Kitchen cabinet placement options let you maximize Small Modern Kitchen space.
Big planning is the key to an efficient
small kitchen. One major area where thorough planning pays off is in cabinet design and placement. Getting the most out of your cabinet space maximizes the flexibility of overall kitchen space and prevents activities and occupants from getting in each other’s way. Look beyond conventional cabinet arrangements to options that allow you to store everything your kitchen needs. You’ll be glad you did.
Arrangement Tips for Small Modern Kitchen
Climbing the Walls
Examine your Small Modern Kitchen carefully in terms of vertical space. Keeping a small stool within easy reach lets you position storage cabinets all the way to the ceiling, taking advantage of often-empty space. Use upper cabinets for seasonal and holiday serving pieces, decorative items and infrequently used cookware like the corn pot, the punch bowl and your Thanksgiving cornucopia. Consider placing shallow cupboards in unused areas, like over doors and windows.
Custom Sizing
Every family has different kitchen storage requirements, so standard above-counter and base cabinets may not meet your needs. Tall, narrow cabinets do some chores particularly well: functioning as a broom closet, storing an ironing board, offering widely-spaced shelves for tall, bulky family-sized containers and providing space saving vertical storage for trays, cookie sheets and other large flat objects. A cabinet with recessed shelves and door racks may be perfect for spices and seasonings. Cabinets with sliding doors let you put away dishes from the dishwasher or sink without dodging a swinging cupboard door. Cupboards with pull-out or swing-out shelves let you make the best use of deep spaces and awkward corners.
Looking Low
Turn even a Small Modern Kitchen island into big storage space with a mixture of open shelves and closeable cabinets. Fill one side with shelves that let you display colorful cookbooks close to where they are used. Sliding or tambour doors let the area under your breakfast counter or pass-through serve as storage for table linens and flatware. Sliding-door cabinets can also fit under the seats in your breakfast nook, making it easy to store large pots and roasters.
Space-Defining Color
Too many cupboard doors can make a small modern kitchen seem even smaller. Maximize a sense of space with decor choices. Painting walls and cabinets the same color will soften lines a bit, especially if you choose a soft, neutral shade. Pure white is a fashionable option, but a creamy white, pale wheat or soft gray is equally effective and may bring a calmer air to the whole room. Establishing a strong horizontal line around the room is a space-expander employed in small spaces. A brightly colored border close to ceiling height or a single swath of color used across splashbacks and counterbacks throughout the room can make the space seem larger.
Lighten Up
Provide good task lighting and ambient lighting so that shadows do not make the room seem cramped. Having enough light switches that you can vary lighting according to activity can make your small modern kitchen seem larger and cupboards less obtrusive. Consider clear or frosted glass cabinet doors to both catch and reflect existing light. Like mirrors and windows, they lighten the feel of solid walls.