28 Ideas for Small Kitchens Packed with Major Style

Architect Paul Bates added a sense of modernity to his traditional Birmingham kitchen by designing geometric white oak cabinetry directly inspired by doors at David Alder's Clow house in Chicago.

This appliance is hidden under cabinetry panels that, along with brass pulls (Modern Matter), imbues the kitchen with early American ambience. The candelabra-style chandelier is by Circa Lighting and the farm sink and bridge faucet are by Ferguson in this Colonial Williamsburg home designed by Heather Chadduck Hillegas.

A 19th-century butler’s mirror makes this small space feel larger than it is while also offering a peek into the kitchen of this Manhattan apartment designed by Garrow Kedigian and its brass sheet backsplash. Leather stools, Le Forge. Wallpaper, Christian Lacroix

In this small kitchen designed by Anthony Baratta in New York City, a theatrical pelmet and painted trim draws attention to the large window. The Apthorp’s original mosaic tile floors endure, their scale repeated in a fleur-de-lis wallpaper in the dining area. The banquette is upholstered in “1940s glam” diamond-patterned leathers (Dualoy). The table is a Biedermeier reproduction commissioned by Baratta.

In the kitchen of his San Antonio home, designer Todd Romano used an antique iron table instead of a built-in island, which would have made the small kitchen feel more congested. Custom Talavera tiles are arranged in a graphic chevron pattern with glossy ebony cabinetry (Black, Fine Paints of Europe).

In designer Cece Barfield Thompson's New York City apartment, a large-scale checkerboard pattern (Floe Painting) helps make the tiny kitchen appear more spacious. The steel casement windows are original.

Despite its petite size, this New York City kitchen designed by Robert Passal accommodates a large island, which not only allows for seating for four but also includes a cooktop. When combined with the wall ovens (at right of frame), the built-in cooktop makes a large-scale range unnecessary and frees up under-counter storage space. Sculptural metal counter stools are finished in antique brass and upholstered in pistachio leather (Jerry Pair).

In the kitchen of this Montreal home, the Les Ensembliers design duo carved out space for a breakfast table by building in banquette seating underneath the window. The counter­tops are Caesarstone and the table is English.

At this London townhouse, designer Gary McBournie used soft color to draw the eye back into the kitchen alcove off a large, brightly-lit breakfast and sitting room. Cabinetry paint, Teresa’s Green by Farrow & Ball. Refrigerator, Sub-Zero. Countertops, Caesarstone

In the small kitchen of his San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, home, designer Jeffry Fisher emblazoned the floor-to-ceiling tilework with a hand-painted border. The flooring is hand-burnished, local terra-cotta.

Soft, smoky tones lend a high-fashion, sophisticated touch to the alluring yet tiny galley kitchen of this 18th-century flat in Paris. The upper cabinets feature mirrored eglomise facings and “almost look like venetian blinds,” notes decorator Jean-Louis Deniot. The lower cabinetry paint color is Midnight Oil by Benjamin Moore.

A mix of open shelves and cabinetry, all coated in a pretty powder-blue shade (Parma Gray by Farrow & Ball) creates an upbeat, airy vibe in the quaint, cottage-sized kitchen of this Southern 1950s ranch.

Designer Mark D. Sikes clad the walls in a floral wallcovering by William Morris and covered the pair of stools by Hickory Chair in a botanic Carolina Irving fabric. The bistro chairs are from Ballard Designs.

A cheerful pattern, such as this original decorative lining inside the kitchen cabinets of this Mark D. Sikes-designed home, is a welcome surprise inside cabinetry of small kitchens.

At this Mark D. Sikes-designed home, a sunny corner becomes a radiant breakfast nook thanks to built-in banquette seating and a slenter Saarinen tulip table.

Architect Peter Block designed this intimate galley kitchen on Brays Island, South Carolina, with windows that appear to soar higher than the ceiling. He and interior designer Beth Webb also bypassed conventional upper cabinetry to avoid making the small kitchen feel “boxed in.” Sink fixtures in unlacquered brass, Waterworks. Millwork, rift-cut white oak.

In this South Carolina kitchen, architect Peter Block and designer Beth Webb clad the counter-depth refrigerator and freezer in the same rift-cut white oak panels as the cabinetry to create a more seamless look, which is all the more important in a small kitchen. The slender range by Bertazzoni.

In this Montana kitchen designed by Palmer Weiss, a bank of drawers—in place of lower cabinetry—provides ample storage space that's much easier to access and organize. Silicon bronze brushed pulls, Rocky Mountain Hardware. Dual fuel range, Wolf. Cabinetry, Provincial Store Fixtures.

Vibrant sapphire cabinetry turns this petit butler's pantry outfitted with a refrigerator and sink into the colorful jewel box within this Ruthie Sommers–designed Rhode Island retreat. The Lawrence of La Brea rug brings out the subtle red tones of the valance in an eccentric Katie Ridder fabric. The custom cobalt paint color is from Fine Paints of Europe.

It may feel counter-intuitive, but forgoing upper cabinetry can make a small cook space feel larger. In this Paris apartment, designers Raphaël Le Berre and Thomas Vevaud installed a large piece of art in place of shelves or cabinetry along one wall. Tractor stools from BassamFellows maintain a low profile while simple cabinetry crafted of black melamine wood reinforces streamlined style.

Floor-to-ceiling "locker" cabinets along one wall of this Paris kitchen designed by Raphaël Le Berre and Thomas Vevaud maximize storage space.