Small homes such as studio homes are now very popular, proliferating homes with small rooms. Sometimes, homeowners have to use temporary demarcation to separate different sections of the home. For example, a screen can be used to demarcate a workspace out of the living room, creating a perfect place to work from home.

With small homes come small kitchens. However, it is also important to note that some big homes do have small kitchens. This is a big problem for some people who love to cook. They want their kitchens large and spacious, more like a headquarter for their cooking operations. Despite the usual appeal of big kitchens, small kitchens do have numerous advantages over them.

Advantages of Small Kitchens

Better organization: people with large kitchen space are often nonchalant about space management hence they end up cluttering their kitchens. On the other hand, people with less space in their kitchens have no option but to be deliberate about space management. Items are carefully arranged and multipurpose tools are preferred.

Helps to avoid unnecessary items: having less space in your kitchen is one of the best ways to curb unnecessary kitchen expenditures. Each time a small kitchen owner considers buying an item, it will be subjected to the test of need or want. Only items that pass as a need will be bought. It also ultimately makes cooking easier as you have fewer choices to make.

Reduces food wastage: you may get to use a sizeable freezer and refrigerator in a small kitchen but you will most likely have smaller pantry space. This means the food items you can store per time are limited hence the faster you use them up and the less likely it is for you to lose track of what you have. Ultimately, less food is wasted in the home.

Easier maintenance: this is another very vital merit of smaller kitchens. There is no space to leave items unwashed in the sink; users have to clean up items immediately after use. Also, there are lesser surfaces to clean.

Keeps crowd from the kitchen: usually, a maximum of two people can comfortably use a small kitchen at a time hence it is not a place to gather for gist allowing users to keep people they don’t want in their kitchen out. However, people who cook as a family will find this factor unhelpful.

Note: you can remodel your kitchen to a smaller one to enjoy the merits above.

Challenges Of Small Kitchens

Not suitable for family cooking: people who love to cook as a family, especially if it’s a key part of their bonding time, will be unable to comfortably do so.

No counter space: counter space is very important for big cooking e.g. dinner for family and friends. Small kitchens have no provision for this space.

Lack of storage: while small families can optimize the available storage in small kitchens, large families may find it very hard to achieve.

No kitchen hang out: the kitchen often serves as the center of discussion when you have people over. For example, people can be discussing and eating snacks as cooking is being done. Small kitchens do not give room for this.

How To Pick The Right Paint Color For A Small Kitchen

One of the best things you can do to have the best experiences in a small kitchen is to choose the right paint color. The color you paint your kitchen can create the perception of a bigger space, making it more appealing and pleasant for cooking. The following proven color tips will help you create a better ambiance for your kitchen:

Use Light Colors To Define The Kitchen

Professionals usually have reservations about the use of pastels for kitchen decorations but the benefits that bright colors like light yellow, white, pale olive, soft orange, cream, etc. have for small kitchens outweigh their concerns. The combination of dark stained wood floors with an off-white color palette is an excellent way to highlight the design of the kitchen. If you seek to enjoy the space illusion of bright colors yet with simplicity and uniformity, new ivory is an ideal recommendation. The combination of white a subtle touch of grey-green works to create an excellent blend of simplicity, uniformity, and ambiance that will make your kitchen appear bigger. If you would like to add more depth and sophistication to what new ivory gives your kitchen, complementary colors like green and cream are great options. To ensure the illusion of space is profound, keep other elements in the kitchen in the new ivory color family.

New Neutrals And Modern Designs

In recent times, complimenting hues, new neutrals, and wall murals inspired by nature are very popular. Experts recommend the use of neutrals like beige or grey together with an undertone of green, orange, or yellow and nature-inspired murals instead of the use of boring neutrals with intricate geometric patterns. However, it is important not to overdo this as a large, bold mural can defeat the purpose you are trying to achieve, leaving your kitchen feeling cluttered and cramped. You can just decorate one of the walls as the focal point of your small kitchen thereby creating a sense of ample space.

Use a gloss or semi-gloss finish

Gloss or semi-gloss finishes are top options for small kitchens paint. Besides the fact that they are very durable and better than satin and flat paint in withstanding cleaning, gloss or semi-gloss finishes also reflect light in a room hence creating an illusion of space. A great analogy is how unobtrusive paint colors of semi-gloss such as cream and off-white eliminate the typical visual barriers cast by inside corners of walls. Painting the entire kitchen – walls, ceiling, and trim – the same color will make a small kitchen appear even more spacious.

Small Kitchen Color Schemes

Creating an illusion of a spacious kitchen is not just about painting the walls the right color or using light colors for the cabinets, all the details must work together to form a whole. This whole often involves the subtle creation of contrast without losing cohesion. For example, using the lighter shade of the paint colors of the walls of your small kitchen for your cabinetry and other woodwork will give a coordinated outlook. While using a single strong color for a wall is recommended for creating a focal point in a kitchen, doing the same for small kitchens is liable to create a choppy look. Instead, create an uninterrupted stream around the room by using a strong color only between the lower and upper cupboards. If you have glass-front cabinets in your small kitchen, paint the backs of the cabinets in a bright color like your walls.

Cool colors for excessively hot kitchens

Some small kitchens have the problem of excessive warmth; using strong or lively colors will make the room even warmer. Traditionally cool colors like blue and muted lavender-grays are excellent options for a warm kitchen. You can combine these colors with naturally finished or pale cabinets to create the refreshing crispness of nature.

Note: creating the best color scheme for your small kitchen is about finding a balance for all factors peculiar to your kitchen. E.g. don’t use bright colors for small kitchens with excessive warmth.

Tips for two-tone kitchen cabinets in a small kitchen

Make the darker color a focal point: Instead of the Island which is usually the focal point in larger kitchens, use the lower cabinets as a focal point in a small kitchen by using a darker color for them. However, this could make your kitchen look even smaller because dark colors absorb light.

Try a bold countertop: marble and granite countertops are very durable options for countertops, a key factor in their popularity. Bold countertops with a combination of the two tones in the kitchen are excellent choices. Fortunately, you will almost certainly get a stone that works for your two-tone kitchen.

Use hardware to pull the look together: a major factor in two-tone cabinet design is finding a way to place all the details together. Hardware usage is one of the easiest and best ways go about this. Choose matching hardware for all the cabinets to create a uniting theme for the colors. You can as well match the hardware tone with the cabinetry tone. Bold hardware that serves as a highlight that brings the room together can be used.

Don’t forget about flooring: flooring choices are a very important factor in a small kitchen. The floor is another key focal point, in the absence of an island. Light or bright floor materials will add more light and work as a cute contrast to darker cabinetry.

Conclusion

When you have a small room, e.g. small kitchen, in your home, you want to leverage visual tricks to make it appear larger. Fortunately, this does not have to be complicated; the simple use of the right colors can create an entirely different perception for your kitchen.