5 Tips For Remodeling a Small Kitchen

1. Planning ahead on paper. Seek out any unused space and plan to bring it into play. Look up! How much headroom have you got? Do your kitchen cabinets go all the way to the ceiling? If not consider placing your new kitchen cabinets so they butt against it. You can even omit the top of the cabinet frame provided you put in some bracing batons to keep the cabinet rigid. Look to the floor and remember you need access to every inch for cleaning purposes so no base boards on your low level kitchen cabinet units to enclose and hide large parts of the floor. But you can use shallow baskets on castors for extra storage and easy removability.

Check Out Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets Tips

2. Maximize counter space. Remodeling a small kitchen calls for deeper counters and cabinets. Place counters wherever there are no appliances, although these should also have countertops. Use every available square inch for cabinets.

3. Build in appliances. Keeping countertops clear of appliances and clutter will give the appearance of a larger size. So buy an oven and a microwave that can be built in. Place other appliances that are used less frequently out of sight and on sliding shelves at waist height for your convenience. Your built in appliance cabinets need to be close to power outlets. Be sure to mark these exactly on your plan. Store bulky food items such as potatoes, onions and bread in cabinets too.

4. Storage. Deeper cabinets for storing larger items should be close to the dishwasher and larger cabinets with pullout drawers should be near the oven. Plan ahead to maximize the user friendliness of your small kitchen. Install a wire basket on the inside door of the sink-holding cabinet for trash bags and other things that you use frequently. Wall mount one of those on-demand water heaters over your sink to replace the sprayer or soap. Tile in all splash areas such as the walls above the countertops, behind the stove and around the sink to keep your kitchen hygienically clean.

5. Pantry. You will need a pantry but when remodeling a small kitchen look to using a closet or store that is outside of kitchen area. The least used items should be stored here. Also look for the excellent space-saving rollout pantries. These can be withdrawn to give access to items you need, then rolled back out of sight.