Tips to Add Style and Function to a Small Kitchen
Easy tips that will add beauty and style to your small kitchen, as well as ideas to make your kitchen function better for everyday living!
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If you're a fan of HGTV design shows, it may seem as though everyone these
days is lucky enough to have their dream kitchen, a huge space with tons of
storage, a huge island, up to date fixtures and everything else you could ever
dream of.
The truth is that most of us have a kitchen that we don't love, but due to
budget restrictions, time or other issues, we're just not able to update it at
the moment.
Kitchen challenges
We were fortunate when we moved into our (early 1980's) home 4+ years ago,
that all the dark cabinetry had been painted and the kitchen had been updated.
You can click here to tour my home.
The reality is that the updates that were chosen, while I'm sure a huge
improvement from the original, don't really reflect my style. My marble
counters are very dark with a busy pattern, my backsplash is outdated and my
cabinets really need to be repainted.
The biggest challenge in my kitchen is space. I have limited storage, and the
location of the island means it's really just a one-butt kitchen 😉 It's
difficult for more than one person to work in the kitchen unless they stand
still and don't move!
I'm thankful to have a
dedicated pantry, as I know that is something missing from a lot of older homes, and we've
removed the wire shelves and weird corner lazy Susan, making it function so
much better.
But the pantry is behind closed doors. Today I want to address the
visible aspects of a kitchen, and how to use decorative items to help
your kitchen function better.
How to make your small kitchen work harder without sacrificing beauty
Today I'm excited to share with you some tips and tricks to maximizing the
storage on your kitchen counters. Many of these ideas are not only functional
but pleasing to the eye and so they double as style.
I'm a momma who cooks several times a week and I need my kitchen to be a happy
place to be in, with pleasing things to look at, as well as being functional.
I hope you're inspired to try some of these ideas in your own kitchen.
Deceive the eye
I mentioned that I'm not a big fan of my dark countertops and I don't care for
the beige backsplash. Until such time as we can change those, I find that
using light colored items on the counters helps to deceive the eye and make
the kitchen as a whole appear lighter.
When there's something pretty to look at and it's in a contrasting color to
the items you don't like, your eye tends to be drawn to it. A
large white metal ceiling tile plaque
behind the sink helps to cover up a large portion of the backsplash in that
spot, and you'll see that I've used this 'deceive the eye' trick around my
kitchen in different spots.
When our home was built, around 1983, beige was big. All of the outlets in our
home were the original beige covers, which have since dulled to a
not-so-charming dingy yellow. Mr DIY has changed some of them out, but he's
not an electrician and it's a big job that can be dangerous. The outlets in my
kitchen are cleverly hidden by the items on my countertop.
Let's see if you can spot them. There's one behind the bread box and another
behind the kitchen tools.
You can see that I've strategically placed decorative (and functional) items
so that the outlet covers are hidden. They're still there and easy to access,
but they're not visible.
Clever decorative storage
My second trick to adding decorative function to your kitchen counters is by
using clever storage. I've utilized some items from my collections here in my
kitchen. You can see that I have some of my
white ironstone pitchers
holding my kitchen tools (this is also very helpful as I don't have cabinet
space for them).
My
white bread box
is actually where I store my tea towels. Here in humid Texas, we need to keep
our bread in the fridge or it goes moldy.
I have a small
galvanized caddy
beside the stove top with my olive and avocado oils. This is especially handy
to have them right there where I use them, and the
clear oil bottles
are more decorative than the original bottles! I actually buy the huge plastic
bottles at Costco and then refill these decorative one.
Elevate everyday items
I cannot say enough positive things about having a
magnetic knife holder! It gets the knives off the counter (or out of drawers), and it's so much
easier to grab the knife I want when they're all visible! Saves on space, and
makes me look like a real chef! 😁
This same tip applies to kitchen tools. Rather than having them all stuffed
into multiple drawers, my most-used tools are upright in beautiful pitchers. I
found a set of
miniature kitchen tools
that match my decor and they add some color and style.
The small tools are cute and interesting and help to draw the eye away from
the corner of beige outlet that's peeking out behind that vertically place
cutting board (can you see it now?) I find I use those mini spatulas so much,
they're so handy for scraping food out of cans, batter from a bowl, etc.
Placing the trio of ironstone pitchers on a
wood tray
corrals them and makes them act as a single unit, rather than just a bunch of
stuff on the counter.
Show off collections
It's no secret that I'm an avid collector! I love vintage blue and white
dishes, white English ironstone, copper, Rae Dunn and so much more!
Rather than hiding my collections away in cupboards, I love to display them.
Like the ironstone pitchers, if I can utilize them in a functional way, even
better!
With all the white and black in my kitchen, it feels a little blah.
Strategically placing some of my treasured blue and white dishes around the
kitchen does three things:
- it adds a pop of color (blue is my fave)
- it creates a theme without feeling "theme-y"
- it draws the eye
If you have any glass front cabinets, this is the place to display your
favorite items! It will bring a smile to your face to see something pretty
up there! Don't clutter up cabinets that you can see into, you'll create a
visual nightmare!
Hang it up
Having items you love and use in full view means you'll actually use them
more, and if you're strategic about what you have out, those items can double
as decor.
I used to have a wreath hanging above our metal trash can. But a year or so
ago I splurged on this sturdy hanging mug rack. It's a great way to not only display favorite mugs, but also a range of
decor! I added a
metal basket
to the bottom row of hooks and keep fabric napkins here.
You can see how I incorporated copper touches into my kitchen as another way
to add visual appeal.
Something green
Whether fresh or faux, adding greenery will add life to your kitchen! I've
since planted this hydrangea bush in my flower bed, but it lasted for quite
awhile on the kitchen counter. Consider a pot of fresh herbs, or if you don't
have a green thumb, go faux!
What are some of your biggest challenges in your kitchen?
SHOP THIS POST
(click on the pictures below for detailed info)
bringing beauty to the ordinary,
I noticed that you have a corner sink. I have one too, and I love it. But I have trouble coming up with ideas how to decorate the back of it, in the triangle shaped space. I was wondering if you could write a post on that some time or even a pin board with inspiration would be great. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pamela, I already have plans to write a post with ideas for decorating that awkward space!
DeleteExcellent!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all you excellent ideas. I wanted to give you a heads up about an article I recently read about olive oil. I learned it should always be kept away from heat and light. I also buy it at Costco and put it into a smaller clear bottle which I guess is okay if it's kept in a closed cabinet. I have been looking for a dark glass bottle but so far am unsuccessful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol, that's a great tip! I never use that small back burner so I should be okay!
Delete