Modern Interior Design: Small Kitchen Made Big

Before Photo

This small, dated, and cramped kitchen nestled in the beautiful hills of Silverlake was in dire need of help. It was not functional, nor did it fit the style of rest of the home, a very cute mid century modern house.

So a renovation was in order.

Our goal was to make the kitchen appear bigger using same footprint by utilizing the space better and bringing in more light.

It's not always necessary to bust out a wall to make a kitchen bigger.

Utilizing vertical space it key in smaller spaces like this one. In this case we had to remove the soffits. Always do exploratory holes to see what is behind them before you go tearing anything out. There was nothing behind our clients soffit's so out they went.

Taking out the soffit not only opens up the space and makes it feel bigger, but it also allows you to take the cabinets higher, which draws your eye up , making space feel bigger.

The nature inspired color palette we chose here also helps space feel more open and welcoming. Connecting the indoor to the outdoor expands a space.

Design By: Erica Islas / EMI Interior Design, inc. / photo credit : David Young-Wolff

Putting in a laminated glass door also helps bring more light into space, making space feel bigger too.

photo of Renovation in progress..... Stripped to the studs...

Of course to get the kitchen looking good , we needed to start from scratch.....Same footprint , stripped to the studs, and everything new.

before photo

before

Counter depth refrigerators are also KEY in small spaces.
Cabinet above fridge opens up for easy accessibility.
Moved washer/dryer to this side of the kitchen next to pantry to keep all the tall, vertical cabinets on one side.