How to Make the Most of Your Smaller Kitchen

We’re all guilty of following those luxe interior Instagram accounts and swooning over the homes profiled in Architectural Digest and wondering how we can make our space match up, but sometimes reality comes knocking to bring us crashing back down to the earth.

But never fear! There is beauty in the smaller spaces and we’ve rounded up six creative ways to make the most of your compact kitchen so that it looks and feels like a comfortable, functional place for food-prep, friends and fun.

MAXIMISE WALL SPACE

Sometimes when we’re short on space in cupboards, there’s nowhere else to go but up. Mixing things up by installing open shelves with top cabinets visually lightens up a space, while still giving you plenty of room to store all those kitchen essentials. Displaying recipe books and beautiful glassware are also a great way to inject some personality into your kitchen – even if you never use either of them. We mastered something similar at our Croydon​ project recently by installing cupboards and cabinets all the way up the wall, featuring a fun and functional sliding ladder to add something a little different to the property’s overall character.

GET BUSY WITH YOUR BUILT-INS

There has actually never been a better time to invest in built-in storage solutions to ensure everything has its home in your kitchen – because the options are endless in today’s marketplace. Everything from slide-out platries, carousels for a corner cabinet, deep drawers with special compartments and even inventive ideas for rubbish and recyclables are designed to make your life easier and your kitchen house all of your necessities. This also creates a really clean and sleek aesthetic at your property, just like our project on ​Barnstaple Road​.

LET IT SHINE, LET IT SHINE

You would’ve heard that mirrors create the illusion of space, but what if we told you any glossy surface would have the exact same effect and bounce light around your kitchen. A mirrored splashback is a really simple yet effective way to instantly add a third dimension to your space – particularly if you can use it to reflect a leafy herb garden or courtyard. At our Erskineville project on ​Devine Street​, we created something similar with glossy tiles that capture the light and bounce it around the space – creating the illusion that it’s larger.

KEEP IT LIGHT AND WHITE

While dark cabinets and benchtops certainly look the part, they will instantly close off a smaller space, making it feel claustrophobic and a little uninviting. In a smaller kitchen, think ‘all things bright and beautiful’. Lighter, brighter, neutral colours are a sure fire way to inject as much natural light into your space as possible. When in doubt, seek inspiration from the whitewash wood and blonde timbers of the typical Hamptons home, just as we did for our First Street​ project. Jump onto Pinterest and let your imagination run wild in that hugely popular home decor category.

KEEP IT COMPACT

In the same way your storage solutions are endless these days, the same can be said for your home appliances. From single drawer or slimline dishwashers, to 300mm cooktops and 550mm wide fridges. You can also choose single-bowl sinks and multi-functional appliances to maximise the valuable space you have.

DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER

We’re all guilty of accumulating random things, or perhaps we have about ten more mugs than we need. Nothing makes a smaller space feel swamped more than unnecessary ‘stuff’. But even things like a toaster, kettle, and coffee machine are all appliances that take up space without you even realising it. Have a look around your kitchen and think about potentially creating an ‘appliances cupboard’ to create benchtop space and eliminate clutter.