Small Kitchen, Big Hacks — Transform Your Space With Little Effort
Although a tiny kitchen may be hard to work in, it is by no means hard to work with. Now's the time for some big changes to even the coziest kitchens, and these helpful hacks inspired by small kitchen transformations will guide you on your way.
With some help from our friends at Sweeten, a free service that matches renovators with general contractors, we're here to give you some game-changing examples of small kitchens that went big. And the best part? All these kitchens have been renovated with affordable pieces from Ikea.
Never let a tight space trap you again!
Brighter Is Better
Make your small space look bigger with bright lights that shine on every inch of the room. Leave nothing in the shadows again.
- Cabinets: Ikea Sektion
- Counters: Ikea Karlby
- Sink: Ikea Bredskar
- Faucet: Ikea Bredskar
- Microwave: Ikea
Bold Bar Chairs
Draw attention away from a small space by adding eye-catching decor to another part of the room. These bold barstools attract the eye to another part of the room, making the small kitchen (and surrounding areas) look more exciting.
- Cabinets: Ikea
Deep and Dark
Play with opposing colors to create depth in the small space. The dark cabinets contrast with the light wood floor, ultimately making the whole room look longer in length.
- Base cabinets: Ikea
Funky Flooring
Incorporating a designed flooring will open up the whole space of the kitchen. Thanks to the intricate design, the room looks wider and, not to mention, much more fun.
- Cabinets: Ikea
- Hardware: Ikea
Wide Windows
Incorporating natural light into a room always makes a space feel more open.
- Cabinets: Ikea Bodbyn
Take It Back
Use the room that you already have to extend your small space out. Putting kitchen supplies on the hallway counters makes the kitchen look longer and more spacious.
- Cabinets: Ikea
- Sink: Ikea
Stack It Up
Shelves can not only make the room look longer but can also give your kitchen more room for cooking essentials. Use shelves to display your best cookware, and never run out of storage space again.
- Cabinets: Ikea
- Drawers: Ikea
Two-Toned Tile
Use different-colored tile pieces to make a room look bigger. The two-toned tile creates a new sense of depth and opens up the room to the eye.
- Cabinets: Ikea
- Counters: Ikea
- Sink: Ikea
- Oven range: Ikea
Blue Hues
A relaxing color will help to give a room more space. Use light hues in a small kitchen to draw attention to the room as a whole.
- Cabinets: Ikea
Striking Stainless Steel
The mild reflections that stainless steel creates can help to open up a room. Get appliances with a stainless steel finish to subtly add more depth to a small kitchen.
- Cabinets: Ikea
Eye-Catching Wood
By matching two separate parts of a kitchen together (the cabinets to the shelves), the room is already made more interesting to the eye.
- Base cabinets: Ikea
Make It Pop
A bright wall color can make all the difference in any room. Lighten up a small kitchen with a bold color to make the room feel more open and more fun too!
- Cabinets: Ikea
Shape Shift
The use of geometric shapes can help to give a room a more appealing look and can bring the eye to different parts of the room, making the space look bigger than it is.
- Cabinets: Ikea Sektion
Glass Cabinet Doors
Getting cabinets with glass doors makes a small kitchen look larger due to the fact that the space inside the cabinets creates more room for the eye to see.
- Cabinets: Ikea
- Sink: Ikea
- Faucet: Ikea
Colorful Pieces
Small decor with a bold color can brighten up any room. In a tiny kitchen, try buying pieces that are not only colorful but can also double as cooking essentials.
- Cabinets: Ikea Ringhult
- Sink: Ikea Norssjön
White Out
White space is not a bad thing. Make your kitchen look more cohesive by using the light hues to bring out the size of the room.
- Cabinet fronts: Ikea
- Progress lighting: Ikea
- Dishwasher: Ikea
- Stove: Ikea
- Vent: Ikea
- Open shelves: Ikea
Waterfall Countertops
The depth that waterfall countertops create makes any room look much more spacious. Give your kitchen a wide-open look with the use of purposely placed waterfall counters.
- Cabinets: Ikea Ringhult
- Island: Ikea Ringhult
- Hood: Ikea
Running Rugs
Long rugs lead the eye down a space, creating longer depth with little effort. Tip: a rug with a design is even more eye-catching.
- Cabinets: Ikea Bodbyn
Subtle Shrubs
Greenery in any room can make it look more alive. Put large plants in a small space to automatically make it look and feel more open.
- Cabinets: Ikea Sektion
- Barstools: Ikea Bernhard
- Hood: Ikea
Flirty French Doors
Don't close off any space! Use French doors to (literally) open up the whole room.
- Cabinets: Ikea
- Counters: Ikea
- Oven range: Ikea
- Sink: Ikea
Less Is More
Cleaning off countertops and putting away cooking tools make any kitchen look more roomy. Leave only the essentials on the counter and, in doing so, open up the room to more accessible space.
- Cabinets: Ikea
Two-Way Flooring
By incorporating two different kinds of flooring in one place, the two separate sides differentiate each room. This makes the kitchen look like a whole new space that is not connected to the living room.
- Cabinets: Ikea Grimslov and Ikea Hittarp
- Pendant lights: Ikea
- Sink: Ikea