13 Ideas for a Small Kitchen: Projects by Our Designers

Thinking about a major renovation of a small kitchen? Or do you just want to make some changes to refresh the interior? Our tips and experience from domestic designers will surely help you choose the right direction.

1. Relocation

Before considering suitable decoration and visual expansion of a small kitchen space, consider the possibility of actually increasing the area of the room.

Perhaps a balcony or loggia adjoins your kitchen? Or is there an option to connect it with part of the hallway? Even a few extra square meters can significantly help in creating a stylish and comfortable space.

Design: Alice Shabelnikova

2. "Proper" Color Palette

A light palette makes the interior visually more spacious. At the same time, it is advisable to avoid monotony: an ideal solution would be a combination of several light shades with the addition of a balancing dark color and neat bright accents. Pay attention to pastel tones—they are in trend.

Design: Dzerassa KachmazovaDesign: Yana Molodykh

3. Backsplash – Chalkboard

A functional element of design and an unusual decorative technique—2 in 1. A chalkboard surface is easy to maintain and looks quite original as a kitchen backsplash. What to write on it—recipes for dinner or messages to family members—is up to you.

Design: Elena Ivashkina

4. Compact Appliances

It is worth carefully examining new household appliances when setting up a small kitchen: compact range hoods, electric stoves, ovens, narrow refrigerators, mini microwaves and other electronics that can make food preparation as fast and convenient as possible.

Design: Nadya Zотовa

A common mistake made by owners of small kitchens is to give up essential appliances, including dishwasher machines. First, modern manufacturers offer many options for narrow models. Second, a dishwasher saves your time, energy and even money. Yes, it's proven: hand-washing dishes uses significantly more water.

5. Minimalism in Decoration

Principles of minimalism in choosing furniture and decoration are more relevant than ever if the kitchen cannot boast of impressive size.

Design: Konstantin Radulov

6. Tile Carpet

A colorful carpet made of tiles is a stylish designer's trick that can enliven the space and draw attention, diverting it from the modest size of the room.

Design: Irina Chistyakova

7. Backsplash as Accent

There is not much space on a mini kitchen to waste it on non-functional decoration. Especially since a bright, accent element of design can be the kitchen backsplash, for example.

Design: Maria Makhmudova

8. Storage Above the Ceiling

Stylish baskets and boxes will help expand storage capacity without changing the cabinet. Place them right under the ceiling—on wall-mounted cabinets—and they will perfectly hide kitchen textiles, small household appliances, food supplies or cleaning agents and other infrequently used items.

Design: Marina Sarkisyan

9. Mirrored Surfaces

Mirror panels, mirrored tiles or just a large mirror—any of these techniques can help correct flaws in the room and visually expand it.

Design: Oxana Panfilova and Ludmila Krystal

10. Glossy Surfaces

Glossy facades are another winning way to visually expand the space (which, agree, is always a good idea for a small kitchen).

Design: Anastasia Cherkašina

11. Transparent Furniture

A stylish, elegant and incredibly relevant design trick for small kitchens is transparent tables and chairs. Visually, such furniture literally dissolves in the space.

Design: Alice Shabelnikova

12. Unobtrusive Savings

The smaller the kitchen, the more noticeable will be poorly planned details, low-quality materials and design errors. Therefore, it is very important to thoughtfully approach the choice of finishing, furniture and accessories for decorating the space.

If your goal is to save money as much as possible, try to do it through the least obvious details. For example, budget cabinet frames won't spoil the overall picture, but cheap facades and low-quality hardware will immediately catch the eye. Simple floor covering in the dining area can be hidden under a carpet or mat, but for the cooking zone and backsplash it is better to choose stylish and high-quality tiles.

Design: Dzerassa Kachmazova

13. More Light

Dark corners visually reduce a room that is already small. That is why it is important to provide sufficient artificial lighting and try not to cover the window with heavy curtains.

Design: Anton Sukharev