7 Affordable Features Designers Use to Make Tiny Kitchens Feel Bigger – No Renovation Needed
There’s no such thing as too tiny. You’re just missing these space-stretching essentials
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Cucina
Whether you’re passionate about hosting exquisite dinners, experimenting with culinary trends, or perfecting your kitchen's design with timeless elegance and innovative functionality, this newsletter is here to inspire
My kitchen is… intimate. And as the proud owner of one in New York City, I know that even the smallest tweak can meaningfully move the needle on the culinary experience, even if that ‘experience’ is just popping in to make tea after you've definitely ordered takeout.
Still, not everyone has to learn this the hard way. There are designers who specialize in visual smoke and mirrors, pulling serious presence out of small kitchen footprints that are, believe it or not, even more petite than mine.
Be it sneaky storage solutions or clever decor that pulls focus elsewhere, it’s time to trick the eye first and worry about the taste buds later. Ahead, seven designer-approved pieces that make even the smallest kitchens feel bigger.
1. Open Shelving
Consider taking shelving in a bolder direction. Think sage green, or even a deep red, similar to the one shown here.
The most designer-endorsed way to 'expand' a small kitchen, also happens to be the most obvious: open shelving. If you have the option to swap even a few upper cabinets for shelves, do it. Keeping your most-used items visible lightens the visual load and makes everyday cooking feel easier on both the eyes and the wrists.
‘Vertical open shelving helps draw the eye up, creating the space of more height and space. It’s a great idea for storing easy-to-reach, frequently used items, and adding some decorative touches, too,’ notes Joyce Huston, co-founder and lead designer at Decorilla.
But play it cool. ‘Avoid cluttering these shelves,’ Joyce warns, ‘otherwise you’ll get the opposite effect.’ Open kitchen shelving isn’t a free-for-all. Cereal boxes should stay far, far away. Stick to glassware, ceramics, or spices, and style them evenly, the way you would a bookshelf. If it’s smaller than a grapefruit, it probably doesn’t belong.
Lend your everyday cooking essentials three tiers' worth of newfound integrity. Note the hook rail along the base, which adds bonus hanging space for tea towels, oven mitts, or an ever-expanding collection of shopping totes.
2. Café Curtains
For a more romantic approach, introduce fabric into the kitchen. Play with color, pattern, or even translucence; semi-sheer curtains are especially lovely on sun-drenched mornings.
We drape window treatments in the living room for drama, and in the bedroom to block out the morning light. But according to interior designer Camilla Masi, window treatments matter just as much in small kitchens, too.
‘You want to maximize daylight without completely blanketing the space with light,’ she explains. ‘Some shadow play is really beautiful.’ No need to be overly ambitious with full floor-length textiles. Halfway is often the better option.
‘I love café curtains for small kitchens,’ Camilla adds, ‘and I’m glad they’re having a moment. Because they sit lower on the window, the eye still reads openness and height, without the heaviness of full blinds, shutters, or curtains.’
Anthropologie’s Cotton Woven Stripe Café Curtains are a fan favorite (a cool 4.4 out of 5 stars) for good reason. They let the light in and add a perfect dose of pattern without appearing too precious. Dare I say, they’re perfect?
3. An Appliance Garage
If seamless integration is what you’re after, styles such as IKEA’s Tittebo Roll-Front Cabinet answer an avalanche of small appliances. Its clever tambour door glides open without taking up extra space, keeping counters calm and clutter-free.
Between air fryers for crunch, blenders for smoothies, grinders for coffee, frothers for matcha, and those unseasonably clunky rice cookers, modern kitchens are visually exhausting. In a small kitchen layout, the answer isn’t to Marie Kondo your way out of useful gadgets. It’s to give them a proper place to live.
Built directly into kitchen cabinetry, an appliance garage lets you keep the gadgets you actually use without letting them dominate the countertop. ‘I focus on purposeful integration rather than trying to make a small kitchen feel bigger than it is,’ notes Lorri Hicks Cazenave, founder and CEO of Hicks Cazenave Interior Design. ‘Appliance garages allow the room to function beautifully while keeping the visual language calm.’
This way, ‘you’re not constantly confronted with appliances or clutter,’ she explains. ‘Instead, you experience a series of thoughtful moments that make daily rituals feel more special.’
A true appliance garage usually requires custom cabinetry, but Yamazaki’s Tower Kitchen Countertop Storage Rack is an excellent no-reno workaround. It neatly corrals smaller appliances (toasters, electric kettles, milk frothers, etc) while staying open on one side for easy access. Push it against the wall, and suddenly, the clutter disappears.
4. Mirrors
Did you know peel-and-stick mirror tiles exist? Well, they do – and they make for a surprisingly easy renter-friendly foray.
We all know decorating with mirrors is the oldest trick in the small-space book. They bounce light, stretch walls, and make windowless powder rooms feel a little more optimistic. So why wouldn't we harness that same power in the kitchen?
You could keep it subtle with a horizontal mirror hung bar-back–style to elongate the room. Or you could commit fully and treat mirrors like tile, which is exactly how designer Troy Spurlin of Troy Spurlin Interiors approaches small kitchens.
‘Our secret weapon in a small room or kitchen is always a plate-glass mirror,’ he says. ‘Whether it’s a standard backsplash or a full wall with no uppers, the mirror doubles the space. The reflective quality allows light to move around, often brightening up dark, cramped spaces.’ 'It’s also inexpensive,’ Troy adds, ‘so it makes for a budget-friendly alternative to traditional tile or stone options.’
You could opt for a no-fuss, clean-lined kitchen mirror – or treat it as another place to experiment. It’s not like you’re styling your hair here, after all (that’s what bathrooms are for). This vintage-inspired number adds charm to a cookspace without weighing it down.
5. Dining Banquette
Creating a cozy corner? There’s a dining banquette for that. Retailers like Article and Crate & Barrel lean into close, cushioned silhouettes for a bespoke appearance.
‘Small’ is relative. In New York, the idea of fitting a dining table into a kitchen feels like a fantasy. But for those lucky enough to have an eat-in layout, how you furnish it is important. Freestanding tables and chairs tend to clog the flow. Built-in banquette seating, tucked neatly against the wall, does the opposite.
‘When space allows, I often favor a built-in bench or corner banquette paired with a small bistro table instead of freestanding dining furniture,’ notes designer Camilla Masi. ‘It’s incredibly economical in terms of footprint, but it also anchors the room and creates a clear focal point.’
Consider this your excuse to have fun. Banquettes open the door to pattern, color, and upholstery moments that might feel too bold elsewhere in a kitchen, but land perfectly here. And unlike a hard chair or a backless stool, they actually invite you to stay awhile. ‘Suddenly, the kitchen becomes somewhere you want to sit and linger, not just cook or pass through,’ muses Camilla.
The best dining banquettes are the ones that come with slipcovers already included – in a full dozen patterned upholstery options, no less. This Floral Moss version stays sweet at 38 inches (small-apartment friendly), though there’s a longer 57-inch option if you have the space.
6. Pendant Lights
Fabric-covered pendant lights add a fresh layer of whimsy. Anthropologie takes the idea further by rendering the style in silk.
Long, vertical lines trick the eye into reading height, so it’s only fair to bring that illusion to the lighting arena with a pendant light – or two, or three. Interior designer Joyce Huston is especially fond of chrome here, for the same reason mirrors work so well in small kitchens, but the real win is the kitchen silhouette itself.
‘Smaller touches like pendant lights in a chrome finish above an island or dining table,’ Joyce says, ‘make all the difference.’ Beyond the visual lift, kitchen pendant lighting in general adds a sense of occasion, which is especially important when an island or counter moonlights as a dining surface. ‘Pendant lights specifically double as great task lighting above a kitchen island or bar counter that doubles as a dining space,’ she explains.
A pendant light is the jewelry of your ceiling – and, in this case, the whole kitchen – so it’s worth giving guests a reason to look up. Darling solo, but all the more so in multiples.
7. A Moveable Island
You don't have to spend an arm and a leg for a movable kitchen island that actually feels substantial. IKEA's VADHOLMA, for instance, stands as a reliable, highly affordable favorite.
‘Small kitchens aren’t meant to have islands’ and ‘those are for big kitchens’ are both myths worth retiring. Look for a compact footprint, obviously, but make sure it can move when the moment calls for it, and you’re golden.
‘Using a movable prep or baker’s island with legs instead of a traditional cabinet base with a toe kick allows the eye to see the flooring extend below and past the island, helping the kitchen feel more open and less claustrophobic,’ explains Jennifer Homeyer, CEO and designer at The Design House. ‘And in certain situations, a movable island can serve other purposes when entertaining.’
In other words: you really can have your small kitchen island and eat at it, too.
I’ve owned IKEA’s viral kitchen cart for over five years and genuinely can’t say enough good things about it. Mine lives against the wall, but it could just as easily float in the middle of the cookspace – those wheels are there for a reason.
Making more of a small kitchen needn't mean knocking down walls or pulling out all your cabinetry; there are plenty of no-reno easy ways to 'expand' your space. These designer-approved features are simple to add yourself, easily and inexpensively.
