When you’re buying a home, the kitchen can induce an instant go or no-go reaction, size being the most scrutinized detail. But a small kitchen needn’t be a deal-breaker.

Small kitchens are by nature, designed to be more efficient. Not to mention the infinite number of clever storage options available to improve the functionality of modest size spaces.

Indeed, we as a society seem to be moving toward less waste and greater productivity. A streamlined kitchen falls neatly into that category. In this Boston Globe article by correspondent Debra Jo Immergut, she quotes LDa Architecture & Interiors… “The new 21st-century kitchen is less focused on square footage and more on a general sense of openness, flow, and functionality— it’s less about a huge footprint and more about serving as the heart of the home.” Immerguts article projects that “a few years down the road, a compact kitchen area may even be an attractive selling point.” as the Smart Homes lifestyle grows in popularity, and Millennial / GenZ home buyers begin to make up a larger segment of home buyers.

Home seller’s should be mindful of the size of the kitchen when staging their home before listing.

• Even Decluttering… by which I mean EVERYTHING off the countertops,  can make your kitchen feel far more spacious.
• Follow this by thoroughly cleaning floors and wiping down cabinets, removing fingerprints from shiny surfaces like stainless steel and faucets
• Neutralize cooking odors and keep garbage disposals cleaned and trash cans empty.
• Stage any open shelving with matching dishes or small appliances to minimize a cluttered feel.
• Accessorize with kitchen-centric items like a small stack of cookbooks or bowl of fresh fruit. Some home sellers ask about fresh flowers- they are lovely, but if you go this route you must keep them fresh. Wilted flowers hint at neglect, not a good look to a potential buyer.

So you’re not selling your home or you’ve just moved in, what can you do to more permanently maximize the productivity of a small kitchen?

• Examine remodeling options such as removing any unnecessary room dividers: half walls, breakfast bars that do not contribute to storage, outdated knick-knack wall panels, even demolishing an entire wall if structurally feasible, to open the kitchen to adjoin other living areas.
• Match flooring to adjacent areas. A mishmash of flooring can break the flow of an open area and make spaces feel confined.
• Consider scale. Shop creative appliances like separate wall ovens and in-counter stovetops, refrigerated drawers, collapsible dish drying racks and moveable islands.
• There are multi-purpose backsplashes like pegboard. Add hooks for small gadgets, or try this AligatorBoard for a more modern industrial look.

RISMedia has contributed a few easy, inexpensive tricks to improve the ambiance in a small kitchen.

5 Simple Ways to Maximize Your Tiny Kitchen

Everyone wants a great kitchen. One of the most enjoyed spaces in the home, the kitchen is used for cooking, gathering and entertaining with family and friends. However, a great kitchen doesn’t necessarily have to be a large one. If you have a tiny kitchen, below are a handful of tips to help you get the most out of it and make it feel larger:

Make use of walls. Instead of hanging pictures on your kitchen walls, hang your pots and pans. You can even find great fixtures to hang your plates and wine glasses from the ceiling or walls.

Add a mirrored backsplash. While you may not want to take up precious wall space with mirrors, a mirrored backsplash can add depth and girth to your room, making use of an area that would otherwise have no purpose.

Build up. Need more cabinet space? Look up! If your existing cabinets don’t extend to the ceiling, you’re wasting precious footage. Consider having additional cabinets built where you can store things you rarely use, like that Crock-Pot that comes out once a year or your holiday china dishes.

Abolish clutter. Nothing cramps an already small space more than clutter, and a clean countertop can do wonders for a small space. Streamline your gadgets, sell or donate what you don’t need and store away what you don’t use every day.

Light it right. A well-lit space can really open up your kitchen and make it seem not only more inviting, but also much larger. For natural light, consider adding a bay window or skylight, if possible. To lighten up your kitchen during the nighttime or gloomy days, install energy-efficient lighting throughout your kitchen to maintain that airy, open feel.

These are just five ways you can maximize your tiny kitchen. There are many other tricks, as well as storage products, that can help you get the most out of your space. Do some research to get inspired, and be creative!
Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2020. All rights reserved.

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Bill Salvatore / Arizona Elite Properties
Your Valley Property Team
Residential Sales, Marketing, and Property Management

Founder: AZVHV Arizona Veterans Helping Veterans
Recipient: East Valley Tribune’s: Best Gilbert Realtor

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Our Buyer’s FAQ page has 9 of the most frequently asked questions from Home Buyers, along with 10 additional resources for Home Buyers at the bottom of the page.

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Thinking of Selling your home? First check out our 9 FAQs for Sellers. Then read on, there are 9 additional resources for Home Sellers at the bottom of the page.