When I first started thinking about my kitchen, I imagined this huge, open-concept dream. The reality? Something a little cozier.
But I quickly realized that making a smaller room feel stylish and functional is a fun challenge, not a roadblock. The secret isn’t fighting the footprint; it’s learning how to make it work for you.
1. Take Advantage of the Corner Space
That corner cabinet space can be so generous but also incredibly hard to reach, which means it almost always goes to waste.
My fix? Install some corner cabinet shelves that let you use that entire area without having to strain to get things in and out.
2. Cottage Galley Kitchen
When you’re tight on space, I think the galley kitchen layout works like a dream. Everything gets pushed against the wall, clearing the middle for traffic and movement.
This white cottage kitchen really amps up the charm with an adorable rug and some rustic shelf curtains.
3. Open up with Skylight
What if you don’t have any windows to open up and extend the visual space of your kitchen? Just open up the ceiling with a skylight instead!
You get an amazing amount of natural light, a wonderfully airy feeling, and a really cool kitchen feature.
4. Fabulous Flooring
For those long, narrow rooms, you really want to draw the eyes up, down, or straight ahead.
This small but totally elegant kitchen opens at the far end with a window and features some seriously attractive hexagonal floor tiles. It’s a great trick to pull attention away from its narrowness.
5. Kitchen Island on Wheels
I’m a firm believer that every kitchen needs an island. But, it can totally get in the way if your space is too cramped. A kitchen island on wheels is the perfect solution to this problem.
You can roll it in when you need it and then just push it to the side when you need more room.
6. Minimalist Chic
Minimalism is such a huge favorite when it comes to top kitchen designs. Those clean lines, light colors, and uncomplicated fixtures all come together to create that illusion of order and space.
In this kitchen, the bare floor, metal stools, and plain cabinets all work to really highlight that chic minimalist theme.
7. Practical Floating Shelves
Let me tell you, floating shelves are the absolute best storage option for cramped spaces. Unlike bulky cabinets, these open shelves give you flexible storage and organizing options without visually closing in the room.
Plus, the clean lines of uncluttered shelves look so modern and neat.
8. Vertical Storage
Space and storage are always a huge challenge in smaller homes. Getting creative with your storage system can help you take advantage of every single inch of available space.
I love vertical drawers because they are ideal for using up those awkward gaps between appliances, walls, or cabinets.
9. Perky Colours
A big dose of bright, arresting, and perky colors can turn your small kitchen into a seriously delightful space. Once again, the main color theme here is white, which helps to visually expand the area.
It’s also a great idea to keep the counters clean and totally clear of clutter.
10. Use up the Walls
You have to use all the available vertical space to get things off the floor and countertops.
This Scandinavian-style kitchen cleverly uses one wall to create a herb garden, a chalkboard, and a storage organizer all in one. Talk about multi-functional!
11. Dramatic Red and Black
Too much drama can feel overwhelming in large doses, but when you have a limited space, you can definitely pack a dramatic punch.
These trim black cabinets and pops of red make for such an interesting combination, creating one tiny but totally remarkable kitchen!
12. Cool and Cosy
This kitchen is just so uncomplicated, cool, and elegant. I’ve always thought the best kitchen designs are all about efficiency and functionality.
This amazing mix of cool mint, chrome, and wood adds some serious elegance and style to the room. You’d never even notice that it’s actually small.
13. The Cube Kitchen
The cube design is fantastic because it clearly defines the kitchen area without closing it out or making the space feel cramped. Everything stays neat and organized.
And the counter can double as a breakfast bar or even your dining table!
14. Dress Up the Window
Dressing up your kitchen windows is a great way to help the eyes look outside toward those great views and open spaces.
A pretty, colorful valance curtain, a window plant, a vase of flowers, and a neat sink area will definitely capture attention and keep it away from the cramped interior.
15. Something Old, Something New
Renovating a dated kitchen can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you’re hesitant to change good designs. My advice? Solve the problem by compromising.
Keep those amazing old pieces and find a way to incorporate them into sleeker, newer kitchen designs. This tiny kitchen is the perfect example, featuring modern efficiency and charming old-world design.
16. Unique and Fabulous
While everyone else is going for trendy and minimalist, you can win some major points by going unique and totally fabulous!
This incredible combo of modern and rustic, sleek and extravagant, is just so compelling and beautiful. It’s luxurious and stylish all at once.
17. Shiny and Transparent
With such limited space, you definitely don’t want to cut the line of vision and make your kitchen look even smaller.
This small kitchen looks so much bigger than its actual size, all thanks to those transparent bar stools and a predominantly white color scheme.
18. Creative Storage
Storage is just so important for achieving that clean and spacious kitchen look. When your kitchen is small, you have to get creative with storage so you never run out of space.
I think these bar-end drawers are absolutely perfect for storing heavier dinnerware.
19. Chic and Efficient
A few square feet from the corner of the room is really all you need for a complete kitchen. This tiny and efficient kitchen is also huge on style.
It’s sensibly yet fashionably decorated with plants, vintage drop lights, and an eye-catching rug. Plus, that tiny settee brings a real comfort factor to the space.
20. Modern and Efficient Kitchen Sink
When you’re short on space, you have to get all the help you can from modern and multi-purpose implements. This innovative kitchen sink also doubles as a built-in dishwasher.
This means no more bulky machine for you since you’ve already got it right in your sink!
21. Charming Country Kitchen
Small doesn’t have to mean boring. This minuscule country house kitchen is compact, charming, and so efficient. The design takes advantage of every last bit of available space.
The wall, the top of the fridge, and the shelf supports are all expedient and serious space-savers.
22. Colours of Life
When your kitchen is this colorful and animated, who is going to complain about its diminutive size? I think leaving the overhead area open is an incredible design move, as it really extends your vision upward.
It gives the room that much-needed breathing space; otherwise, it would definitely appear cramped.
23. Plains and Prints
You can add a ton of texture and character to an ordinary small kitchen by just playing with plains and prints. The main goal is to take the attention away from the smallness of the room.
You can easily do that by creating some eye-catching features down on the floor or up on the walls. This kitchen added a fun mix of interesting, unmatched floor tiles and a colorful, hard-to-miss wallpaper.
24. Let the light in
My rule is to open as many windows as you possibly can and just let that natural light stream in. The opened windows really extend the visual horizon, which makes the room appear so much bigger.
Add in a few elegant touches to give the space some character and charm.
25. Screened and Lighted Cabinets
Small kitchens always appear larger when they’re white, uncluttered, and well-lighted. If open shelves aren’t an option for you, maybe because you have cats, you can go for these screened and lighted cabinets instead.
They work in the same way to extend your vision and keep the room from feeling cramped.
26. Modern Off-Whites
Painting your walls white is a classic trick that will make any room appear bigger. But if white feels too glaring or stark for your taste, you can always go for one of the off-white alternatives.
This tiny kitchen looks bigger and so beautiful, thanks to its almost-white walls, floating shelves, and light grey cabinets.
27. Innovative Cabinetry
Great kitchen ideas always include some remarkable cabinetry. You want to shift the focus from the limited space to something innovative and totally astounding.
This cool kitchen cabinet assembly is so unique, striking, and functional.
28. Delightful Orange
Bright and light color tones really help small spaces pop. The delightful orange colors in this kitchen reflect light and are so pleasing to the eye.
There is nothing boring or ordinary here, just all fun and efficiency.
29. Small and Efficient Kitchen Island
A small kitchen can really go big with the right kitchen island. This one is small but so efficient and functional.
It provides additional workspace and storage, and it looks incredibly trendy to boot!
30. Artsy Modern
Your kitchen splashback is basically a blank canvas for your creativity. This white kitchen has been creatively and uniquely improved by its exceptional splashback tile art.
By using random and colorful tiles, this average kitchen was transformed into an attractive and totally delightful space.
31. Drawer Organisers
Keeping your kitchen neat and uncluttered is halfway to making it appear much bigger. I always say to keep the counters clear and the cabinets organized.
These kitchen drawer organizers will keep all your kitchen stuff perfectly in place, away from plain sight but still within easy reach.
32. Pantry Storage
Keep all of your kitchen stuff in one place: the pantry. A side pantry can have the equivalent room of several cabinets.
And instead of building out more cabinets, you can boost the character and charm by adding a lovely brick wall into your kitchen design.
33. Modern Industrial
This modern and sparse kitchen is just huge in personality.
The bare concrete walls, counters, and floor radiate those industrial vibes, while the black furnishing and fixtures are all about strength and unconventional charm.
34. Pull-out Work Spaces
Countertop space is an absolute premium in functional kitchens. When your floor plan cuts off that workspace availability, you have to get creative with pull-outs.
This hidden chopping board pull-out comes with a garbage chute and a garbage receptacle right underneath, which seriously increases your kitchen work efficiency.
35. Highlight the Splashback
When your space is limited, you need to give the eyes something to focus on, and this fabulous splashback is a perfect example.
The deep royal blue subway tiles stand out so beautifully against the lighter background. To complement the design, add some shine with silver lightings and a faucet.
36. Rich Metallic Details
This small kitchen is absolutely rich in style! Following the white color rule for small spaces, the room uses a lot of fabulous metallic details to break up the monotony.
Just look at the gold lampshade lighting and fixtures, chrome appliances, and a really striking set of bronze bar stools!
37. Freestanding Modular Kitchen
Modern freestanding modular kitchens are quickly becoming a favorite among the top small kitchen ideas.
Their flexibility and sleek design complement the industrial trend of large open spaces with minimal decor and furnishings.
38. Downsized Breakfast Nook
You really don’t have to give up a feature just because you’re out of space. The trick is to simply downsize everything.
This tiny yet completely adorable breakfast nook is sure to brighten up your mornings!
39. Hideaway Kitchen Counter
This cleverly installed kitchen table can be so handy when you need extra workspace, and it can also serve as your dining table.
The best part is that it can be easily stowed out of the way when it’s not in use.
40. Open Floor Effect
Open floor plans combine rooms into one huge space, and this trick really opens up cramped areas.
This small kitchen doesn’t look small at all, thanks to its imposing rustic styling and strong color schemes.
41. Modern Galley Kitchen
Eclectic, modern, and absolutely fabulous. This small kitchen makes up for its lack of space by going big on design. It has something vintage and something creative.
This galley kitchen is ultimately modern and so efficiently designed.
42. Go Big on the Fixtures
When you don’t have a ton of space to style, you have to go big on the fixtures.
This kitchen would have gone completely unnoticed if it weren’t for its avant-garde wall clock, interesting drop lights, and that repurposed pallet kitchen island.
43. Splashback Windows
Large, wide windows effectively open up your kitchen, which results in a bigger-looking room. And if you don’t have a wall available for a window, just open up the splashback!
44. Glass Wall
Honestly, nothing opens up a room quite like a glass wall does. You are ultimately extending the size of the room! This kitchen floor plan leads right out to an outdoor dining area.
With the cabinets, shelves, and appliances set to the side, traffic flows smoothly and space is totally maximized.
45. Classic and Rustic White
Keep things classy and ageless with white color themes. This also helps to visually expand the room. To break up all that stark whiteness, I like to splurge on charming rustic touches.
This tiny kitchen uses a lot of wood details on its counters, shelves, and even the displayed kitchen implements. It’s so charming, clean, and white.
46. Pops of Lavender
This is one of those kitchen designs that will just never grow old. This small cottage kitchen is beautiful, delightful, and so welcoming.
The stark white color scheme is broken down perfectly by some lovely pops of lavender.
47. Vintage Efficiency
Do you love vintage charm and style? This small galley kitchen is all about being vintage and efficient. Both sides of the kitchen are kept busy while the middle is left open for easy movement.
The vintage black and white floor and that enchanting curtain keep things interesting and totally charming.
48. Racks and Hooks Storage
Walls are also fantastic storage spaces. Instead of just hanging a picture or some other decorative feature, you can install racks and hooks for additional storage and some serious organizing help.
49. Storage Space-Savers
For smaller kitchens, storage and cabinets need to work with double efficiency. This cabinet uses up every single inch of space it has.
The vertical dividers, door shelves, and interior drawers help stack and organize items so everything is always within reach.
50. Cosy Breakfast Corner
This small and adorable breakfast corner is conveniently off the main traffic path and doesn’t take up a lot of space. If you remove the table, you have instant window seats.
And you can even use the space under those seats for some extra storage.
