kitchen Appliances and a Large, Deep Sink

It helps to get the smallest appliances you can get. Small refrigerators save space and miniature microwaves conserve counter space. You can even get a two-burner stove. The one thing you should not skimp on is the size of your sink. In a small kitchen, you will need a large, deep sink to accommodate your pots and pans to wash as you will have little other place to put them.

Make your Kitchen Look Larger Through Good Lighting

Use lighting to make your room look larger. Your kitchen improvement task will not be complete until you have added lights in all the right places. You can put them near the floor, under the upper cabinets to shine down on the counter tops, and above the upper cabinets to illuminate the ceiling.

A single bright pendant light over your eating area will give your food an appetizing color. You can finish the layering of the lights with kitchen track lighting. Glass doors and windows going into other areas of the house will add to the openness and light.

It is not an easy task to do small kitchen remodeling for the first time. It takes thought and attention to detail. In the end, you will be able to stand in your kitchen and not feel the walls crowding in, and you will feel at home.

About the Author

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