These small kitchen decorating ideas will help your tiny space show better on the real estate market when it's time to sell your house.
Many
buyers base their home buying decision on the condition of the kitchen, so having a fantastic one is a
bonus. Unfortunately, many of us lack that spacious kitchen that will
blow home buyers away.
A small kitchen is definitely a disadvantage when trying to compete in the market place. Because tiny kitchens can look cramped and uncomfortable, many buyers will walk away no matter how great the rest of the house may be.
Luckily, there are plenty of small kitchen decorating ideas that can help visually expand the space, create storage solutions, and make your kitchen more inviting to buyers.
Color is one of the keys to successful decorating— it can work magic by visually expanding or shrinking space and raising or lowering ceilings.
Having a basic knowledge of color theory will guide you to make better color choices.
Most people respond positively to light neutral colors, although you will often find powder and dining rooms painted in dark colors-- this is to make them appear cozy and intimate. But, since dark colors don't appeal to everyone, this isn't the best choice when selling your home.
Your goal is to make your home appeal to the largest number of home buyers possible.
Introducing pattern and texture will bring life and movement to a small kitchen.
Texture adds interest when light hits the uneven surfaces, bringing varying degrees of lights and darks of the same color. But don't overwhelm a small kitchen with too much pattern.
Use pattern and texture in window treatments, accessories, chair cushions, flooring, area rugs, or lighting fixtures.
Vertical stripes on the walls or backsplash can elongate or heighten a small room.
Swathing an entire kitchen in white will create a uninterrupted space without breaks of color contrast to stop the eye.
This home design tactic tricks you into thinking a space is larger than it is. Abrupt shifts from dark to light will trip the eye.
Punctuate an all white space with spots of color using kitchen accessories, artwork, fresh cut flowers, or live greens.
One of the best small kitchen decorating ideas is employing a monochromatic, or low-contrast color scheme. Monochromatic and monotone color schemes are the most successful color palette for small room designs. This style will create harmony, visual cohesion, and a sense of relaxation.
This style combines varying shades, tints, tones and textures of one color. Any color can be used, but for home staging purposes, neutrals, like white, beige, tan, or gray work best.
Swapping out upper kitchen cabinet doors with glass will add depth to your kitchen.
Your eye will be pulled into the cabinets and to the back, making your kitchen appear larger by extending sight lines.
Avoid using dark colored or opaque glass and be sure to keep the interiors nicely staged.
Some small kitchen decorating ideas may include sacrificing a few upper cabinets and installing open shelving in their place.
Open shelving reduces visual weight and adds extra depth by allowing your eye to travel all the way to the wall.
Floating shelves are the most effective style for home staging, because they take up less visual space than those with heavy corbels or ugly brackets.
A great home staging design tip is to decorate shelves with objects the same color as the wall.
When accessorizing open shelves, allow plenty of space around objects. This creates breathing room, which translates to that open, airy feeling.
Focus on staging shelves with a few standout accessories, rather then a collection of small objects, which can look cluttered.
Follow the advice of HGTV interior designer, Sabrina Soto. "Never use an accessory smaller than the size of a grapefruit."
A kitchen with insufficient lighting is a depressing place to be. Who wants to cook in the dark?
Dark corners and shadowy recesses along the countertops will strain your eyes and make your kitchen seem smaller. A kitchen should have a good mix of natural, task, and ambient lighting.
Remove or open up a section of a wall separating the kitchen from an adjoining room. It won't increase the size of the kitchen, but will bring in more light and extend sight lines.
Simply removing a door can make a small space feel roomier. Widening a door frame will increase the sense of space. Or, replace a regular door with a pocket door.
Avoid scattering small rugs around a tiny kitchen. It'll look cluttered and choppy.
Create a long path for the eye to glide along without interruption by placing a long striped runner on the floor. Horizontal stipes can "visually" widen or lengthen a room. Remember the warning about wearing horizontal stripes? That works for floors too!
Light colored flooring will open up a small kitchen. Dark floors seem to shrink the size of a room.
To avoid abrupt color changes, link adjacent spaces with the same kind of flooring, or at least try to match the colors if floors are made of different materials.
Drawing the eye vertically can make a room appear taller than it really is. If you have a low ceiling in your small kitchen, there are a few tricks you can employ to fool the eye.
Range hoods can be bulky, ugly, and take up a lot of visual space. If you're planning on replacing your range hood, choose a streamlined or see-through model that takes up very little space.
Or, do away with the need for a range hood by installing a cook top with built-in downdraft system.
Of all the small kitchen decorating ideas, removing clutter is number one! If you don't do anything else, do this.
Removing everything from the countertops can instantly make your kitchen look larger. If you have viewers coming over, remove ALL but your prettiest appliance from the counter. That's right... only one.
In super tiny kitchens, remove ALL appliances from countertops. Keep one cabinet empty to stash appliances inside when home buyers are expected.
Kitchen clutter often extends to windowsills and refrigerator tops. Get rid of it all.
Reflective surfaces, like glass tile backsplash, stainless steel, sleek cabinets and shiny hardwood floors will illuminate your kitchen by amplifying natural and artificial light.
A mirrored backsplash may seem obvious, but they're actually very “taste specific” and require constant cleaning. Instead, put up a light colored tile backsplash that'll reflect light.
This is the 2nd most important tip of small kitchen decorating ideas! Kitchen appliances should ALWAYS MATCH when you're selling your home.
Gain a few inches of countertop by installing a 24” cooktop instead of a standard 30-36” one.
No room for a standard-sized fridge? An under-counter model might be the solution.
Make sure that the fridge fits flush with the kitchen cabinets. Refrigerators that jut into a room just look clunky.
Microwaves can be built into cabinetry or hung underneath. Please don't leave a microwave sitting on the counter--it screams, "No room!" and takes up precious counter space.
If adding window treatments to a small kitchen, keep them the same color as the walls to avoid contrast in the space, or simply go without.
Avoid complicated details, like ruffles, swags, and bows. Use valances or shades, or blinds—aim for a clean contemporary look with maximum natural light coming in.
When accessorizing kitchen countertops, keep it simple and sparse. Avoid complicated vignettes with too many objects.
Return from small kitchen decorating ideas to home page