In the South, the kitchen is the home base. It's a place for meals and family gatherings, two important parts of any Southern household. Even if you have a high status and a lot of foot traffic, you don't need a huge kitchen that will make a huge impact on your home. Home layouts with smaller kitchens offer plenty of opportunities for plenty of space and storage without sacrificing style. Get inspired to combine function and flair to create clever layouts and designs with these beautiful small kitchen ideas.
mix white and neutral colors
Bree Williams
If you prefer that clean, bright look rather than just sticking to one color, mixing whites and neutrals is a great way to achieve this. In this kitchen, designer Molly Williams painted the cabinets bright white and added visually interesting neutral bamboo wallpaper.
Get inspired by Parisian style
French interior design is characterized by a classy and inviting style that makes a small kitchen feel like it's the perfect size. In this Nashville condo, we used a white and black checkered floor to make a statement among the clean, neutral color palette of the other elements.
Make the most of natural light
Small kitchens can often feel cramped due to their size, but lighting can help alleviate this problem. In this kitchen, the window is the focal point of the room, and the walls and cabinets are painted white to make it as bright as possible.
Create statements using tiles
Gillian Guyette
In a small kitchen, it's difficult to cram in tons of decorations without it feeling cluttered. Bold, vibrant tiles were used as a focal point in this South Carolina kitchen to avoid overwhelming the space with small decorations.
Maintain consistent wood grain
If your kitchen also serves as a dining area, it's important to create a cohesive look so it doesn't feel cramped. In this kitchen, the wood grain of the central dining table matches the brown countertop and decorative paint.
Add vintage elegance
This Cape Cod-style cottage features a stunning vintage-inspired color palette amidst vintage decor to create a cohesive aesthetic. The island has a refrigerator drawer and a bookshelf for storing cookbooks for effective storage.
gosage green
If you want your small kitchen to feel larger but don't like painting everything white, bright sage green is a great colorful alternative. This historic Savannah kitchen still has a bright and airy feel with all the cabinetry painted green.
Let's enjoy authentic retro
Small kitchens were the norm back in the day, so don't be afraid to embrace the retro look. This South Carolina cottage incorporates retro elements such as a skirted sink, curtains covering the windows, cut metal cabinet fronts, and vintage decor.
Add a pop of color
If you use your island frequently, it's important to ensure it looks aesthetically pleasing. This kitchen painted the island in a beautiful shade of green, adding visual interest and making the seating area look inviting.
Use open shelves wisely
Open shelving, especially in a small kitchen, can make the space look cluttered. This Nashville kitchen features dishes of the same family and design on an open shelf above the refrigerator, making it look functional yet cohesive.
Get inspired from the coast
Coastal beauty has been a huge trend lately, and for good reason. The combination of happy blue and bright white is a gorgeous combination that creates a colorful yet light kitchen. This kitchen has a beautiful balance of blue and white elements, creating an open and airy look.
Maximize your backsplash
The backsplash can be the focal point of your design, so it's important to choose the right backsplash for your kitchen. In this kitchen, the back splash goes all the way to the ceiling to make the kitchen look larger.
use glass cabinets
Glass cabinets are great for displaying tableware, but they also brighten up your kitchen by reflecting light from the windows. In this kitchen, the glass cabinets are white and reflect light to illuminate the kitchen.
Design with geometry
Too many patterns in a small space can be overwhelming, so keep the focal point at floor level. This kitchen features bright geometric tiles that create visual interest without too many small embellishments.
all natural
If you have a lot of wood elements in your kitchen, take advantage of them. This kitchen kept the natural color of the wood and added neutral paint to the rest of the kitchen to create an inviting atmosphere.
Non-food displays
When decorating a small kitchen, dishes and utensils may serve as interior decoration. If you have a cookbook, displaying it adds a unique element that isn't too common. In this kitchen, cookbooks are placed on top to create a bright decorative display.
add a colorful rug
Keeping primary colors bright in a small kitchen can help make the space appear larger, but it's nice to have bright colors to add visual interest. In this kitchen, we used a multicolored rug to contrast beautifully with the white paint.
Add pendant
If your kitchen is in the same room as your dining area, having the same aesthetic is a great way to make the space feel larger. In this kitchen, adding matching pendants helps the room blend seamlessly.
add contrast
Contrast is a great way to make your kitchen design more appealing to the eye. This kitchen contrasts black elements like the countertop and island with white elements like the cabinets and shelves to create a pleasing look.
add extra functionality
If your home has a smaller floor plan, functionality is key to making your home feel like home. Again, you can use styling to your advantage to improve functionality. This kitchen uses similar-looking appliances, so you won't even notice the washing machine on the left.
Incorporate artwork tastefully
Adding extra artwork can make a small kitchen feel cluttered and overwhelming. In this kitchen, one of his large, simple paintings sits above the range hood, creating a sophisticated and classy look.
Let's go simple
The rustic look is truly timeless and will make any small kitchen feel cozy and inviting. This kitchen takes the look of a wooden cabin and adds rustic elements like a cafe skirt and wicker baskets for storage.
Stick to straight and narrow things
Laurie W. Glenn, styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
For homeowner Katherine Gibbs, a childhood spent on a yacht meant that a galley kitchen in her Inlet Beach, Fla., home offered unencumbered convenience. “She can walk from one appliance to another in two steps without having to go around a large island.”
