13 Stylish Small Kitchens

These kitchens might be small on space, but they're big on style and efficiency. See more of our best kitchens, and get tips for making your kitchen green and eco-friendly!

Kitchen by Emily O'Keefe

Think Upwards

Home Depot designer Emily O'Keefe added cabinetry with period charm to this small kitchen. "Since space was tight, I went up, stacking the cabinets," she says. "The ceilings are 11 feet high, but not every cabinet touches the ceiling — that way they look more like furniture."

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Kitchen Design by Form Architecture + Interiors

Simple Storage

Poured concrete countertops cover sleek cabinets built for storage. Design by Form Architecture + Interiors. Featured in August 2006.

 

 

 

Kitchen Designed by Nancy Boszhardt

High-Ceilinged Kitchen

Although this Saratoga Springs kitchen isn't big, it has a 10-foot ceiling. Designer Nancy Boszhardt thought it would be cozier with a "strong" ceiling that would minimize its verticality. Instead of using bead board, as she did in the rest of the house, she left the boards open and added old-fashioned fixtures.

Kitchen Designed by Jay Griffith

Original Charm

Designer Jay Griffith chose not to expand this Pacific Palisades kitchen, so it stayed true to the age of the original house. He used Douglas fir for floors and cabinets to get "the handmade look and feel of the originals," and restored the yellow backsplash tiles to their 1933 condition.

 

Kitchen Designed by Stephanie Stokes

A Truly Tiny Kitchen

This tiny New York City kitchen has a place for everything, says designer Stephanie Stokes. "After designing so many kitchens for other people, I knew exactly what I needed and what I wanted," she says. A mirrored backsplash, an electric cooktop that doubles as countertop, and simple cabinetry help give the illusion of grandeur.

Kitchen Designed by Suzanne Kasler

Choose Chairs Without Arms

Designer Suzanne Kasler reinvents the eat-in kitchen by mixing formal Louis XV-style dining chairs with a 19th-century French farm table. Chairs without arms are easier to get in and out of when space is tight.

 

Kitchen Designed by Leslie Klotz

Little Kitchen, Tall Ceiling

A soaring ceiling helps this little Hamptons cottage kitchen, designed by Leslie Klotz, look bigger. Open shelving and no upper cabinets also do the job. Viking range and hood.

 

 

Little Napa Valley Kitchen

Little Kitchen in Napa Valley

This small kitchen in a Napa Valley ranch cottage also has open shelves, instead of upper cabinets, to give it an airy feel. The shelves and countertops are made of galvanized metal and the cabinetry is made from old fencing. Vintage truck springs, used as stools, were found at Artefact Design & Salvage. Designer and owner of the house Ken Fulk spotted the vintage industrial pendant lights at the Paris flea market.

 

Kitchen Designed by Susan Ferrier

Furniture That Fits in a Small Kitchen

A trio of backless bongo stools can be slipped under the counter to save space in this tight Alabama kitchen, designed by Susan Ferrier in a tranquil Alabama townhouse. "You don't want the eye to stutter in a small space," Ferrier said of the house's neutral, relaxed decor. "You want it to move naturally from one thing to the next, from similar color to similar color, from shape to shape."

Kitchen Designed by Craig Schumacher

Small Kitchen by Texas Standards

"The kitchen is a good size, but small by Dallas standards — only about 16 x 16," designer Craig Schumacher says of this Texas kitchen in the house he shares with partner Philip Kirk. They avoided an extensive kitchen remodel by painting existing cabinets Benjamin Moore Brilliant White and installing inexpensive black and white tile on counters and backsplashes. An extensive ironstone collection overflows from shelves to walls. Vintage jurors' chairs were picked up at assorted flea markets and antiques shops and stained ebony. The table is covered in cotton matelassé from Peacock Alley. The range is Jenn-Air.

Kitchen Designed by Chad Eisner

Small and Simple in California

This California bungalow keeps it simple, and so does its modest kitchen. "My clients joke that they can burn water, so the kitchen is really set up primarily for entertaining, with that big table as the buffet," designer Chad Eisner says. "We tried a center island, but it looked like a behemoth. Then we found that table. It had been used by an artist and came with lots of scars, which is why no one ever has to worry about staining or cutting it. The built-in millwork and the surrounding cabinets are the same dark color we used throughout the house."

French Fantasy Kitchen

French Fantasy Kitchen

This St. Louis house, a tiny 900 square feet, is a take on the Norman château; the galley kitchen is an example of big things that can be done with a little space. The diamond shapes and tones of golden parchment and golden taupe are adapted from an antique Gustavian sideboard. "The details are what it's all about. That's the fun part, because that's where the beauty lies. There are so many little things you can do to up the ante," says project designer Chris Welsh.

Kitchen Designed by Faye Cone

Mirrors Work Magic

A mirrored backsplash in this shabby chic Manhattan apartment gives the illusion of more space. "The kitchen opens up to the living room on one side and the family room, where we eat and watch TV, on the other," says designer Faye Cone. "The idea was that it should be an extension of both these spaces."

 

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