Renovation ideas and tips for
small kitchen design

For those living in small spaces, designing a functional yet stylish mini kitchen can feel like an uphill battle.

Whether you are renovating an existing space or starting from scratch, there are plenty of creative solutions to get your small kitchen looking amazing without breaking the bank.

Let’s take a look at some clever renovation ideas as well as helpful tips for making your small kitchen design work!

Many homeowners with a small simple kitchen design may feel discouraged to embellish it with more kitchen cabinets, kitchen appliances and even kitsch knickknacks. At McColl, we believe that a little creativity and imagination can make even the smallest of kitchens the most functional and spacious area in your home.

By finding inventive ways to maximise space ktichen, you can make even the most cramped kitchens seem roomy and inviting. With a little bit of ingenuity, you can design small kitchens that are both practical and beautiful. The below kitchen design ideas will hopefully give you that nudge to finally set that kitchen renovation project you’ve been planning on in motion.

Custom kitchen cabinets are a great renovation idea for small kitchen designs because they allow for better storage of items, provide more counter space, and can be easily tailored to the specific needs and design of your kitchen.

By having custom made cabinets, you can create a space that is both stylish and practical. They are also built to last, so you don’t have to worry about replacing them in a few years’ time.

When it comes to renovation of kitchen ideas, getting a butler’s pantry is one of the smartest solutions out there. It adds plenty of much-needed storage room and allows you to maximise space without compromising on design flair.

A butler’s pantry is usually tucked away in-between your main kitchen and dining areas. It’s a practical little extra room with built-in shelves for extra storage, countertops for food preparation tasks, and plenty of space for appliances such as mixers or blenders that don’t fit in the main kitchen area.

The genius of this design feature is that it gives a sense of spaciousness to your entire setup by keeping bulky tools and prep items out of sight while still providing ample storage capabilities. Not to mention, when done right its aesthetics will significantly impact the overall ambiance within your home. It can make your small kitchen appear bigger due to its unified design continuity!

An island is a popular feature for kitchen designs, and you can see it in most kitchen inspiration magazines and kitchen showrooms. If you’re worried that it won’t fit your small kitchen, consider this: the island itself adds an extra countertop for food preparation and storage. This additional workspace can help create the illusion of more space without actually taking up any extra room within the kitchen.

Keep in mind various ways you can utilise the island itself: from using it as an extension of other furniture elements like a dining area; adding stools underneath; having electric outlets built-in; or installing drawers/shelves along its sides so items aren’t left lying around.

All these features save time and effort but also add visual interest without taking precious (and much needed!) floor space from adjoining rooms.

If your small kitchen is feeling cramped, then choosing round tables over square ones might be just the trick to make it look bigger. Round tables are a great way to open up space in a room and can create an illusion of more space, while square or rectangular-shaped furniture tends to block off areas and create the feeling of clutter.

Round tables take up less floor space than square or rectangular shapes because their edges don’t jut out as far — making them perfect for smaller kitchens with limited floor area. Plus, round tables are often associated with conversation areas or dining nooks where people can gather around in an inviting atmosphere.

Bigger tiles create an illusion that your walls and floor space are larger than they actually are by resulting in fewer grout lines. This creates a linear effect that appears far nicer than many smaller individual tiles would.

To get maximum visual effect, choose light-coloured hues like whites, ivories, and beiges for both wall and floor tile designs. These shades can make any tight quarters appear more spacious while creating an airy atmosphere due to minimal contrast on your walls’ surface area.

Choosing a light and bright colour palette for your small kitchen can create the illusion that it’s bigger than it actually is. By reflecting light, lighter hues such as whites, pastel blues, creams and yellows help to open up the space and give you a sense of more room.

Incorporating glossy finishes into elements like benchtops and backsplashes helps create an optical illusion of depth as well as bounce around light from all directions. To further brighten things up even more, you can add chrome fixtures into any existing cabinetry or tile designs.

If you have windows that are exposed directly towards the wall, pick some sheer white curtains to allow light pass through yet still keeping some privacy.

When it comes to small kitchen design, storage is key. Utilise every nook and cranny by installing shelves, hooks, and organisers in your kitchen cupboards or wherever possible.

Use every inch of space by utilising the space above your cabinets, under your sink, and even behind your appliances. To make this possible, you can ask a kitchen cabinet maker to create custom shelving options that let you maximise the hidden spaces within your cabinets and cupboards.

A great way to save cabinet space in a small kitchen is to hang pots and pans from a pot rack or ceiling mount. Not only will this free up valuable countertop or cabinet space, but also visually makes the room appear larger by drawing the eye upward. Plus, if you hang them in an organised pattern it can add visual interest and actually create the illusion of more space.

For best results, begin with a few pieces of cookware (or even plant holders) that are big enough to draw attention without overwhelming your already-small kitchen. If you want something more subtle and minimalistic, hanging simple racks may do just the trick!

Incorporating glass into your small kitchen design is another great way to make the space appear larger. A few cleverly placed glass shelves can instantly make your kitchen space appear larger, brighter and more inviting.

Since glass reflects natural light rather than absorbing it like other solid materials do, it will flood your small kitchen with brightness and give off an expansive feeling. It also adds some extra shine and sparkle too, which can be used as a great way to tie together any décor theme you have going on in your small kitchen.

Opt for crystal clear items, coloured ones with tinted hues, or frosted glass for your cupboard fronts or window films.

While you may not be able to move walls or add cabinets, adding a drainboard into your existing layout will help to create the look of an organised, streamlined kitchen design. It also eliminates the need for those bulky plastic or metal trays beneath your drying racks.

A built-in drainboard is essentially an elevated surface that has one side designed for draining cutlery and dishes after washing them. This prevents water from pooling on the countertop which can make it appear cluttered, distracting from any efforts to open up the space visually.

Having this extra draining area adds an efficient place for drying dishes while freeing up more counterspace. It also helps maintain cleanliness due to allowing water runoff directly into the sink rather than potentially staining or contaminating other items on counters or benchtops.

Mirrors are great for making a small space feel bigger because they reflect light and create the illusion of more space. They also help to expand the visual boundaries of your kitchen, which can give you a feeling of having more room while still using all available space efficiently.

You can start by hanging mirrors on walls or placing them atop cabinets to open up the room even more. You can also opt for mirror backsplash tiling as it can create an expansive visual effect that adds dimension without taking up too much space in terms of depth.

Mirrored window frames are another clever way to use mirrors in small kitchens in order to create an expanded look. This works especially well if you have access to natural daylight coming from outdoors.

Concealed storage is perhaps one of the most ingenious kitchen ideas for those with limited space. You can use cleverly designed cabinets that has concealed vertical solutions like peg boards or floating shelving units inside them.

Not having items strewn about all over the counters will instantly make your kitchen feel more spacious and comfortable when entertaining guests or just spending time at home with family.

Clutter is often associated with messiness and chaos (and thus allowing fewer people into shared spaces). Being able to quickly tuck away all those pans and plates into hidden compartments will be sure to add some extra breathing room for everyone.

If the entryway looks cramped and crowded, it’s going to make your entire cooking space appear much smaller than it actually is. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways that you can enlarge your entryway without breaking the bank or going over your kitchen renovation budget.

The first thing that you should do is look for any furniture pieces that are blocking the doorway or taking up too much room (e.g., cupboards to side tables, refrigerators). Once you identify any large obstacles in your way, try moving them out of sight as far back as possible and utilise shelf dividers or corner shelves instead.

Next, see about replacing your narrow entryway (as seen with old houses) with a wider one that lets in ample daylight into the kitchen area. Additionally, glass doors can make a great alternative if you have limited space. Just be sure to get ones specifically designed for kitchens so they won’t easily shatter when exposed to heat from stovetops or ovens.

Using patterns on your kitchen floor, like geometric shapes or stripes, can add visual interest and dimension whilst opening up the space.

Dark lines in patterns, subway tiles or faux-marble designs tend to elongate any space they’re installed in. Meanwhile brighter colours make the walls recede while also punching up visual interest; think chevron stripes or Moroccan tile murals against crisp white walls.

The trick lies in understanding how certain types of lines and shapes are perceived by the eye. Vertical lines tend to lengthen surfaces while horizontal ones widen them out, making rooms appear larger than they actually are.

The first benefit of knocking down walls is that it creates one large, open space out of what was once two smaller ones. This makes the area feel more light, airy and inviting rather than closed off and cramped. By combining two separate rooms together into one seamless transition, you can make the room appear larger than it actually is by taking away physical boundaries

Knocking down walls also lets all the contents within your kitchen be highly visible from any angle. Having everything organised in view makes for better cooking since all ingredients are visible at a glance.

When it comes to small kitchens, an accent wall can really make a world of difference. By using paint and/or wallpaper to create a single focal point in the room, you can give off the illusion of so much more space!

Opting for lighter colours will further this effect by giving off a more airy atmosphere, while darker hues add depth and definition. Painting one wall a different colour than the others draws attention away from your kitchens spaces constraints and towards its unique design feature instead.

Adding some foliage to your small kitchen can make it appear much bigger and more inviting. Artificial plants are a great way to add a bit of life and colour to the space, while natural plants can bring a sense of freshness and outdoors.

But don’t plants occupy space on the floor? They don’t actually have to. Utilising hanging planters rather than pots can save on floor or table space while still adding greenery. Think vertical by installing shelves higher up on walls for more storage as well as another spot for succulents, air-plants, vases filled with flowers, etc.

Splashbacks are an excellent choice as they draw the eye upwards towards the ceiling and give the illusion of more space. This makes them perfect for kitchens with limited wall space due to their vertical orientation in comparison to horizontal cabinets which take up valuable floor area.

Installing bright coloured or reflective materials in these areas will create further visual interest which can make the room seem much bigger. It gives additional light into the room which helps to reflect this around different parts. This is particularly useful if natural light is restricted due to limited window usage or other obstructions.

On the other hand, if you have pale wooden cabinets, use darker tiles for your splashback to create an accent wall or even separate two distinct areas within the same room.

Hanging pendant lights draw the focus upward and away from the walls, floor and ceiling, while also providing practical lighting that works well in tight quarters. For instance, if you have a low-ceilinged space that’s making your kitchen look too cramped and small, installing pendant lights with individual or multiple light bulbs can brighten up the area and make it appear more spacious.

Another great trick is to install one large focal pendant light that hangs down from above in order to draw attention away from other areas of the room (like walls or floors). This adds visual height which can make your kitchen seem taller and larger.

There are many compact versions of appliances that can help you create the illusion of a bigger kitchen. For starters, opt for a smaller fridge and freezer to save space in your kitchen. A refrigerator with French doors is ideal as it takes up less space compared to traditional models and helps you easily access food items without having to open the entire door .

Go for compact ovens and cooktops instead of the usual oversized ones. You could also use folding countertop surfaces that are easy to store when not needed to save you some wall or floor space.