Small Kitchen Renovation

I am so pleased with how this small kitchen renovation turned out because it went from feeling dark and cramped to looking so open and beautiful! I have never undertaken a kitchen remodel before, and I have to admit that it was a little bit scary at first.  There are just so many elements that you do not realize go into it and all of the details and materials that you have to pick from the ground up.  The research you do and the choices you make are especially important when you are working on a small kitchen design like this because every inch and every piece of decor counts.

I am curious if people think that we are at the beginning or end of a small kitchen renovation based on these photos.  Spoiler alert, we have not even begun yet! I am jumping on here because we are really in need of some kitchen renovation ideas that won't cost a ton but that would deliver a large bang for our buck.  We are into more contemporary home decor if that is any help, and my favorite colors are white, blue and grey.  I know that this is probably right in line with what most designers recommend for a small kitchen remodel, and I am okay with mimicking a lot of other peoples homes but I do want ours to stand out.

I can't get over how awesome our small kitchen renovation turned out -- every detail from floor to ceiling is just amazing! I will be the first to say that I balked at the idea of doing these sleek acrylic cabinets because I thought that it would look too cheap.  I am so surprised at how much I actually love them now that they are installed!  They certainly set the tone for our contemporary kitchen design and are unlike anything I have seen at friends or neighbors houses.  These cabinets paired with the thick marble countertops and coordinating backsplash make such an chic yet ultra modern space that is perfect for Instagram photos.

I am so pleased that I found photos of this home because I really needed some inspiration for our small kitchen renovation and I just have not seen anything that really excites me in those galleries.  Of course, I realize that I do not have this much space to work with in our home but all of the color schemes and materials could easily be translated to a space of just about any size.  Doing a white kitchen cabinet remodel and light colored countertops are always a good idea for smaller spaces because they make everything feel bright and open -- to adjectives that I think just about any homeowner with a small kitchen wants to achieve.

I know that this small kitchen renovation does not seem like much, but it represents such a huge difference from what it looked like before.   It took me a long time to come up with a kitchen design for small space that still felt like a full size kitchen, but that was within a scale that worked for our square footage.  I knew that, above all, we wanted an island with seating to be some how incorporated.  So we basically built the entire layout around that single piece.  As you can see, we kept the island pretty small so that it would not take away from the natural traffic flow or our ability to put in enough cabinetry, but it is still large enough for seating for three.

I know that it is crazy that I am posting photos of this home in a small kitchen renovation gallery, but hear me out.  I think that a lot of the basic design concepts that they used here would actually be perfect for small kitchen layouts.  First of all, I love the use of mismatched cabinets to bring dimension to the space without a lot of extra decor or pattern.  This subtle variation in color creates a really cool vibe that makes the ultra traditional style feel more upbeat and contemporary.  Speaking of mixing traditional and modern, I like how they carried this theme throughout all of their kitchen ideas including the edgy mosaic backsplash behind the range, and the super cool stools at the bar.