In today’s modern world, space comes at a premium. With growing families, wants and requirements, it becomes vital to make the most of every last bit of space in your custom kitchen. Most importantly, size is definitely not everything. A small kitchen can have just as much impact – and provide just as much functional use – as a large kitchen. Here are our top tips for getting the most out of your small kitchen.

Colour, texture and patterns

Using colour or texture is one luxury kitchen idea to bring immediate personality into your space. In a small kitchen you have to be clever on where you use this. Often introducing a change in material like wood on the stools or open areas is enough to add warmth. Do be careful with too many different finishes and textures or patterns in a small kitchen, which can create a busy, cluttered feel. If colour or texture is introduced on one wall, the splashback or a single wall cabinet, for example, it would create visual focus. 

There is a trend for small spaces to be dark, intimate and cosy but a kitchen needs to be practical too. The use of lighter colours can lift and freshen the space, creating the illusion that your modern luxury kitchen is larger than it may actually be.

Small kitchen storage ideas

Drawers are more often than not a better use of space than cupboards. Often two sets of drawers would give more usable space in a corner than a pull out mechanism or corner carousel. Bespoke kitchen solutions are a must in a small space as it is so important the storage is tailored to what you need to store. Clever tricks for creating the best kitchen cupboard storage is to add vertical divisions inside cupboards for baking trays and chopping boards and spice racks on the backs of doors. Internal towel rails are a good trick too, but most important, make sure there is a home for everything the you need to accommodate.

Planning a kitchen in a small space

When designing a small kitchen, try not to fill every space, surface or wall with cupboards. Less can be more, and clever storage solutions to cater for what you actually need will give you a more effective kitchen than cramming a space with cabinets for the sake of it. Avoid tall furniture or deep wall cabinets at the entrance to the kitchen as this can crowd the space. A wider more welcoming entrance can be achieved by reducing the amount of cabinets and grouping tall cabinets together towards the back and away from the windows. 

How to have an island in a small kitchen

A modern kitchen island can be achieved in a small kitchen as long as it isn’t shoe-horned into the space. If the island is too big and the spacing around it too small, it will have the opposite of the desired effect. In a galley kitchen where the space is narrow, a kitchen island may still be achieved by removing the cabinetry down one wall and having a central island instead. The most important thing is to understand why you want the island; perhaps for the social aspect, and how to make it best work for your needs.

A small kitchen need not be limiting in the slightest. With simple kitchen design ideas and effective planning, you can create a luxury kitchen that perfectly fits your requirements – and your space.