learn how to make the most of your small-space situation with these creative design ideas.

Curtain Divider

 

Well-Worked Window Treatments

Clever Kitchen Storage

Bathroon Storage

Multipurpose Space

Keep It Light

Beneath the Stairs

Get Creative

Add a Mirror

Kayla Kitts is a senior in Journalism & Electronic Media, with an emphasis on magazine writing. She is also pursuing an English minor and plans to graduate in May 2010. She was born and raised in Knoxville, Tenn. She attended the College of Charleston, in Charleston, S.C., her freshman year but transferred to the University of Tennessee a year later.

She has a passion for traveling and spent a month touring Europe in 2005. She visited France, Italy and Malta as a student ambassador and met with various foreign leaders.

Kayla loves to attend UT sporting events, such as football and basketball. She was born a Vol fan and will always bleed orange and white.

Open Floor Plan

Proper Lighting

Extra Storage

Colorful solutions , smart storage and cabinetry tweaks can add big character to small kitchens.
 Hopefully you get new ideas to beautify your Kitchen in the house. I hope you like it . Enjoy !


Selecting a different hue for upper and lower cabinets is a great way to help a small kitchen break out of its boxy mold. A sunny yellow keeps the wall cabinets in this kitchen feeling light and airy, while blue base cabinets anchor the room. A yellow island helps balance the color-blocking scheme. Painted crown molding takes the color scheme right up to the ceiling.


 Try a nifty panel system in an open floor plan. There's nothing relaxing about sitting down to dinner with a stack of dirty pots and pans staring back at you. But when dining or living space opens directly off a small kitchen, what choice do you have? Stain-resistant all-weather fabric easily slides closed to hide this kitchen's prep area while leaving the oversize island open for dining.


An antique table injects instant charm and serves as an island in this kitchen. It acts as a rustic counterpart to the new cabinetry. The table introduces valuable prep space where a cook can work without the worry of overhead cabinets getting in the way.


Glass cabinet doors help to visually open up a small kitchen, but if you're not the type to keep things looking neat and tidy, consider frosted glass. It adds an opaque quality while still brightening the space. If you'd rather hide the contents of your cabinets, suspend shirred fabric inside traditional glass doors to achieve the same effect and inject a bit of color and pattern at the same time.


 Open a boxy small kitchen to the rest of the house without a major remodel by cutting a window out of a partition wall. Frame the window in substantial molding, attach a small matching countertop, and slide in two barstools to turn this pass-through into a breakfast nook. Set it off with a display of pretty collectible plates on the wall above the opening.



Sometimes it's more effective to reorganize existing cabinetry than to gut a small kitchen. Replacing the upper cabinets flanking each side of this window with open shelving makes it feel more open and inviting. Extending the countertop in an L-shape to the refrigerator boosts prep room and storage.


Open shelving adds a sense of spaciousness to this small kitchen. Getting the look can be as easy as removing doors from existing cabinetry. Paint the inside of the cabinets a favorite hue to create a pretty backdrop for dishes, glassware, and storage baskets.


Avoid a monotonous row of boxy cabinetry by installing upper wall units with varying heights and widths. A variety of tall cabinets provides much-needed storage space in this small kitchen. A wire storage system hangs on the backsplash, organizing spices, seasonings, and utensils. Versatile folding barstools at the peninsula tucks snugly under the bar-height counter.


Give outdated cabinetry a new lease on life with paint, your simplest and most affordable tool in a small kitchen update. Sanded, primed, and painted, the cabinets in this kitchen now gleam apple green on base cabinets and soft teal on upper wall cabinets. Appliances and storage bins in yellow add a citrus pop to the kitchen.


A rolling kitchen cart becomes a versatile island in this small space. In a modest footprint, the cart offers extra storage and can be wheeled to any corner when not in use. The finish mimics the stainless appliances. White cabinetry, open shelving, black countertops, and a deep stainless-steel sink give the small kitchen a tailored look.


Create an eye-catching focal point in a small kitchen without spending a lot by lining the wall behind the range with decorative tile. Most 1x1-inch tiles come already attached to a 12x12 mesh sheets, making installation and custom-fitting easier. Slab cabinetry doors on base units and frosted glass doors above contribute to the clean, and streamlined look of this small kitchen.


For a low-cost, high-style backdrop for showcasing your pottery and dishes, consider replacing wall cabinets with shelves. The open wall draws the eye upward, stretching the visual dimensions of a small kitchen. Paint the wall or beaded board an accent color to make the shelving and dishware stand out.

Add something new to your standby Christmas decor. Alongside your sentimental ornaments and favorite pieces, introduce an updated centerpiece or a fresh take on stairway decor, and you might find a new decorating tradition!


Texture can play a key role in boosting the visual interest of a small space. Here, a simple swag of evergreen boughs and three stockings in three different materials spruce up a short banister.


Think outside the box when it comes to your small-space decorating. In place of everyday kitchen curtains, swap in a few spray-starched Christmas aprons and add a cluster of faux trees.


Tiny wrapped boxes provide a base to a few glittering paper houses that take up very little space. To make "trees," wrap squares of scrapbook paper into cones and glue the edges; cut off the bottoms to be level. For extra sparkle, place the grouping on a silver tray.


Open, airy windowpanes dance with color, thanks to these colorful snowflakes. Hang similar ones in a pattern or at random; add the final touch with a simple swag of greenery overhead.


A bare-bones tree is a treat for a small corner, and choosing just one accent color is a good way to cut down on visual distractions. For the base of your tree, wrap a small box with a dish towel and fill the base of the box with stones (disguised with a layer of pearl-white ornaments) to hold in place. Add a few more wrapped boxes in a variety of papers and ribbons.


Old photos are great conversation starters, particularly at the holidays, and this display takes up only minimal wall space. Start with baby photographs; cut them in a circle, mount on foam core, and arrange in a tree shape. Little space, big impact. 
Editor's Tip:
For a great together-time activity, have family members guess who is who in each photo.



Even if you have more expansive spaces, a small tree can add charm and whimsy to small rooms, such as an entry. Tuck a small tree in a bright container and string garland and ribbon ornaments as well as a few round ornaments. Include accents that are similarly scaled down, such as small presents or containers of candy canes.



There's no need to overdo accents in downsized spaces. Go for impact, such as this tiny twinkling tree, made by drilling tiny holes into a stick and inserting lengths of pipe cleaners.



Look to your dining table to display holiday merriment. A tiny wrapped box offers a warm welcome at a place setting. Best yet? It fits inside a teacup.