5 clever ways to maximise space in a small kitchen

Make the most of the tricky spaces in your kitchen with narrow shelves and cupboards. Ideal for fitting in corners or on short walls, you can store anything from spices to dishware in a convenient place that's easy to reach.

Consider adding narrow cupboards with pull-out shelves into the corners of your kitchen, where you can stack your cooking essentials. Skinny shelves are a great place to keep smaller items, like mugs and glasses. They can be fitted in otherwise unused areas, such as the space surrounding the sink or snugly between a worktop and wall-hung cupboards.

Whenever possible, integrate accessories and appliances in your kitchen to save space. An integrated chopping board, for example, is a small kitchen solution – it's easy to access, and when it's not in use it hides between your cupboards, freeing up counterspace and maintaining an uncluttered look.

Read through our 10 storage ideas for your kitchen accessories for more inspiration.

Though it's best to do what you can to not overcrowd a small kitchen, there are some additions that can save more space than they use up.

Wicker baskets are great for storing anything from vegetables to pots and pans, and can slide easily under the sink or add a country cottage feel when kept on the countertop.

Hooks are another genius storage solution and can be attached to the wall or the inside of a cupboard and used to hang mugs, utensils or even pots and pans.

While storage can help to make your kitchen easy to move around, the colours and finishes that you choose will help to make it feel like an open and airy space. Choosing handless cupboards will immediately create a sleek and uncluttered impression, and opting for a gloss finish will help to bounce light around the room to create the impression of a larger space.

Alternatively, using light colours across your design scheme is an easy way to make your kitchen feel bigger – creamy pastels and pale neutrals work across a variety of themes, from ultra-modern to vintage charm. If you want to include dark features, make sure to balance them out with light walls or flooring, to avoid overwhelming the room.

For more advice, take a look at our guide about how to choose the best colour scheme for your kitchen.

Unless you're an extreme minimalist, when you have a small kitchen chances are you're going to have to store some of your things on your counter. So make sure they look good! Choosing appliances and kitchen essentials in attractive colours and patterns means that appliances can become artwork and contribute to your unique design.

With a bit of clever planning, you can make your small kitchen look and feel spacious and comfortable. Being savvy with storage will make your culinary life easier, and choosing a colour scheme that shows off your kitchen's assets is vital to maintaining a welcoming atmosphere. Use our kitchen planning tool to visualise your dream design.