Bigger is always better, right? Definitely not in the case of a laundry pile or a dent in your car, but when it comes to kitchen and bath design, we are always looking to maximize spaces and help them look bigger than they actually are. And while we can’t snap our fingers to increase the size of a room, we can implement a few design tricks to give our small spaces the appearance of larger ones. With a little strategic designing, your kitchen or bathroom can go from cramped and dim to light and spacious without expanding an inch of your floorplan.
On today’s blog we are going to share with you tips and tricks to make your small spaces feel bigger and prove to you that good things come in small packages.
Design your cabinetry so that the tops of the cabinets reach all the way up to your ceiling. Clean vertical lines will draw the eye upward and give the illusion of a larger, taller space. Cabinets that stop short of the ceiling not only waste potential storage space, but it can give a “choppy” look to your cabinet design.
Design tip! Clean vertical lines aren’t limited to the length of your cabinetry, incorporate vertical lines through reeded cabinet doors, beadboard, vertical tile, and hardware.
Whites, creams, grays, and beiges are great for brightening up your space and helping your small kitchen appear larger. Light wall/cabinet colors also help emphasize natural light.
You can still add color to your space but try to keep it minimal so that it doesn’t overpower the room. This kitchen is predominately white but uses a pop of color with the blue on the center island.
If you are redesigning your kitchen you can free up your workspace by building your microwave into the cabinetry and keeping the oven and cooking area together in one set zone.
Use an appliance garage for small appliances, which allows you to keep things like a toaster and blender plugged in but hidden away. The decluttered kitchen surfaces will immediately make the space feel more bright, airy, and aesthetically pleasing.
Integrated lighting will do wonders in not only brightening your workspace but helping your kitchen appear bigger as you will be able to see the entirety of the space. No more dim or dark corners.
It’s also important to maximize as much natural sunlight as possible. Sunlight beaming into a small kitchen will make it look bigger. Keep the windows simple and free from blinds and curtains. And if you do use blinds, try to keep them somewhat translucent so that the sunlight can still peek through.
If you have room in you budget, knocking down an internal kitchen wall is a great way to extend your space. Older kitchen designs tend to be closed off and segmented by full or partial walls. By removing one or more of these walls, you can achieve a more spacious floorplan.
Before
After
The showstopper in our Midcentury Rewind project was the removal of the wall that separated the kitchen and living space. We love the way it opened up the main floor and gave the appearance of a bigger kitchen.
In this case, bigger isn’t always better. A vanity that is too large for your small bathroom could leave your space feeling cramped and choosing one that is too small will leave you pining for more storage space.
Another way to make your space appear bigger is to float your vanity and toilet! A floating vanity or toilet is a great way to give the appearance of more floorspace. Add lighting under your floating vanity for even more of an elevated feel!
Mirrors are a necessity in any bathroom and also the ultimate spatial optical illusion. Mirrors help trick the eye and create space and depth where there is none.
If you are wanting to maximize every inch of your bathroom design, it’s best to leave things like bowls of soaps and decorative figurines out of your small space. A good rule of thumb is just to keep things simple! Your bathroom design shines on its own without excessive decoration.
By using a similar tile and wall color, you will have no horizontal dividing lines on your walls, which will help to open up the space by giving the impression of your ceiling being higher. Also try to use the same or similarly scaled materials wherever possible. For example, consider using the same tile on the shower walls and the bathroom floor.
The idea is to minimize the number of different materials you use in a small space.
This bathroom features patterned wallpaper throughout the space. Using the wallpaper in this way gives this bathroom consistency and helps it appear larger.
Design tip! Opt for larger scale tile. Small tiles can make a bathroom look smaller as there are more dividing lines between each tile. Choosing a larger tile gives the impression of more floor space and a cleaner, less cluttered look.
Other than your vanity, most small bathrooms are lacking in storage space. Instead of adding a supplemental storage unit, opt for open shelving instead. This creates depth as it makes the walls look further back than they actually are.
And if you can swing it, look into recessed shelves in your walls. Building shelving into the walls is practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. It frees up space in your bathroom as nothing is protruding from the walls and also keeps the lines unbroken, making the room look even larger.
Shower curtains, though stylish, can hide a large portion of your bathroom, making an already small space, even smaller!
A clear shower door helps you see the entirety of your space and helps the design flow together.
We hope that by implementing a few of these design tips you can make the most out of your small spaces. And the best part, the ideas don’t stop here! Our designers have a wide breadth of knowledge when it comes to transforming spaces and achieving your design goals. Ready to revamp your small kitchen and bathroom? Contact us to get started!
I found this article incredibly insightful and practical. The tips for maximizing small spaces in both kitchens and bathrooms are well-explained and easy to understand. The advice to use vertical lines, choose a neutral color palette, and incorporate mirrors is especially valuable. It’s great to know that even in small packages, great design possibilities exist. Thank you for sharing these creative ideas!