Do you have a small kitchen? Do you want to make it look more spacious so that you can feel less crammed?

There are adjustments that will make your kitchen look larger while working with space you already have. These tips and tricks use paint, color schemes, and lighting to visually stretch the kitchen. They can be used on walls, cabinets or countertops.

If you’re renting, ask your landlord before making any major changes. If adjustments like repainting are not allowed, we have included minor tips that will make your kitchen feel roomier.

Use natural lighting

Natural light brightens a room and expands the space.

You can add a window or a skylight. This enables light to come in from multiple points.

If you have reflective decorations or kitchen utensils like stainless steel, place them at strategic points where the light can bounce off them. They’ll also shimmer at night.

Another option is to add under-cabinet lighting or light that hangs from the ceiling. Under-cabinet lights give the illusion of more space beyond the walls of the kitchen. The ceiling light fixture draws the eye upwards, making the room look more spacious.

If you do not have the budget for this, use light window treatments or curtains. The curtains will give you the privacy you need while allowing enough light into the kitchen.

Paint with light or neutral colors

Painting your kitchen with the right color is a cheaper way of using the effect of lighting on color to visually expand it. Dark colors make a room look smaller and weightier while light colors give the optical illusion of a larger room.

The best kitchen paint colors are white and pale colors. White reflects light and gives a mirror effect.

Paint your walls, countertops, cabinets, ceiling, and borders with white. This makes the room appear airy, wider and higher without edges to create a perceived boundary.

To make a room look more interesting, use different shades of white or add neutral colors.

Use a light color theme.

If you cannot repaint your kitchen, use a color theme to make it look larger.

Use decoration and kitchen utensils with similar colors. The lighter the color, the larger your kitchen will appear. Limit the number of colors you use as a color cluster will shrink the space perceived.

Also, use low contrast color schemes. Your countertops, cabinets, and utensils should have a different color from the wall. However, the color should be in the same color family with only a slight contract. Large furniture and appliances should also follow this rule.

This will enable them to blend in with the wall. There won’t be a sudden shift from light to dark colors that can create a visual boundary and make the kitchen appear smaller.

In conclusion, your kitchen can appear much bigger than it is if you use the right tricks. All you have to do is optimize lighting, use the best kitchen paint colors that stretch a space visually, and invest in a good color scheme.