When you’re home, which room do you always seem to find yourself in? Like most families, the answer is probably in the kitchen. When the kitchen becomes the center of the home, no matter how large that space might be, it never feels big enough.
Several years ago, I finally remodeled my kitchen, completely redesigning the floor plan. The first renovation we did was to knock down a wall (we had the best time doing this). We then installed a garden window over the sink, lowering the bottom of the window to be even with the countertop. Finally, we added an island with an overhang, with room for three or four stools, and a food-prep peninsula at table height, which has an overhang with room for three or four stools.
So do you want your kitchen to feel and look larger? Following are several ideas to help make that a reality. You don’t need to implement all of these ideas. Any one of these suggestions will make a big difference in your kitchen.
Create More Storage
For better, more efficient storage, install a base cabinet with roll-out shelves rather than one with a door that swings open on hinges. With a cabinet like this, you have a convenient place to store your most used appliances. With pull-out shelves, you can easily reach those items stored in the back of the cabinet.
Redo Your Cabinets
Try adding glass fronts to your wall cabinets. Better yet, replace those solid cabinet doors with glass fronts along one wall. This is a great way to give your kitchen a more open feel.
Add Light
You can easily make your kitchen appear larger by choosing under-the-counter lighting. Another great option is to use light colors when decorating, especially with your cabinets and countertops.
Create Height with Taller Wall Cabinets
Remove those soffits and install your cabinets to the ceiling. You can also “stair-step” the cabinets. You can do this by starting with a taller cabinet and then lining the others progressively shorter. Above the shorter cabinets, you now have a great space to display your collectibles, baskets and teapots. You can store those seldom-used pieces, such as holiday dishes, on the top shelves of the taller cabinets.
Bring the Outdoors In
Try enlarging your windows, or replace one with a garden window installed at countertop height. For even better light, add a skylight or sky pipe.
Streamline Your Kitchen
Just as you go through your closets once or twice a year, getting rid of all those clothes you no longer wear, so should you go through your kitchen. It’s a good idea to regularly reorganize your kitchen, getting rid of all those items you no longer use. This is an easy way to make your kitchen feel much larger. Clutter always makes a room feel smaller.
Build a Useful Island
For those of you with an eat-in kitchen but no room for an island, consider replacing the kitchen table with an island. An island will not only give you an eating area, but you will also have added space to store seldom-used items. You can do this yourself. Start with table-height cabinets (traditional counter-height ones will work as well). Then simply top them with a countertop material. To make room for chairs or stools, extend the counter 12 to 16 inches beyond the sides of the cabinets.
Install Storage Trays
This can be easily done on the back of false drawer fronts at the sink and cooktop. Specially made narrow trays are available at hardware stores and home centers. This is a great way to reduce your clutter around the stove and sink.
Free Up Counter Space
One contributor to a cramped-feeling kitchen is cluttered counters. You can easily solve this by installing an under-the-counter microwave, can opener, spice rack or toaster.
Open Up Those Walls
If a dining area adjoins your kitchen, consider knocking down the wall between them. Before you begin, make sure the wall is not load-bearing. If it isn’t then this can be an easy do-it-yourself project.
Create Open Shelving
Design your kitchen to include open shelving. Openly displayed colorful plates, glasses, teapots or other collectibles always makes a small kitchen look larger. You can do this by simply taking the doors off your cabinets. Paint the inside a bright, cheery color. Another option might be to take down existing cabinets altogether and add colorful shelves instead to make the room feel more open.
Avo Barsoumian has been in the home flooring and interior design industry for over 25 years. He is the owner and manager of a popular home flooring company in California. The carry the best in elegant hardwood flooring, beautiful laminate flooring and plush carpeting. Searching for that perfect laminate maple flooring for your new apartment or hardwood plank flooring to remodelupdate your older house? Then give Carpet Wagon a call.
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