How to Make Kitchen Look Bigger?

Transforming a small kitchen into a spacious, airy haven can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. With a few strategic changes, you can make your kitchen feel much larger and more inviting.

From choosing the right colors and lighting to optimizing storage solutions and incorporating reflective materials, there are several easy and effective ways to maximize your kitchen space.

Read on to discover practical tips and ideas that will help you create a kitchen that feels open, organized, and beautifully functional.

Create Space with Light Colors

The easiest way to make your kitchen feel more spacious is to repaint it with light colors. Dark and bold walls can make a kitchen feel cramped, while lighter hues create an airy ambiance.

Use antique whites, off-whites, creams, light yellows, or pale shades of gray to open up your space.

Avoid Strong Visual Contrast

Once you’ve chosen a light color, stick to it. Adding an accent wall in a bold color can make a small kitchen feel segmented and restricted. Instead, keep all walls light and bright.

Introduce color with small, non-permanent elements like colorful window treatments, tea towels, or accessories such as canister sets. This way, you add visual interest without compromising the sense of space.

Add Accent Lighting

The human eye is naturally drawn to the highest contrasting point in a room, often the top of the cabinets. Shadows can create a strong visual line between the cabinets and the ceiling, making the room feel cramped.

Installing uplighting above the cabinets can soften these shadows, creating a more open feel. Under-cabinet lighting can fill in shadows on the countertops, reducing contrast and making the kitchen appear larger.

Heighten Spaciousness with Cabinets

If you’re considering new cabinets, opt for taller-than-standard upper cabinets. These draw your eye upward, making the ceiling feel higher and offering more storage—essential in compact kitchens.

Keep cabinet colors light and designs simple. Flat-front door styles complement a kitchen’s clean lines, and simple hardware like concealed hinges and low-profile pulls maintain a streamlined look.

Find a Place for Everything

Clutter on the countertop can make a kitchen feel smaller. Customizable cabinet solutions like concealed storage racks and pull-out shelves maximize storage behind closed doors.

The less cluttered your kitchen, the larger it will feel. Consider options to help you create a tidy, spacious kitchen.

Opt for Glass-Front Cabinet Doors

Replacing solid cabinet doors with glass-front doors can add visual depth, tricking the eye into perceiving more space. Your gaze is drawn into the cabinet, rather than stopping at the door, creating the illusion of a larger kitchen.

For maximum effect, choose light-colored cabinets. If you prefer not to display cabinet contents, opt for opaque glass, which still reflects light and brightens the room.

Choose Reflective Materials

Shiny surfaces bounce light and make any kitchen feel larger. Stainless steel appliances, for example, reflect surrounding colors and amplify the space-enhancing effects of light-colored cabinets.

Installing a glass tile backsplash paired with under-cabinet lighting and a reflective countertop like polished quartz can create a seamless, open transition between the countertop and upper cabinets.

Open Up Floor Space

Using a small kitchen table with foldable leaves or downsizing space-devouring items like a freestanding island can free up floor space, making the kitchen feel more open.

This is easier than downsizing major appliances, which often come in standard sizes and may not fit well in smaller configurations.

Let In Natural Light

Maximize natural light to expand the space visually. Replace heavy draperies and blinds with sheer curtains or a simple valance, leaving the rest of the window uncovered.

The extra natural light will make your kitchen feel more airy and open, while also making the outdoors seem like an extension of your kitchen.