Small kitchen ideas to help you maximise your space

new small kitchen ideas

Small kitchen? No problem. This handy feature is packed with new small kitchen ideas. They’ll help you make the most of the space you have.

If you’re struggling with a tiny kitchen, you’ll love this feature full of new small kitchen ideas. From drawing the eye upwards to creating depth with textured walls, it’s packed with useful tips. Follow them and you’ll soon forget about your kitchen’s size in your enchantment with the space.

New small kitchen ideas: Keep the space open

Too much cabinetry will close in the space, so go for open shelving and hooks instead. Just make sure everything you place on them is pretty enough to display – no chipped plates, please.

storage jars on a marble worktop with grey shelves above them
Kitchen storage jars, from ยฃ5, Garden Trading.
Draw the eye upwards with a painted ceiling

Making the most of your space can include the ceiling! There are no rules to say a ceiling has to be white. Just feast your eyes on this lush example: it’s an optical illusion which makes the room look so much bigger.

new small kitchen ideas such as a painted zebra-striped ceiling
Divert wall mural in black and white, ยฃ36 per sq m, Murals Wallpaper. It’ll make even zebras jealous.
New small kitchen ideas: Create depth with textured walls

Textured walls can create the feeling of depth. Whether you use wallpaper, panelling or plush adhesive pads such as Softwalls, the effect will make the space feel larger.

new small kitchen ideas such as metallic gold-striped wallpaper
Zurich Metallic Wallpaper in Cool Grey with Metallic Gold, ยฃ32 per roll, I Love Wallpaper.
New small kitchen ideas: Add little luxurious details

Accessorise your kitchen with tiny luxurious details. These can include handles on cabinetry, metallic profiles, or little vases and candles. These will draw the eye and distract visitors’ attention away from thinking ‘What a small kitchen!’

new small kitchen ideas such as brass Nouveau pull handles on white cabinetry
Nouveau handles, price on application, Pullcast.
New small kitchen ideas: Distract visitors with pattern

Another handy way to distract visitors’ attention is with the use of pattern. The bolder and more vivid, the better. For example, this mural has true wow factor and guests will be thinking of this rather than the kitchen’s dimensions.

a colourful mural full of green and orange fruit and yellow and pink flowers
Yellow Fruit and Flowers Mural by Andrea Haase, from ยฃ37 per sq m, Wallsauce.
New small kitchen ideas: Build up rather than out

If you have very little floor area, it’s time to think vertically. Utilise all available wall space, whether that’s with cabinetry, open shelving or even tall breakfast cupboards. Again, this draws the eye up and away from the pokiness.

new small kitchen ideas such as a navy blue painted breakfast cupboard with wooden shelves with storage jars on them
Bulawayo kitchen, price on application, Wood Works Brighton.
New small kitchen ideas: Zone areas with flooring

Break up the space into different areas with your flooring. For instance, if you have a seating area in your kitchen, you might use porcelain tiles for the kitchen and wood-effect luxury vinyl tiles for under the seating, zoning it nicely.

new small kitchen ideas such as two bar stools facing each other in front of a kitchen island and sink with a brass tap
Natural rattan bar stools, ยฃ233.75 each, Rose & Grey.
New small kitchen ideas: Include a slim breakfast bar

If you don’t have space for seating, then a slender breakfast bar is a good compromise. Gather bar stools around it which you can tuck in when not in use. You can also buy collapsible stools which can be stored in a cupboard.

bar stools with grey velvet seats and black legs in front of a navy painted island
Serena Dark Grey Velvet Bar Stool, ยฃ199, Danetti.
New small kitchen ideas: Save space with a sliding door

Hinged doors are traditional but get in the way. So this is something you definitely do not want to happen in a small kitchen. However, there’s a solution: sliding doors. They make entrances and exits much more streamlined.

new small kitchen ideas such as a white gloss sliding door
GoodHome Alara Grey Single Track Sliding Door System, from ยฃ45, B&Q.
New small kitchen ideas: Make space with collapsible furniture

Remember those fold-up bar stools we saw earlier? Well, you can also get collapsible dining tables which you can store neatly away when not in use. If you can see more floor area, then the kitchen will look larger.

a foldable olive green dining table
GoodHome Saba Khaki Green Metal Two-Seater Foldable Dining Table, ยฃ48, B&Q.
New small kitchen ideas: Use glass and transparency to create the illusion of space

Glass tables and transparent acrylic chairs make a small kitchen feel more spacious, because of their see-through nature. When you cast an eye over them, they’re ‘barely there’, so are a great addition to a small kitchen.

new small kitchen ideas such as a round table with wooden legs and a glass top
Heaven Glass and Oak Effect Four-Seater Dining Table, ยฃ299, Cult Furniture.
New small kitchen ideas: Install reflective surfaces

Mirrors are a clever trick in interiors – because when one wall of the kitchen is mirrored, it reflects the other, making the space appear to be twice as large. However, be careful you don’t pour the kettle into a tea cup in the mirror!

new small kitchen ideas such as an extra-large ornate gold full-length mirror against a wall
Extra Large Ornate Gold Full Length Wall/Floor Mirror, ยฃ134.95, Melody Maison.
New small kitchen ideas: Hide appliances away out of sight

The more clutter there is in your kitchen, the smaller it will therefore seem. If you hide your toaster, blender and coffee maker away in a cupboard then the worktops will appear more streamlined and the kitchen will seem larger.

a gold marble island with three gold pendant lights above it and two white leather bar stools next to it
Natural Beige Duplex by Rana Ezzat, Caffe Latte.
Buy a combined extractor induction hob

Vented hobs combine the two functions in one, therefore saving space and money and looking sleek and streamlined. There are also other appliances which combine two functions into one space, such as a coffee machine with frother.

a Novy Panorama vented induction hob with several steaming pans on top of it
Panorama PRO 120 Vented Downdraft Induction Hob, ยฃ4999, Novy.
Buy a combined washing machine and tumble dryer

Another double-appliance is a washer-dryer, which will save you a whole double-unit’s worth of space in your kitchen. You can also buy fold-up laundry airers which concertina down from the ceiling or sideways from the wall.

new small kitchen ideas such as double-appliances like washer-dryers
V6 FWV686WTE TurboWashโ„ข 8kg/6kg Washer Dryer, ยฃ729.99, LG.
Turn a kitchen island into a table

Set some pretty stools around a kitchen island and hey presto, then it’s a breakfast bar! (Or a lunch or dinner bar.) But it also serves as a food preparation area when you’re not dining. Who says you need a table anyway?

new small kitchen ideas such as a neutral scene with a beige island, wood floor and white bar stools
Nature Inspired Open Space by Anna Pavlova, Caffe Latte.
Buy handleless cupboards

Handleless cupboards don’t only look sleek and stylish – they also save space, because they include a groove (or ‘lip’) in the door to open it. Unlike handles, these lips recess rather than protruding, so you won’t catch yourself on them.

glossy handleless cupboards in an island with an induction top built into it and a pan on top
Contemporary Handleless Intuo Glass Fronted Kitchen, price on application, Searle & Taylor.

So, did you enjoy this feature on new small kitchen ideas? Then read Stefanie’s piece featuring even more ideas on how to maximise your space.

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