Appliance panels. Courtesy photo
By SUZETTE FOXLos Alamos
A kitchen of any size can feel roomy if you know a few tricks. Sticking to white cabinets and walls is a good start, but there are many other ways to create extra room in your kitchen, or create the illusion of a bigger space than you have, all without sacrificing a sense of personality.
Consider shallow cabinets. Not all of your lower cabinets must be the standard 24-inch depth. Most cabinet lines (even stock cabinets from big box stores) also come in a 12- or 15-inch depth usually used for upper cabinets.
Using slimmer lower cabinets for one area has its advantages. It opens a bit more floor space, which can make a big difference in a tight kitchen. It reduces your storage slightly, but often the backs of deep cabinets are hard to reach anyway, so the shallower cabinets can be just right for everyday items.
Rethink the double sink. Large double sinks have their uses, but if you’re willing to compromise and choose a single sink (or even a one-and-a-half sink with a slim second bowl), it can open up better storage options and more counter space. This applies especially to stock cabinet lines, which include a limited number of size options.
Using a smaller cabinet for the sink frees up room on either side, which can open up new options for adjacent cabinets. For example, switching from a 36-inch sink cabinet (for a double sink) to a 24-inch cabinet (for a single sink) frees up 6 inches on both sides. This can turn 6 inches of adjacent space into 12 inches, which is enough for a usable cabinet.
Choose a compact dishwasher. Most standard dishwashers come in a 24-inch width, but compact or “condo-sized” dishwashers in an 18-inch width are growing in popularity.
Saving 6 inches can give you a bigger cabinet elsewhere. Naturally, a smaller dishwasher also fills up faster, which means you can run a full load more often instead of waiting a day between washes or running the machine while only half full. For smaller households this can be a perfect option.
Deduce the fridge size. Choosing a slimmer refrigerator can really open up your kitchen as well. Clients usually want the largest fridge they can fit, but these large 36-inches-and-up models often end up full of clutter or simply remain half empty.
If you don’t cook often, or frequently shop for fresh produce, try slimming down your fridge to 30 inches or even 28 inches and leaving more room open for other essentials.
Use panel appliances. Not prepared to choose compact appliances? You can still get a much lighter look. Panel-ready appliances (usually fridges and dishwashers) are designed to be able to receive a door front of your choosing so they can blend into the look of your kitchen cabinets. The resulting look creates an overall larger, airier appearance.
Open shelving. In a small kitchen, removing all the upper cabinets may not be a practical option, but you can always use as much or as little as you like to house just your most attractive everyday items.
A few open shelves on one wall will perfectly hold daily-use tableware, glassware, and bowls, and give the room a much more open feel. It can also give a beautiful window a little more space to breathe so the whole room feels less stuffed.
Add glass door cabinets. Here’s another way to lighten your uppers, but without actually changing your storage. Switch out typical solid cabinet fronts to doors with glass inserts to make the look much airier. Use this cabinet to display attractive drinkware, or use frosted glass so you only get a faint peek at the items stored within.
Install cabinet lighting. The importance of good lighting cannot be stressed enough, and in kitchens especially the lighting is often insufficient, coming just from ceiling fixtures in the center of the room. Add lighting under, above and even inside the cabinets to make the room feel much brighter and bigger. For a quick fix, add plug-in LED strip fixtures under the cabinets for extra brightness.
Pick backsplash wisely. To make a wall look 10 feet tall (even if it’s only 8), try using a backsplash in a color that blends with the wall. Alternatively, if you have the budget, you can take tile all the way to the ceiling or use a chic slab backsplash for a truly unbroken appearance.
Unwrap your hood. You may not want to eliminate any true upper cabinets, but the partial cabinets that wrap around a hood fan usually have little function other than hiding ductwork. Choose a beautiful range hood that is meant to be seen, and let it create a little visual break from the upper cabinets. Even this small bit of depth can make a kitchen feel less claustrophobic.
You might not be able to change a lot of things in your small kitchen, but you can do the next best thing: give the illusion of larger, more open space.
Feel free to contact Los Alamos Interior Designer Suzette Fox for help with your home.
For more information, find her on Facebook at facebook.com/SuzetteFoxInteriorDesign her website www.suzettefoxinteriors.com and Instagram www.instagram.com/suzettefoxinteriors/
Open shelving. Courtesy photo
Dishwasher panel. Courtesy photo