- I asked an interior designer how to make the tiny kitchen in my rental home look and feel bigger.
- She suggested we invest in larger storage solutions and vertical space to help open up the area.
- She also said we should pick one design style to make it blend in with the rest of our space.
My husband and I love our rental home in Washington, but it's smaller than our last place so we're still figuring out how to make the most of our space functionally and aesthetically.
One of the big issues is the small kitchen. Since our home doesn't have an official dining room, we created a dinette in the kitchen, which cuts down on space even more. We're also having a tough time making the kitchen feel like it fits in with the rest of the house since it sits directly next to the living room.
To learn how to best utilize and design my kitchen space, I consulted Reya Duenas, interior designer, creative director, and CEO of Reya Duenas Design.
After sharing photos and a video tour of my space, she shared advice on how to make my kitchen feel more spacious and more cohesive with the rest of my home.
She said I can maximize my counter space by doing a major declutter
As a passionate home chef, I love to cook. But since moving to our new home, I've lacked the counter space to be able to prep and cook comfortably.
To start, Duenas suggested, we should declutter our countertops. She said we should remove as many of the items sitting on the counters as possible, like the butter dish and small canisters.
If our oil canisters absolutely have to live on the countertops, she suggested we put them in a cute tray or basket so that similar items are grouped together. This makes them look more intentional and, as a result, more stylish.
She also recommended we remove the coffee-related appliances next to the sink to free up more space. Duenas suggested using the cart we have as a coffee station or buying a new one that can house all of these appliances.
Vertical space can be used to open up the room
In addition to decluttering, making use of our room's vertical space can make it feel bigger.
Although Duenas said we had a nice table in the dinette, she suggested replacing it with something extendable. This allows more guests to sit and dine if needed and the table can be made smaller when not in use.
She also suggested going with a table that's counter or bar height to give the illusion of a bigger space.
A sideboard could be the solution to our storage problems
Due to the lack of cabinet space in the kitchen, my husband and I have resorted to storing many of our kitchen appliances and accessories in random closets throughout the house. This includes our microwave, air fryer, bread machine, toaster, and many other coffee-related appliances.
This also adds to the inconvenience of cooking at home because it's such a hassle to search for and pull these items out from the back of our closets.
As a solution, Duenas suggested replacing the small shelving unit in the corner with something larger such as a sideboard cabinet to provide more storage space.
This area could then even house the aforementioned coffee station to free up more counter space.
I can make the kitchen more cohesive with the rest of the space by committing to one style
Our kitchen is located directly next to the living room but the two spaces are pretty stylistically different. Currently, the kitchen/dining area has more of a rustic and industrial vibe, whereas the living room has more of a mid-century modern look.
At our last place, there was more of a natural separation between the spaces, so cohesion wasn't as important. But in this house, I feel stuck figuring out how to deal with the transition between the two spaces.
To fix this problem, Duenas suggested picking a stylistic focus for each area. For starters, the current bar cart and the other shelving unit located next to the dining room table are too industrial for the space.
Simply, she said, we should stop trying to marry the two styles, and just pick one.
To also help with the transition between the rooms, Duenas suggested we swap the recliner out for a smaller chair. The chair we have now is too big and is blocking the natural flow between the spaces.
Color-coordinated accents are a must
While looking at our kitchen's design, Duenas pointed out there is a high contrast between the large black appliances and white countertops.
She noted that swapping appliances would be ideal to solve this problem, but it may not be feasible since we are renters. Instead, she suggested, we should incorporate more black elements into the space to create balance.
"Try adding some black elements in artwork, a runner, or frames to bring in smaller black accents and bring balance to the space," Duenas said.
Overall, I learned larger storage pieces are key to utilizing the space and clearing countertop clutter
All of the tips from Duenas gave me some great ideas for making my kitchen more usable. My biggest takeaway from the critique is that I should invest in larger storage solutions.
Currently, we have smaller pieces that look cute but don't provide much storage. If we invest in larger pieces like Duenas suggested, we can conveniently keep more kitchen appliances and accessories in the actual kitchen.
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