Whether you live in a suburban or high-rise home, you can always work around your kitchen to make it delectable and perfect for your needs. Some may tell you that you don’t get much scope with a galley kitchen, though. There is no doubt that these kitchens are not generous with space, but you can leverage specific design ideas to optimize the functionality. Here are a few suggestions to inspire and help you modify your kitchen to its highest potential. Let’s delve into them at once.
Core function
It becomes challenging to design a small kitchen compared to a larger one to ensure storage and style. Your main hurdles can be fixtures and functioning. Before you begin, you have to come to terms with the fact that you cannot do everything in a small place, right from cooking to laundry to schoolwork. You can pursue other activities, but it would be possible only if you don’t cook. Hence, a small kitchen should focus on the primary job, which is meal preparation. So, try to improve it through appliances and workspaces.
You can achieve this by downsizing and using innovative products, such as refrigerators, freezer drawers, two-burner stoves, small microwaves, single bowl sinks, and advanced faucets. In the sink faucet, you can look for something with an easy pull down functionality. It would be a space-saving feature as you can stack tall pans and pots under it, keeping the countertop clutter-free. It would not waste any square footage, which can be a blessing, especially when you have to make do with a small island or counter-topped cart. Where space tends to be at a premium, people often use the latter option that comfortably fits into a closet when not in use.
Open storage
A small kitchen is always at the risk of looking boxy, claustrophobic, and too confined. You can get this feeling more strongly if your compact cooking zone has overhead cabinets. Since it becomes impossible to reach them without a ladder or step stool, anyone would get quickly annoyed. The sense of small space can play upon your mind. To avoid this, you can trade them for open shelving and racks. Add magnetic holders also for hanging utensils and cutleries. It looks quite a thing. Even a tiny kitchen area starts appearing airy when adequately organized.
A mix of materials
You can crave wide-open space in a smaller kitchen. However, it would be best if you did not spend your energy on this. There are plenty of other things to achieve. While big kitchens give you the freedom to hide any design error or distinguish different styles, small spaces require coordination between wood, metal, and other materials for flawlessness. Since your pint-sized kitchen may lack alluring architectural touches, you can still go ahead and add style to fixtures, cabinets, countertop, flooring, color, and lighting. For example, you can look for a corner with an impressive curve. You can match the granite worktop with the cabinet color. Sticking to the same shade and style can gift your kitchen a unified appearance.
Illusion of spaciousness
Certain colors and surfaces have the power to redefine the overall look of your area. If you want your little kitchen to appear bigger, you can rely on the glass to work its magic. Glass surfaces tend to be see-through, due to which anyone looking through them gets a sense of spaciousness. Interior designers refer to this as negative space. Some simple and common ways to incorporate glass are cabinets, tabletops, counter, etc. You can also have a glass kitchen door to make it visually large. Other than this, you can have glass tile and mirrors in and around the room to accentuate brightness.
Lighting
Like other nooks and crannies, your kitchen also deserves a mix of task and ambient lighting. Some cooking areas install fluorescent lights that create a significant impact on the appearance of the objects. You can have these along with pendant lights to make the whole atmosphere more appetizing. To ensure your kitchen looks spacious, you can fit luminous lights under the upper cabinets to throw shine on the worktop. You can opt for spotlighting in the ceiling, angling them toward the cabinetry to stir a visually bright appearance through the combination of light and darkness.
Some homes also have floor lights that glow like a star in the night. You can choose these for your base cabinets to build an exciting view.
Colors
Not everyone knows that even the choice of color can impact the kitchen’s overall appearance in terms of size. When you talk of this aspect, you should consider everything, such as wall paint and the color of the utensils, counters, hand towels, etc. Light or pastel tones combined with white usually draw your attention upward. Because of this, any area can look tall. But don’t obsess over it when you can select bold hues, such as green walls, cream concrete worktop, and metal cabinets. Your kitchen would feel extraordinarily energetic and vibrant.
Flooring
Frequently, people notice the floor as the first thing. Hence, you have to be particular about it, even in your kitchen. Linoleum seems to be the universal choice. If you can get your hands on black and white check patterns on this surface, it would be amazing. Don’t worry about the budget if that was your main concern. You can find affordable deals around these. If you want, another option can be tumbled marble. It is well-known for its outdoor-like charm. You can be slightly hesitant about this because of its cold and hard touch. Still, it can be worth exploring.
Some people pick cork flooring for their industrial style American kitchens. You can also experiment with this look. However, you would have to pay attention to its installation. The sealing has to be right to prevent water from entering the surface. Nevertheless, it is an incredible selection.
There are endless interior ideas like these. You have to choose and apply those aligning with your interest. If you feel satisfied with what you achieved, others’ energy would also resonate with it.