Utilizing cabinet space in a small kitchen

In a small kitchen, knowing how to make the most out of the space can greatly improve the room's utility.Creating unique storage opportunities, playing with lighting and finding the right appliances can all make a big difference in how much room there is to work with in a kitchen. 

One way that a homeowner can help improve the volume of a kitchen is to add taller cabinets that go up to the ceiling. While at the surface this may seem to make the room smaller, tall cabinets will help with organizing and storage in a way that will actually improve how much space is available. With a few optical tricks, the right cabinets can even help to make a kitchen appear roomier.

Storage benefits of ceiling-high wall cabinets
The biggest benefit of having a lot of cabinet space it that it allows a homeowner to keep kitchen tools off the counters, which gives them more room to work. Utilizing vertical space is one of the best tricks to maximize the openness of a room and keep he clutter at bay.

Cabinets with adjustable shelves can make it even easier to get the most out of your kitchen space. Shorter wall cabinets will limit storage availability. Cabinets that take full advantage of available walls and rise to the ceiling allow homeowners to put away more appliances, even clunky or tall ones. This is especially important for dishes or tools that are not used regularly. Placing them on the upper most shelves of a cabinet gives the homeowner more space to store items that need to be easily accessible. 

Create storage wherever possible
Manufacturers have come up with many useful ways to maximize the space inside cabinets with accessories. The use of pullouts or drawers tends to give you more access to the lower cabinets. Corners with accessories that pull out or rotate are also helpful to make the most of seldom used spaces. A trick many kitchen designers use today is to put vertical dividers in the cabinet over the refrigerator. This becomes a great place to store cookie sheets, platters and cutting boards that everyone will be able to reach.  You may even be able to capture some of the space in the toe kick area, by putting a pullout for a foldaway step stool.

Using open cabinet space to display nice glassware or bottles can create more visual space.

Visual tricks to make kitchens look roomier
Fortunately, there are many little tricks homeowners can try to change the atmosphere in their kitchens and amplify visual space. 

Going to the ceiling with cabinets and molding not only gives you more storage, but can give you the feeling of a taller space. The extra storage can afford the homeowner the opportunity to declutter items that are kept on counters or above open cabinets, giving a cleaner, larger feel to the room.

Solid, darkly colored cabinets create a condensed image that makes it look like they are taking up more space than they are. Using lighter colors and increasing the amount of bright, white light in the room can help to offset this impression.

Another thing that a homeowner can do is to remove the doors from some cabinets, or to use glass doors instead of opaque ones. By adding light in these spaces draws the eye in and creates a widening effect or the perception of more depth. This will break up the density of the cabinets and will showcase the empty spaces within. This also allows the homeowner some creativity, as the open cabinets can be arranged to display items in a decorative way. Wine bottles, nice dishes and glassware can all make stunning visuals.