When it comes to kitchen design for small space, I tend to use all of the same techniques that you have probably already heard of from countless designers and contractors on here. The reason you hear about the same small kitchen design ideas repeated is because they truly work wonders to maximize the space you have while creating an absolutely fantastic design. One of my big rules for a small space is using an entirely neutral color palette. Of course that does not mean you have to do all white -- fir this space we scattered white cupboards alongside a contrasting ashy wood finish. Even though the wood is a bit bolder than your more traditional white cabinet would be, the rest of the simple kitchen design prevents it from being overwhelming in the small space.

All of my friends told me that modern styles are by the far the best way to upgrade kitchen design for small space. Since I am a bit of a home design newbe, I really did not know what all of that meant or what contemporary, classic, traditional or modern kitchen design really looked like. Of course the internet is a girls best friend, and I started really researching styles and trends to determine what I liked most. Interestingly enough, this quirky modern meets retro home is actually the design that stood out the most to me. I love how unique their small kitchen remodel ideas were, and how it the layout and coloring actually made the space seem large even though the space is quite limited. My favorite part is the cool periwinkle range hood and coordinating cabinets that run the length of the entire back wall.

This is such a great kitchen design for small space because it feels very open and grand despite the relatively limited square footage. So many people think that they can't fit a sizable dine-at island in a smaller space, but I think that it is totally doable if you plan out the layout well and go for more neutral white kitchen designs that make the space feel open. As you can see from these photos, the wall cabinets seem to blend into the walls, giving the illusion of more space. This helps the contrasting wood island to stand out as the focal point, rather than feeling too oversized or crowded. What I like the most about this design, is that it could be turned into a modern kitchen or a more traditional look simply by changing up what type of decorative accents you scatter around the space.

I will admit that I had put off renovating our home for years because I really had no idea how to plan a kitchen design for small space that would still look pretty and trendy. Finally enough was enough, and I knew had to at least start looking into small kitchen ideas 2020 for inspiration and perhaps some direction on where I should take the design and what type of layout would maybe work with my floor plan. You guys, I have to tell you that it was soo much easier than I ever could have thought. I think that the single thing that helped me the most was finding photos of beautifully decorated kitchens in homes with the same layout and scale as mine, then simply modifying and translating their designs to match my own style. I did this with everything from the kitchen cabinets to the countertops and traffic flow.

One of my favorite ways to maximize kitchen design for small space is to incorporate multi-use items like an island with seating and storage, or an oven that can double as a microwave. When we moved into our own smaller house, we had so much fun putting the tiny kitchen ideas that we tell our clients about all the time to use. Of course we went with very style-neutral white cabinets that could go with any potential look that we wanted to create, and we kept the flooring and wall tile in a subtle beige color palette so that everything flowed together visually. The majority of our time in the planning process was spent laying out the cabinets and trying to get as much storage out of it as possible. This is probably the single most important factor of small kitchen design because it really makes or breaks the functionality and usability of the space.

When it comes to home decorating, we actually get the most frequent questions on kitchen design for small space. I get that trying to plan out this room can be challenging in itself, but when you add on that extra layer of limited square footage and a puzzling layout, homeowners tend to panic. Please don't be intimidated by a small kitchen remodel -- these can actually be some of the most fun projects because the budgets can be a lot smaller than your average home, and you get to be so much more creative throughout the design process. My favorite overall kitchen design that we have ever done was actually in a very small space. As you can see, the kitchen was just a small corner of their open floor plan, but I just love the elegant modern style we were able to achieve in there with white cabinets and rich brown accents.