Small kitchen? Tips and materials for magazine-worthy decor

Interior design tells us that any space has the potential to look like a genuine comfort zone with a design worthy of high-end decor. To achieve this, it's just a matter of knowing the best way to accentuate the virtues of our rooms, transforming a small kitchen into a functional, attractive space where we comfortably spend time.

We're about to show you the best methods for giving your kitchen that innovative look. Various tips, as well as styles and decorative materials, will easily make a difference forever. After all, who said having a small kitchen has to be bad news? This article will show you that you need nothing more and that once everything is to your liking, you won't want to replace it for anything.

10 ideas that will make your small kitchen your favorite space

With these 9 tips, we'll show you that little more is needed to appreciate the change you were seeking and get the most out of your kitchen. By valuing simplicity and a setting free of unnecessary visual noise, you'll be able to give your space its own cozy appeal, having everything close at hand and easily navigating between burners. Who knows, you might discover a new fascination with your renovated kitchen.

1. Sliding doors for greater efficiency

Something that seems obvious, but is not always taken into account. With sliding doors, you will save a lot of space and create a free way to circulate without feeling hindered. It’s a simple and really useful option, which you will significantly notice, especially if there are more than one of you at home.

2. Doors with glass panels, the ally of lighting

It may be the case that due to the architectural shape of your kitchen you cannot install a sliding door system, do not worry, because we have several perfect options for your case. The use of doors with glass panels will be a fantastic option, which, despite not saving any kind of space, does positively affect psychologically, creating a sense of greater breadth and allowing the entry of more light. An efficient solution worth considering.

3. Or directly ... Say goodbye to doors

And if what you're looking for is to avoid problems and bet on maximum functionality and breadth, in that case, say goodbye to the doors.

One of the latest trends in interior design that is proving to be a real success in home decoration. By removing the door it allows you to maximize the sq ft of your kitchen. A way to completely rid yourself the visual stress and allow greater illumination of the area. In this way, you will create a direct route that connects with the rest of the house, giving it a greater sense of breadth, as well as better fluidity.

4. Take advantage of the walls

Walls are empty spaces that by using shelves, cabinets or other objects, you can give them a function that helps to improve the layout of your kitchen. It's not about occupying it as if it looked like a library, it is advisable to leave certain escape points that allow creating a used space without overloading the view.

5. Do you have natural light? Make it prevail

One of the key aspects to ensure a more spacious appearance of your small kitchen. Light and especially, natural light, is a great ally to provide your rooms a lighter and livable atmosphere, which invites to spend hours in that room. Take full advantage of all natural light inputs avoiding placing furniture that interfere with the passage of light, such as curtains, blinds, shelves, among others.

6. Light colors for less overloaded environments

A simple way to gain brightness in our small kitchen. Professionals recommend decorating both the walls, as well as the furniture, the counter and the floor with light colors in order to create a more open and dynamic appearance of the space.

Interior design specialists recommend decorating with neutral colors such as off-white, pale pink, beige, sand brown; and also opting for pastel shades in green or blue tones. To finish putting the finishing touches, it is recommended to play with contrasts decorating small details through natural elements such as clay containers, wooden shelves, natural fiber baskets... Without a doubt, it will generate a more unique, attractive and cozy style.

7. Surprise! Opt for a bar instead of a table

Don't have enough space for a table? The solution is to get a bar and stools. A simple and effective way to create a small area, in your small kitchen, dedicated to rest. The bar should stick out of the wall just enough to support utensils on it and to store the stools below. That's what you call making the most of the space at an expert level.

8. Every inch counts Use hooks!

You would be surprised how useful it can be to place a small protrusion on the wall. By dedicating a minimal space, we take advantage of the walls to hang all kinds of objects or materials that are necessary in the kitchen, giving us the luxury of having them at hand.

9. Furniture without handles conquer the interiors

One of the latest trends in interior design, furniture without handles! One of the most efficient methods to give your small kitchen more space. Functionally, it allows us to make the traffic areas more fluid where there will no longer be the possibility of bumping into any element. Its psychological potential is no less. By eliminating the handles, a more free space is created with clean and straight lines that, unconsciously, gives us a feeling of spaciousness translated into less environmental stress.

10. Optimize space with extendable tables

When it comes to taking advantage of space, any method is good. Extendable tables have been working for decades and today, they are still a real success. It is a comfortable way to have a table for what is necessary and can be extended when required.

Stylish designs for your small kitchen

Over time, interior design has created various forms of distribution that favor efficiency in making the most of spaces in small kitchens. There are several styles, each with its pros and cons, but all really effective in getting the most out of the room. Next, we will show you the 4 most highly valued distributions by professionals in interior design:

American kitchen

One of the most popular options that doesn't disappoint. What to do if your kitchen is small? Make it bigger by directly joining it with the living room. This is the theory behind this style. It allows us to create a space where we merge what we commonly divide into two, in such a way that we eliminate that feeling of stress between walls and gain in spaciousness and lighting.

Advantages

• Greater entry of natural light: it may be the case that your kitchen does not have a window or, vice versa, your living room does not have an entrance of natural light. Through this arrangement, we create better lighting, complementing one area with the other or, even better, merging the light entrances of both.
• Freedom of movement: you will no longer have to move carefully between the walls, stoves, appliances and everything a kitchen includes. Opening the kitchen grants you that comfortable way of moving that you will appreciate greatly.

Disadvantages

• Ventilation: perhaps the biggest downside, ventilation after cooking. It will be inevitable that after cooking the smoke and smells will not spread to the rest of the house, specifically to the living room.
• Privacy: the living room will lose that cozy value that enchants some so much. You will have a larger space, perhaps too much for some people.

U-shaped distribution

One of the highly functional designs, U kitchens, which allows you to make the most of all available space. Through this distribution we make an almost perfect imaginary triangle, joining the three most relevant points of the kitchen: stoves, sink and refrigerator.

Advantages

• Versatility: it gives us great ease to exchange different work areas or move appliances.
• Access: it favors access to cabinets, drawers, appliances... Thanks to the proximity it offers us.
• Space: a valid distribution for both small and large spaces.

Disadvantages

• Lighting: it can lead to shadows in the work areas if it does not have good lighting.
• Access: the furniture located in the corners are more difficult to access.
• Isolation: it does not allow to be integrated with open environments, it forces us to generate an independent area.

L-shaped distribution

A fantastic way to create a large open space which enhances comfort through its simple and intuitive distribution. It usually deals with a distribution with a large countertop, accompanied by an accessible work area that gives place to a satisfactory maneuverability.

Disadvantages

• Storage: provides enough space to have a large storage capacity.
• Work area: an efficient distribution that ensures that the cooking area does not cross with the sink, allowing to cook comfortably and safely.
• Comfort: having a large countertop provides greater comfort to perform any task.
• Cleaning: it paves the way to cleaning by avoiding nooks and crannies with its efficient arrangement.

Drawbacks

• Space utilization: despite being one of the most popular layouts for small kitchens, there are others that allow for lesser space usage.
• Placement of elements: it leaves us minimal margin to play with the distribution of furniture and appliances.
• Functionality: unlike the "u" layout, in this case we will have to move more to access cabinets or appliances, as everything is further away.

Two-front style

A layout that allows us to create different work zones in such a way that we can maximize the square feet we have. This style is based on saving enough space for key areas, such as: stoves, washing area, and storage area. Its appearance would be like a line with two opposing zones. The most commonly applied layout usually is one area with high furniture: refrigerator, column with microwave and oven, cabinets... And another area with water on one side and stoves at the end.

Advantages

• Great efficiency: this is the best example of how to make the most of a reduced space. Nothing is left to chance and every square foot has a great function.
• Everything within reach: if you're cooking and need something from the cupboard, you'll just have to turn around and you'll have it within reach.

Drawbacks

• Tunnel effect: if the hallway is very narrow it can cause a tunnel effect, which can be somewhat suffocating.
• Maneuverability: it may happen that we do not comfortably fit into the kitchen and have to avoid colliding with others as people pass by.

The most successful decorative materials in small kitchens

There are many decorative materials, but now we are going to show you those that are ideal for creating a sense of greater spaciousness in your small kitchens. With simple floor or wall decoration with the right material, we can make our kitchens look completely renovated and fresh. Next, we will mention the materials most used by interior design professionals, for the renovation of a small kitchen. Pay attention!

Wallpaper or brick/wood effect wall

A simple, cheap and quick solution that can generate the result you were looking for. Decorating one of the kitchen walls with another design, such as brick, will help to create a visual division of the areas. The contrast will generate a very attractive effect and will give rise to a more welcoming and charming area. Some of the options for this alternative are: wallpapering or placing decorative plaques that imitate wood or exposed brick.

Vinyl floor for a more attractive look

One of the decorative alternatives that top the latest trends in interior design for kitchen design or other rooms, such as bathrooms, for example. One of its great advantages lies in the cost, since it is much cheaper compared to other more traditional options: porcelain and ceramic tiles.

With this cladding your small kitchen will gain in design, being able to choose between the drawings or shapes that you most desire, giving rise to a floor with character. A very grateful material, since it is extremely easy to clean, and it is also resistant to stains as well as to humidity, a necessary element of course when it comes to the kitchen.

Mini tiles are trending

And we leave the floors to talk about a fantastic option for wall cladding, the mini tiles. Let's not get confused, in this case we are not talking about the traditional square and white tile with which most kitchens have been decorated. In this case we leave that concept aside to move on to another variety of tiles, smaller and with more decorative potential.

With this alternative we can give a breath of fresh air to our small kitchen, recreating attractive mosaics on the walls, or decorating them with hydraulic tiles. An original way to give color to this room without overloading it excessively.

Another much more economical, quick and equally effective option is to give your tiles a completely renewed appearance using our Emottion tile paint. A fantastic solution with which to achieve a high-performance finish

Micro-cement, the revolution of decorative coatings

Could not miss the crème de la crème, themicrocement. A high-performance decorative coating that has been trending for years, representing a true decorative revolution in the interior design of small kitchens. This spectacular product, only 2-3 mm thick, offers us a material that can be applied without the need for construction and avoiding, in the same way, creating any type of debris, making it a fantastic product for interior renovations.

Thanks to its unique aesthetic it manages to give kitchens and any space where it's applied a wider appearance, due to its exclusive jointless finish that offers that infinite and open look. It can be used on both walls and floors, offering all types of designs in order to guarantee results that fully satisfy those who use it.

Opt for quality with this decorative coating of amazing features, trusting in a product that offers resistances out of the ordinary. Its potential spans from its great strength against pedestrian traffic wear and abrasion, as well as temperature changes, UV rays, humidity, stains, and scratches. Micro-cement has the ability to provide surfaces with a wonderful non-slip finish, to avoid any type of accident, as well as an innate talent that makes it almost waterproof.

As you can see, the options are varied and as long as you want, you can make your small kitchen seem larger if you take the right measures.