Gorgeous Kitchen Design Ideas You’ll Want to Steal

When your home is cursed with a small kitchen, you’ll inevitably face the usual frustrations: an oven the size of an Easy-Bake; a preparation area the diameter of a postage stamp; and cupboards with the paltry capacity for a one-person dinner (we blame the cheap contractor, not your Tinder record). Aside from the absence of house guests, a lack of square footage should never affect your kitchen’s design potential. In fact, you might be surprised at the countless ways there are to make even the smallest cooking area look great—even if you’re the type of person who uses the oven solely as an overflow for your closet.

But there are a few tricks to get it just right, designers tell us. “Always extend your cabinets to the ceiling, no matter the size of your kitchen,” advises Lauren Buxbaum Gordon, partner at Nate Berkus Associates. “It makes your ceilings look higher and your kitchen look bigger.” She recently incorporated this spatial trick into a Manhattan apartment with a tiny kitchen.

If you’re on a budget or sky-high closets aren’t possible (we hear you, renters), Buxbaum Gordon recommends thinking small: “Invest in details that visually complement each other and have impact.” Bevel the worktop or add a brass band or install vintage hardware – use these small details to make your own personal impression.”

Swapping out a worn-out kitchen paint color for a bright color on your cabinets can also make a big difference, among countless other tips and tricks (how about this year’s It color, sage?). That’s why we’ve compiled 75 small kitchen ideas from our archive to show you exactly how to do it. Read on to see beautiful homes that make the most of their small floor plans with statement cabinetry, dual-purpose accent pieces, elegant lighting solutions, and more. Dig in!