5 Things That Make a Small Kitchen Look Bigger

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

Whether you live in a small apartment, an older (pre-island fetish) home, or just an average house, you probably wish your kitchen was a little bit bigger. Or at least wish it looked bigger, right? We can’t help you increase the square footage, but we can help with the second part of that.

Here are five things that’ll make your kitchen seem bigger than it really is.

1. Light

Take the cafe curtain off the window, add under-cabinet lighting, and paint those oak cabinets glossy white! You can even add a mirror over a window-less sink to bounce the light around. The lighter and brighter your kitchen, the roomier it will feel.

2. A single color scheme

So all white’s not your thing? No problem — but try to pick a color and stick to it. If your cabinets, walls, and countertops are all varying shades of gray, for example, the space won’t feel chopped up by a countertop that’s a strong contrast to the woodwork above and below.

(Image credit: Esteban Cortez)

3. Open shelving

If you can handle it, take the doors off your cabinets, or mix glass-front cabinets in with your solid fronts. Cabinets, as necessary as they are, can often make a space feel more closed in than it really is.

More on Open Shelving

4. Vertical lines

Just like vertical stripes make you seem taller, they’ll also make your kitchen feel bigger. Try vertically oriented wallpaper or long cabinet handles to move the eye up and down.

(Image credit: Melanie Rieders)

5. A lack of clutter

Less stuff equals more room for your eye to rest as it moves through the kitchen, which’ll make it feel more spacious. This is easier said than done in a small space, I know, so aim for less clutter on the spaces you see first, like the countertop opposite the doorway, and tuck the rest of your stuff along the edges or inside your cabinets and drawers.