Renovating a small kitchen yourself becomes manageable because it involves much smaller spaces compared to oversized kitchens. Today, kitchens are increasingly becoming an important facet of overall residential home design. According to the Homeowners Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen, most homeowners are typically in an exploration period of about a year as they ponder whether to hire a professional or take a DIY approach to the question of renewal.
For those who have decided to get started right away with the DIY approach, here are several simple steps worth taking.
Use designs suitable for a small kitchen
Generally, the most popular small kitchen designs are One Wall, U-Shaped, L-Shaped, Gallery, or Corridor. These are excellent designs that offer many opportunities for most DIY enthusiasts. Most small kitchens are essentially longer rather than wide. Adopt those designs that are suitable for smaller spaces.
Identify simple areas to scale down
For example, those large double sinks so common in many kitchens take up so much unnecessary space. Also, think about whether you really want to keep having bigger appliances. Those wide side-by-side refrigerators are sure great, but do you really need them? Do you live as a couple or are you single? For example, the market also has smaller dishwashers at more reasonable prices today, which may be more suitable for a small kitchen.
Determine what your values are
If, for example, it happens that storage is a priority for you, then you will have to maximize the kitchen cabinets, perhaps at the cost of some appliances during your kitchen renovations. Do you really need a breakfast bar in your kitchen? If that’s the case, you may have to sacrifice some of your kitchen counter space to purchase your breakfast bar.
Employ inventory cabinets.
One of the best things about small kitchen renovation is that it becomes easier to use some DIY cabinets. This type of kitchen cabinet can be found on many shelves in many home improvement outlets.
In the back of the cabinets there is a lot of space that is rarely used. Maximize this, for example, by installing drop-down shelves.
Use larger tiles on the floor as they make the small kitchen look bigger.
You can enhance the light intensity in your small kitchen by using wood species that are brighter in color for your cabinets and shades that are neutral for the countertops.
Researchers from Open University recommend that as we build and renovate kitchens, we must take into account the appearance of the elderly who live with us or even who can live independently. This requires a radical rethink of the way we design one of the home’s central features, the kitchen. Researchers led by Sheila Peace, Professor of Social Gerontology, found that existing kitchen designs in general are causing problems for older users in terms of bending and stretching.
Whether it’s a large or small kitchen undergoing a renovation, the Open University research team has produced a design guide for kitchen designers, installers, and fabricators based on their findings, titled The Easiest Kitchen: Making It. happen.
