A small white kitchen makeover using matt handleless cupboards, white quartz worktops and wood flooring.

Kitchen Advice

How To Plan A Small Kitchen

If you are the owner of a small kitchen with no plans to extend, we recommend taking Jen Guest’s lead when planning a small kitchen. Following her renovation with Howdens, Jen discovered that small can be mighty and shares her insight on how to design a small kitchen, so its functional, low-maintenance, and stylish in this step-by-step guide.

Women leaning against the sink in a white handleless kitchen with super matt cupboard doors and wooden shelving.

About Jen

A lover all things interiors, content creator, Jen, lives in Liverpool with her partner Paul and her two, young sons. She has been steadily renovating her Victorian end terrace home since 2015, by adding subtle modern touches that update the space and complement the original features of the property.

See more @thehousethatjenbuilt_

1. Be clear on what you want

When planning a small kitchen, start by writing a list of things that are a necessity and those items you would like to have. If you have lived with your current space a while, you will likely know what works. For recent movers, I suggest living in it first to get a feel for what works best for you.

2. Plan around your inventory

Most of us have clutter stored at the back of our cupboards or on counters, so having a good clear out can free up valuable space for essentials. With a downsized inventory, you can then plan cabinetry to provide dedicated storing areas for those items ensuring everything has a rightful place.

3. Experiment with layout

Get help from a kitchen designer to try out different floor plans and layouts. The one you have now, may not be the best fit for your family going forward. We changed our design five times before we got it exactly how we wanted it. Seeing the design on paper can really help you visualise the space.

A white handleless kitchen in a u-shaped layout. Includes white trims, wooden flooring, and quartz worktops.

4. Keep colours simple

The colour you choose will make a huge difference to how big the space appears. White is always a good choice as it will bounce light around the room making it airy and inviting. If you want to add colour, paler shades or a two-tone look will strike a balance between style and a spacious feel.

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5. Co-ordinate features

Like cabinetry, dark counters will draw a space in making it appear smaller, which is why we chose pale work surfaces in keep our room looking bright. Some materials, such as quartz, have a natural reflective property too, adding to the light environment and offering a long-lasting fit.

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A white appliance tower which includes a black built-in double oven.

6. Add extra height

One key element when designing a small kitchen is to maximise storage. Offering greater room inside, tall wall units or towers will draw the eye up to create the illusion of height. This works particularly well in older properties that have high ceilings, like our Victorian home.

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open shelving used in a small white kitchen to provide storage using wooden worktops

7. Open up your walls

Maximise available wall space by using hanging racks for mugs or magnetic knife strips to free up drawers and cupboards. Open shelving can also work well in small kitchens as it prevents a room looking too crowded with cabinetry, making it appear more open.

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A compact white kitchen with two pan drawers and cutlery tray fitted beneath a black induction hob.

8. Make use of drawers

Despite having fewer cupboards in a small kitchen, you can maximise the space available with pull-out interiors as these allow you to use all the room inside a unit more efficiently. We included an internal cutlery tray which sat inside a pan drawer to achieve a streamlined look from the outside.

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A white handleless kitchen with matt cupboard doors, quartz worktops, and white decorative trims.

9. Reduce visual distractions

We recommend keeping cupboard hardware simple as the extra adornments will make a small kitchen appear cluttered. For a contemporary look, handleless offers the ultimate minimal style. We paired our handle-free design with profiles in a matching white shade to strip back clutter further.

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a white handleless kitchen at Christmas with a built in oven and microwave.

10. Opt for integrated

Adding integrated devices to a small design will help make it appear bigger as they are less cumbersome than freestanding models and are often hidden from view. We added an appliance tower to cater for a built-in oven and microwave at eye level, freeing up space in our base units.

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