I’m renting a cute little home that has a teeny tiny kitchen. Homes built in the 40’s just weren’t designed with large kitchen areas. I updated this kitchen with a little paint and a whole lot of elbow grease. The paint and styling in this kitchen has totally changed the look (obviously!) and feel of the kitchen and eat-in dining area. It feels 10x bigger than when we moved in.
I have learned a ton throughout the last two years of updating this space. I have really learned what has worked and what just doesn’t in a small space like this. Here are a few things I’ve learned that have made a huge difference!
1. Paint walls a light color. When we moved in, the walls were a bright, fun green. I wanted to do a little cottage-ish kitchen so the wall color wasn’t going to work for us. We painted the kitchen tan, then a year later, I got the itch to do it grey. We used Glidden’s Pebble Grey (purchased at Home Depot, my other home) throughout the kitchen and below the chair rail in the dining area. I LOVE IT!! It looks so fresh and updated but still has that cottage feel. It’s really neutral, which is great for a rental home.
2. Paint or Purchase white cabinets. I absolutely LOVE white cabinets. You really can’t go wrong going white! I sanded, primed and painted the white cabinets with Behr’s Swiss Coffee which is slightly off white. I wanted that cottage feel so I didn’t want too bright of a white. Swiss Coffee is perfect and you can also purchase it at Home Depot. PS. How cute is my KitchenAid mixer?? I got it for Christmas and I’m so in love with it. Thanks Santa! 😉 Oh, the jar labels are my own design from my vinyl shop, Classy Clutter Designs. You can purchase them here.
3. Pick appropriate lighting. Lighting can be tricky. Especially in small spaces like ours. Make sure to pick appropriate sized light fixtures and hang them an appropriate height. I’ve seen a ton of kitchens where the pendant lights or chandeliers are blocking your view of others at the dinner table or are hung too low over a peninsula and you nearly smack your head on them. Not cool folks. Don’t do it. I purchased this adorable little chandelier from a thrift shop for $7 and gave it a few coats of white glossy spray paint. Use Krylon or Rustoleum if you want your project to last! I would eventually like some small crystals on this but I love the simplicity of it. It gives off SO much light. I even realized when I was taking photos that one of the bulbs is out and it still shines bright like a diamond. 😉 (Great, now that song is stuck in my head!)
4. Find creative storage solutions. Nothing, I mean nothing, makes a room feel smaller then when it is short on storage space. This kitchen has that problem unfortunately. There is no pantry so all food, dishes, cups, pots, pans, etc. have to be stored in the 4 cabinets we have! We are a family of 5 with a baby, a two preschoolers that require special plates, cups, utensils, sippy cups, bottles, pacifiers, bibs, etc! Holy cow, where are we going to put it all?? Well, this is where a little creativity can go a loooong way. Since we have moved in, I have found several storage solutions that work for us. Our favorite is our Hidden Sliding Pantry. This has been life changing for us. See the full tutorial here. One idea is to add these little wire shelves to the insides of your cupboards. We go through a ton of peanut butter and honey. My kids love it. I have these shelves on a few of our cupboards and I’m suprised how convenient they are! Get some ASAP.
Another great food storage solution is a bread box (tutorial here)! I store bread, tortillas and the
occasion cupcakes in there. 😉 We also like to have fresh fruit in the basket on top. 5. Use appropriate furnishings. Dining furniture, rugs, textiles, etc. all go into play when designing a kitchen that needs to feel bigger than it is. I always gravitate toward light colors to make a room feel larger. Although it technically does nothing for square footage, the right colors can make a room look light, airy and larger! For my furniture, I chose a table and chairs with narrow legs so it doesn’t look too heavy. It saves a lot of visual space. I also like to use light colors on the paint for the furniture. The table is a basic white (unknown paint color) and the chairs are painted with Behr’s Glacier Bay. My all time faaavorite light aqua. It’s seriously the best.
I purchased this rug at Target and it matches the room really well. It’s actually a bath rug from the Nate Berkus collection but works really well in here.
Welp, that’s all for today my friends! Hope you can use a few of these tips!
Oh, don’t forget to follow us on instagram for daily updates on what shenanigans we’re getting into! Follow us @classyclutter
34 Comments
Elisha @ Pneumatic Addict Furniture
August 21, 2013 at 6:29 pmYou did a great job! You’re so lucky they let you do so much customization on a rental!
Gerber Construction
August 21, 2013 at 9:46 pmYour updates are beautiful! I completely agree with each suggestion here. Lightening a space goes a LONG way to making that space feel more open and welcoming. And that is so important in a space like the kitchen.
jenny
August 21, 2013 at 9:47 pmYour kitchen is adorable! I love how you made it so light and bright. I have a tiny kitchen too and yours is inspiring!
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life
August 21, 2013 at 10:16 pmThis is such a cute space. I love it and you are so right, it looks so much bigger and is cute as can be. Hugs, Marty
Samantha
August 21, 2013 at 11:45 pmI’m almost ready to do my kitchen cabinets, and I’ve been looking for a great not-too-white color recommendation, so thanks!
juleeanmatt
August 31, 2013 at 2:22 amI really impressed from your ways of tiny kitchen design. I am thinking that by following yours, anybody can give wonderful look to their small space kitchen and feel there just like as bigger kitchen.
Yvonne @ Sunnyside Up-Stairs
August 31, 2013 at 5:39 pmWe have a small kitchen too, so I appreciate knowing the tips you applied in your own beautifully renovated kitchen. =D My husband loves black, though, so black is punctuated throughout our space as well as stainless steel. I’m painting our cabinet doors white, though, so I get a little taste of that white cabinet look. 🙂
suburbsmama
August 31, 2013 at 11:49 pmSuch a cute little kitchen! I love how bright it looks. If you get a chance, please link up to my link party: http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/08/sunday-linky-23.html
Stephanie
September 14, 2013 at 12:31 amIt looks so much prettier and classier than before. Wow, that green! I adore your bread box, it’s just lovely.
Cameron
September 17, 2013 at 8:17 amThere are some easy steps that you can take to make your small kitchen feel larger. One of the ways is to allow it more light.
Nikki
September 25, 2013 at 5:01 pmThe food storage next to the fridge is absolute brilliance!!! I am DEFINITELY going to do that!!!
Ana
December 12, 2013 at 6:39 pmI just saw the tutorial for that pull out shelf by the fridge. And while looking at the picture I noticed you have a great space for a shelf. Right against that cabinet where your bread box is. You can leave the shelves open or use springrod and put a curtain to hide the things on it. Design would be scaled down version of the pull out shelf and without coasters.
Crystal Korzep
December 27, 2013 at 8:04 amWhwhere is your coffee pot, tea kettle, toaster etc?
Mallory & Savannah
December 27, 2013 at 10:37 amI actually do not have a coffee pot or tea kettle as I do not drink coffee or tea but my toaster is in a lower cabinet with pots and pans. Thanks!!
Krissy
June 10, 2014 at 5:21 pmI am in love with your kitchen! We are about to make a move to a home with a small kitchen so your ideas and color choices are a lifesaver!!! I have been looking for a nice calm grey! Thanks so much!!
Krissy
June 10, 2014 at 5:23 pmI have one more question. Worth the hidden pantry storage near the fridge, does the food get exposed to any kind of heat coming off of the fridge?
Mallory & Savannah
June 10, 2014 at 5:57 pmHi Krissy! Thanks for your comments! The DIY pantry I made has been up in my kitchen for over 2 years and I have never had any problems with it. My fridge does not get hot at all on the side so I would definitely recommend checking your fridge for heat that it may put off before you build something like that. I have actually had to replace our fridge when it went out a few months ago and neither of them have put off any heat. Hope that helps!
Aduke
July 12, 2014 at 2:07 amHi,
I stumbled across your website, and I can’t get enough. So much beauty in one blog. Oh my! I love it. I think I saw an image that had a mint color in it and that’s how I got on here. Yup I looooove mint, white and gold. These are my current fave colors.
I found this blog at the right time though. I scored some awesome window frames on craigslist, and I’ve been trying to figure out where to put them. I like where you placed yours, the wreath gives it an extra umph. Could you please tell me what you used to hang them?
Thanks for your time, and for these awesome diys
Gael
September 22, 2014 at 11:53 amYour kitchen cabinets look so much better painted than they did before! How did you get the landlord’s permission? Or did your decide to decorate then ask for forgiveness later? Some things are worth forfeiting a deposit over, imho.
Mallory & Savannah
September 22, 2014 at 1:28 pmHi Gael!
My landlord gave the “okay” first. She knows I’m an avid DIYer so she didn’t have a problem with me tackling this project. She’s let us paint what we want and we even refinished the wood flooring underneath the carpet. We have been here for four years so she knows and trusts us at this point. Having a great landlord is such a blessing! Thanks for topping by! xoxo – Mallory
casey
October 1, 2014 at 1:07 pmBeautiful! what is the light top color on the wall in your dinning area?
78 Cool Pantry Designs
December 9, 2014 at 1:52 am[…] Photo Source: classyclutter.net […]
Shirley
January 6, 2015 at 2:03 amthe paint on the cabinets is it a satin or semi gloss? I really love the way your kitchen makeover.
Mallory & Savannah
January 6, 2015 at 8:00 pmHi Shirley!
It’s satin. Thank you!
Bobbie
January 11, 2015 at 6:15 pmVery cute. I love the roll out pantry but not sure if will work for me. I have a tiny galley kitchen and my refrigerator has french doors. I’m going to measure though to see. I would like more room in the kitchen for storing pots, pans and small appliances. Right now I have some in a bedroom closet. LOL Thanks for the idea and any tips for a small galley kitchen would be fabulous.
amanda
January 31, 2015 at 9:30 amHello. My husband and I purchased our first home and unfortunately it only has an eat in kitchen. I would love to redo the kitchendining area in such a way so that it is separated like yours. Would you mind providing the measurements of the entire space ap that I can see if it’s attainable? I have way more kitchen than dining at this point and I’m interested I’m making it a more even space.
pooja
December 19, 2015 at 7:42 amvery nicely you explain all things but I want to ask that If I use light colour paint in my kitchen than is it possible that heat produce during cooking food can affect light colour paint?
ANGIE LEWIS
March 17, 2016 at 3:52 pmI LOVE your blog!! The ideas here are great, i do plan on using some of them. i am so impressed with your writing. short, sweet, informative, and just enough personalization. i felt as though we were having a conversation, and it is one of the few i didn’t have to filter out and try to skip all of the ‘fluff’ i can only assume some use to make themselves seem interesting. i am looking forward to more. good writing deserves to be recognized.
Mallory & Savannah
March 17, 2016 at 4:32 pmThank you! We enjoy your comment! Glad you enjoyed our blog and we hope you keep on visiting! xoxo
Amanda L
July 15, 2016 at 8:57 amWhat is the color you have above the chair rail? We are looking to redo our kitchen space and I love this look.
Mary
July 31, 2017 at 3:23 pmThat looks a lot like my kitchen. I live in a cemesto “B” house that was built in the 40’s. Thanks for the pretty ideas.
asyilla
February 15, 2018 at 9:39 pmThe Hidden Sliding Pantry is so cool. Your kitchen is so perfect with those creative storage solutions.
Vijay
April 24, 2019 at 3:53 pmI was so excited for my design with your and the day of exceeded my expectations. I recently purchased a home and decided to make a few cosmetic.
AmyT
February 28, 2020 at 2:23 pmTell me about those cute curtains! Love your new kitchen.