22 Small Kitchen Design Ideas

Living in a tiny kitchen can be frustrating. Its lack of storage and countertop space means you’ll need to get creative. By taking advantage of your kitchen’s features, you can make the most of your space. This could be adding shelving for more storage or giving it a cute theme to make it more inviting. Check out these tiny kitchen ideas and make the most of your small cooking space.

1. Maximizing Kitchen Space in an Apartment

Apartments are known for having small kitchens, as builders tend to reserve the majority of the square footage for the living spaces and bedrooms. If you live in an apartment with a small kitchen space, you’ll need to look for ways to maximize the available space.

Add shelves to the backside of the cabinet doors. Add a kitchen island on wheels that you can roll out when needed and tuck away when not. Add a shelving unit or freestanding cabinet that you can use as additional pantry space.

See more apartment kitchen ideas here.

2. Creating a Bohemian Oasis

Embrace the intimate and cozy feeling of a tiny bohemian kitchen. Arrange fresh growing herbs in handmade pots on a floating shelf. Add home decor that you would normally place in other rooms to give it less of a kitchen feel and more of a homey feel.

Emulate the kitchens of exotic places by hanging cooking pots from around the world. Spread a handmade area rug on the floor. Use cutting boards made from exotic woods. Display decorative jars that are full of spices that are used for preparing a variety of cuisines.

3. Contemporary Design Tricks

Creating a contemporary feel in your tiny kitchen is smart because it keeps the kitchen bright and clutter-free. Floating shelves, kitchen cabinets with organizational drawers, decorative lights, and marble countertops are common.

Focus on using a mixture of materials, which creates depth and dimension. This helps trick the eye into thinking the kitchen is bigger than it really is. Don’t be afraid to use a combination of light and dark colors. Try to keep the dark shades low in the room to keep the heaviness low and help the upper half feel bigger.

4. Country Charm in a Compact Kitchen Space

A tiny kitchen is perfect for embracing a country aesthetic. An open shelf gives you more storage and helps the kitchen feel spacious. Add a farmhouse apron kitchen sink that you can have storage underneath.

Add a shelf up high on the wall that gives you plenty of storage for less often used items like specialty appliances and serving dishes. Hang handwoven baskets from the ceiling that you can fill with produce. You could even hang a vintage produce scale with a large bin with plenty of space for storage.

5. Balancing Dark Colors in a Small Kitchen Design

Be careful when creating a dark kitchen. While it’s possible, you need to choose the right shade and balance the dark colors with light or metallic accents. Dark small kitchen design ideas make a bold and polarizing statement, which also means that the design won’t be appealing to everyone.

Instead of choosing a stark black color, soften the look by choosing another dark color. A deep navy, dark forest green, charcoal gray, or blood red are all good alternatives. Their deep hue and heavy saturation make them perfect for adding drama to your small kitchen.

6. Optimizing Space in a Galley Kitchen Design

A galley kitchen is a typical setup for a tiny kitchen. They are long and narrow, like a ship’s galley, hence the name. The key to making a galley kitchen a comfortable space to be in is creating the illusion that it’s wider. While it may have limited floor space, you can make the upper half feel bigger.

Paint the walls a darker color than the trim and cabinets. It doesn’t have to be a drastic difference; even a slight one will do. The darker color on the walls will cause them to visually sink back from the brighter and lighter cabinets in front of them. Another option is to paint a line down the center of the ceiling. This creates the illusion that the kitchen is longer and bigger than it really is.

7. Incorporating Gray for a Spacious Kitchen Feel

Gray has made its way throughout the entire home and is now making its presence known throughout the kitchen. The color works well in small kitchens because it’s soft and unassuming.

A light gray is best for a small kitchen because it still reflects plenty of light while being softer and less harsh than an all white kitchen. To create a well-designed gray kitchen, use more than one shade of gray. This creates depth and variation, which helps your kitchen feel bigger while also preventing it from falling flat.

See more gray kitchen ideas here.

8. Industrial Style Tips for Small Kitchens

Use the small size of your kitchen to your advantage by giving it an industrial makeover. Strip it down to the bare essentials by taking out the cabinetry and replacing them with open shelves made of metal.

The bare-bones approach keeps the small space feeling bigger while also adding character. Replace your countertops with stainless steel to make them easier to clean. Install industrial lighting that is high and out of the way. This prevents a closed-in feeling from above. Add wood elements, such as bar stools or flooring, to bring some warmth into the space.

9. Minimalist Design Strategies for Tiny Kitchens

When working with a small space, a minimalist approach is one of the best decor ideas. Stick with a single color for the color scheme, preferably white or black. This creates a minimlist and uniform look throughout the space. Then accent the space with metal or wood.

The cabinets should create a smooth and continuous front. It’s also good to hide the fridge, stove, and any other major appliances. Elevate the minimalist design by using high-end materials, such as marble on the countertop. Use light fixtures that have a simple and slim design.

10. Modern and Sleek Design for Compact Kitchens

A sleek and modern small kitchen with its minimal clutter is perfect for a tiny space. Use accent lighting to highlight the long lines and sharp corners. Hide the kitchen appliances behind slab cabinet fronts that create a smooth and uniform front.

Replace cabinet doors that swing out on hinges with louvers or hydraulics that lift the doors out and up. This gives your kitchen a modern feel while also reducing the amount of required space needed for them to open. Stick with neutral colors that are a combination of light and dark.

See more modern kitchen ideas here.

11. RV-Inspired Space-Saving Ideas for Small Kitchens

Step inside an RV, and you will see an example of some of the smallest kitchens. Use RV small kitchen ideas to get inspired for the kitchen in your home. Add a pull-out counter space that expands the available workspace when you need it but tucks away when you don’t.

Additionally, look for multi-function small appliances. The more tasks a single appliance can perform, the more useful it will be. You’ll also need less storage space to hold all of your kitchen appliances.

12. Rustic Elements for Enhancing Small Kitchens

Add open shelving to your kitchen by using rough-hewn planks with a raw edge. This gives your kitchen a rustic aesthetic. Vintage appliances are perfect for your rustic kitchen. They have a worn and aged look that fits perfectly. They also tend to be smaller, helping them to fit perfectly into a tiny kitchen.

Add rustic touches to your kitchen by hanging vintage kitchen utensils on the walls as decor. Use more wood elements in your small kitchen than you would with other design themes. This could be wood beams in the ceiling, a wooden countertop, or furniture.

See more rustic kitchen ideas here.

13. Scandinavian Simplicity for Tiny Kitchen Spaces

A Scandinavian design theme in your tiny kitchen is perfect because it embraces comfort and simplicity. The lack of clutter and over-styled details help your tiny kitchen feel comfortable and functional.

You can still have usable countertop space, a kitchen island, or upper cabinets despite the limited space. Laying down light wood flooring, paint the walls white, and add black or gray accents. Maximize the available cabinet storage space by optimizing the shelving and drawers with organizers and pull-out units.

14. Timeless White Design for Small Kitchen Spaces

White kitchens have been popular for decades and have no sign of ever going out of style. People appreciate the bright and clean feeling that the color white creates. When using white in your tiny kitchen, be sure to use a true white. Avoid whites that have a color undertone, especially a white with yellow undertones. It will end up looking dingy and dirty in your kitchen.

White cabinets look bright and reflect the most light. Because cabinets take up a large visual space in your tiny kitchen, making them white makes a big impact. Paint the inside and out of your cabinets white to prevent your cabinets from looking too dark.

15. Enhance Small Kitchens with Stylish Backsplash Solutions

A kitchen backsplash is the area between your countertop and the bottom of your upper kitchen cabinets. It’s not the biggest area in a small kitchen, but it has amazing kitchen design impact.

Sometimes the backsplash area is bare but most are covered in some type of tile. Peel and stick backsplash panels are an inexpensive way to update this cabinet gap area. They can last around three to five years—or even longer—although it is fun to switch them out every couple of years for a quick kitchen update idea. Ideally, the kitchen sink area will have a waterproof or water-resistant surface.

See more kitchen backsplash ideas here.

16. Creating Airy Small Kitchens with Cabinet Upgrades

Painting your kitchen cabinets a light color is an idea that makes a small kitchen feel less cramped. Replacing a few solid cabinet door panels with glass is another way to visually open your kitchen design.

Inside your kitchen cabinet doors is another great hidden storage space. Hang hooks inside the doors and use them for towels, measuring spoons, or utensils. Another great storage hack is a wire basket that hooks onto the bottom of a cabinet shelf. This small kitchen idea makes use of the unused space above your dishes or glasses.

Make the most out of any open space you have above your kitchen cabinets. Treat this space as you would open shelving, using it to store platters and other equipment you only use occasionally. Make it a beautiful space by displaying trailing plants, antique kitchen signs, woven baskets, or other home decor touches.

See more kitchen cabinet ideas here.

17. Elevate Kitchen Aesthetics with Budget-Friendly Curtains and Accents

New curtains are a quick, inexpensive idea for sprucing up the kitchen. A bold buffalo check valance or café curtain adds a farmhouse vibe, while sheer kitchen curtains allow the most light to filter through. Curtains are a great way to introduce a new color or pattern to your kitchen design ideas.

After you choose your favorite new curtains, shop for coordinating kitchen or dining room chair cushions. Also, upgrade a boring kitchen mat with a non-slip rug in your chosen colors. These little splashes of color and texture are great affordable kitchen ideas.

See more kitchen curtain ideas here.

18. Budget-Friendly Farmhouse Kitchen Charm

Farmhouse style is a casual, welcoming way of decorating that’s perfect for a budget kitchen remodel. Farmhouse small kitchen ideas include white walls, reclaimed wood floating shelves, touches of black, and plenty of natural textures.

Replace an ordinary sink with a small farmhouse sink, or put in a copper kitchen sink with copper faucets. Hang pots and pans from a wrought iron ceiling rack over the kitchen island. Not only is this a great farmhouse kitchen design idea, it also frees up extra storage space for other kitchen necessities.

See more farmhouse kitchen ideas here.

19. Brighten Small Kitchens with Clever Lighting Choices

If your small kitchen space is low on natural light, it will look dark regardless of what kitchen design ideas you use. Mimicking the beauty of natural light is a must when kitchen space is limited—especially if the room doesn’t have a window.

A small kitchen often has just one light, so make it a statement piece. An oversized light fixture can look grand in a small space. Be sure to fit it with an LED bulb that mimics natural daylight. 

Woven metal or rattan pendant lights over the kitchen island have an open, airy design that can help a small kitchen feel spacious. Add hidden task lights under the kitchen cabinet to help illuminate your worktop and brighten the space.

20. Opt for a Rustic Small Kitchen Oasis

Your dream kitchen makeover may include lots of rustic elements—especially if you live in an industrial loft or country cabin. Rustic design ideas that work well in a small kitchen include exposed brick, reclaimed wood, stone and concrete surfaces, burlap, and other natural textures. Add a faux exposed beam to the ceiling and you’ll instantly up the rustic ambience.

If your budget includes appliances, choose industrial-style stainless steel surfaces. If those are beyond the budget, look for black appliances instead of white ones. Remember that your light fixtures and cabinet hardware choices can supply a lot of a kitchen’s rustic vibe.

See more rustic kitchen ideas here.

21. Maximizing Storage in Small Kitchens with DIY Floating Shelves

Open shelving is a fairly easy DIY kitchen design idea that modernizes the room while adding kitchen storage space. A floating shelf is basically just a wooden board attached to the wall with a special type of hidden bracket. Floating shelves can extend over windows, creating new storage space for beautiful glassware.

You can also buy decorative shelf brackets and simply lie a wooden board on top. If you want to double each shelf’s storage capacity, screw cup hooks into the bottom and hang your mugs there. Always keep your most-used items on your shelves, so they’re easy to grab when you need them.

See more kitchen shelf ideas here.

22. Optimizing Natural Light in Your Small Kitchen Space

Allow as much natural light as possible to flow through your small kitchen. If light is limited, don’t exacerbate the problem with dark, heavy curtains. Replace drapes with light colored blinds or sheer fabrics to maximize the available light.

If your small kitchen budget includes enough for replacement windows, choose windows with large glass panes for a more open view. Windows with lots of small panes and wooden mullions can make a small room feel a bit claustrophobic.