Clever Tricks HGTV Stars Use To Make A Small Kitchen Seem Bigger

Those with a small kitchen, with all of its bulky appliances, are well aware that the room can feel overwhelmingly cramped. And because of this, you may not ever want to enter the space. This is obviously an issue, unless, of course, you want to spend the rest of your days eating takeout. 

If your limited kitchen space is negatively affecting you, all is not lost. You might think that the only way to remedy the situation is to hire a contractor and open up the space, but you can actually make it feel more spacious with a few strategic decorating tips. Thankfully, there are ways to make your small kitchen appear bigger, even if you don't have a sledgehammer on hand. In fact, a couple of HGTV stars have been sharing tips on how to do so for years! Here are 9 clever tricks HGTV stars use to help a small kitchen seem bigger.

Former HGTV star Joanna Gaines says lighter colors can make small kitchens feel big. In a "Fixer Upper" web-exclusive, Gaines encouraged those with smaller kitchens to opt for lighter colors on the upper half of the room (think dove grays or almond whites), since it can make the space feel roomier. "One of the things I tell people is anything from the countertop up, keep light in a space that's this small," said Gaines during the video. "So the wall color, the cabinet color and light subway tile backsplash — it really gives us this feel of a light and airy space. And it gives the illusion that this space is a lot larger than it really is."

In addition, she said under cabinet lighting can also lighten the backsplash and countertops, making the space appear even airier. If you would rather not pay for the expense of an electrician to install such lights, you can easily get a chargeable set, such as MCGOR Store's Under Cabinet Lights. You can stick them to the underside of your cabinets with the adhesive strips provided, making it simple enough for even a novice to install.

Mina Starsiak Hawk, of "Good Bones" fame, wants you to ditch cabinets that stop a foot short of the ceiling. In a 2017 HGTV video with her mother and co-star Karen E. Laine, Starsiak Hawk encouraged homeowners to choose full-height cabinets to make their kitchen feel bigger and cleaner. "I think one of the things we're most well-known for is that our cabinets go all the way to the ceiling. Either they're double stacked or we have a nice big crown across the top. There's never a gap above the cabinets, so your eye can go all the way up and it feels bigger," she explained.

Laine agreed with her daughter. She explained that certain design choices, like double-stacked cabinets, can cause it to look like there's more square footage in a given space. "It's not about how far your feet can move. It's about how far your eye can move that lets your brain know how big a space feels," said Laine.

HGTV star Jonathan Scott offered similar advice about being clever with your color choices when giving your kitchen a makeover. In "Property Brothers: Forever Home" Season 1, Episode 10, Jonathan and his brother, Drew Scott, remodeled a 1960s home. The brothers swapped out the original black-and-white floor for soft gray hardwood so the small kitchen appeared wider.

Jonathan explained why he opted for the shade when installing the floor. "The light tone helps bounce the light around," he said in the episode. If you aren't overly impressed by the idea of gray hardwood, you can go for something completely different. Just keep Jonathan's advice about light tones in mind! Those who want a classic and elegant look for their kitchen can pick white marble tile with subtle veining. If you like the idea of wood but want something more natural than gray, go for the ever-popular white oak option. And if you're into something more playful, you could choose light pink and cream checkerboard flooring. 

When speaking to Homes & Gardens, "No Demo Reno" star Jenn Todryk said she's a fan of white kitchens as their bright color can add some breeziness to the room. Because of this, she thinks this kitchen trend isn't going anywhere soon. "White kitchens have been around for decades, and they're still very much here. This color makes a space feel bigger and brighter, and you can't go wrong with it," Todryk told the publication.

However, if you're beginning to get bored of the all-white look that has been the go-to for kitchens for the last decade, there is a similar workaround. She noted that cabinets in a tan color can also do the trick. "A light tan cabinet provides the same amount of space, openness, and lightness as white, but it has a little bit more depth and feels more organic but modern," she explained. However, don't mistake this with a beige color. "This tone, in particular, has more depth than traditional beige — and it feels more organic," she noted. "I love this color, and I'm seeing increasingly more people love it too." Examples are "Natural Tan" from Sherwin-Williams and "Quincy Tan" from Benjamin Moore.

"Renovation Aloha" stars Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama think lighting can make quite the difference in a tighter space. In "Renovation Aloha" Season 1, Episode 7, Tristyn felt that the smaller home they were renovating did not have an adequate amount of natural lighting, making the spaces feel more cramped than they needed to be. To remedy the problem, they put skylights in several rooms, including the kitchen, causing it to appear less confined. Kamohai ended up agreeing with his wife's decision. "That's a lot of added value for a relatively low cost," he said.

While Kamohai believes skylights are worth the cost, this design choice may not be in everyone's budget. Typically, you'll spend around $1,200 for ventilated skylights and $500 for fixed skylights –  that's not including labor. Those who want to pay a bit less may opt for tubal skylights, which will run you about $350. The tubular version isn't a window — rather, it's a tube that tunnels from the room, through the attic, and out to the roof, with a clear dome on top. This allows the light to funnel down to the room. While tubular skylights are cheaper, you won't be able to look at the sky like you would with ventilated or fixed skylights, nor open them. In addition, unlike ventilated and fixed skylights, tubular skylights don't have too much influence on the room's temperature. 

For many at-home chefs, a kitchen island is a must. However, due to their size, having a kitchen island may not be suitable in a tight space. Thankfully, HGTV star Christina Haack showed that there is a good kitchen island alternative when renovating a small kitchen. While filming "Christina on the Coast" Season 4, Episode 14, Haack said that she believed a peninsula was the preferred choice while making over a smaller kitchen. 

"Normally, I would suggest an island, but because the space is a little more narrow as opposed to wide, I like the idea of a big peninsula," she said in the episode. When working with a galley kitchen or a similarly narrow layout, adding an island to the center would give you little to no room to navigate around the space and make the room appear extremely cramped. But angling it perpendicular rather than parallel to the room will make the space "open [and] much more airy," given that the center of the space is now unobstructed. Basically, when you and your guests can easily work and socialize in the middle of your kitchen, no matter its size, it will feel bigger. 

What if you have a small kitchen space, but can't sacrifice having a kitchen table? In moments like those, you might think you have to ditch having a kitchen island and make do with whatever countertop space you have for food prep, but "The Flip Off" star Tarek El Moussa has a workaround. If you have the room, he suggests attaching a banquette dining table directly to the back of the island. This means bumping up the back of the bench to the back of the island, which will save significant square footage and make the room feel more open. 

In a TikTok sneak peek where he and his wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, showed off their kitchen renovation from Season 1, Episode 1 of "The Flip Off", he showed how the hybrid combo worked. "It's a two-for-one dining table, kitchen island. It's super functional, it maximizes space, so for me, it was a home run," he explained while sitting at the table. You can, of course, also get a kitchen island that has seating to create the same functionality, but if you prefer to sit at a designated table or have smaller children that aren't as comfortable on bar stools, this is a great alternative.

HGTV's Jasmine Roth also thinks kitchen islands are helpful in terms of storage and countertop space, specifically when organizing smaller areas. However, like El Moussa, she suggests an alternative for those lacking the space for a full island. In a YouTube video for HGTV, Roth recommended using a bar cart in the center of the kitchen instead, since it takes up much less space. It's a great alternative for a kitchen island. "There are all different levels of kitchen islands," she explained in the clip. "It would be really easy to just add like a table or a bar cart or something very simple to the center of a kitchen, and suddenly you have an island."

Having a smaller workspace will make the room look larger, as less of the kitchen will be obstructed. Plus, when it's not in use, you can push it off to the side, leaving the middle open and airy. Thankfully for small kitchen owners, there are plenty of bar carts that will match any aesthetic. However, the trick is to find one that has enough surface area to allow you to comfortably prep food, whether that means having a large enough top to house a simple cutting board or a slightly larger space to hold a variety of mixing bowls. Such an example is the Diwhy Industrial 3 Tier Rolling Cart.