7 Things That Always Make Your Kitchen Look Cramped, Say Designers

Narrow kitchens don't necessarily have to be small. Even spacious kitchens can seem cramped if designed or organized incorrectly. This can include the way the room is laid out, how it is designed or how it is used.

But the good news is that you don't need a complete kitchen renovation to make the heart of the home more spacious. Below, interior designers explain the most common reasons why the kitchen might be cramped and how to fix the problem.

Too many items on countertops

This is an easy mistake to make; After all, you want your everyday items like the coffee maker and kettle to be within easy reach. But too many things on the countertop limit the available work space.

“People often leave small appliances on valuable counter space even if they rarely use them,” says interior designer Candis Stratton.

A simple solution to all that counter clutter is to limit the appliances there to the ones you use every day and store the rest until you need them.

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Bad lighting

Believe it or not, the fault of a poorly lit kitchen can contribute to the problem. Lighting that isn't bright enough or is poorly placed can make a room feel cramped and make the space appear smaller.

“If the back of the counter on a wall isn’t lit, it disappears,” says Stratton.

An easy way to combat this is to replace dim light bulbs. Be sure to check the device's wattage guidelines. Or consider installing under-cabinet lights to illuminate the dark corners of the kitchen and visually expand the countertop space.

You can even add some pendant lights over work areas to provide valuable task lighting.

Heavy closets

If the walls feel visually cluttered, the eye cannot find rest.

According to Jaclyn Szerdi Morrison, interior designer, partner and executive design director at Jewel Toned Interiors, “a heavy upper cabinet line can make the room feel like it's narrowing in from above, especially in smaller kitchens or when paired with dark colors.”

Unfortunately, fixing this problem is not always easy. You can pull out some of the upper cabinets and incorporate them into open kitchen shelves or replace the cabinet doors with glass front cabinets. Or go bold and forego the upper material altogether. Each of these options gives the kitchen an open feel.

A poorly designed layout

Poor layout is probably the most common problem with kitchens and can be the most expensive to fix, says Stratton.

“If you're building or remodeling your kitchen, consider how people will move through the space,” she recommends.

Do people have to go into the work triangle to get to another room or go outside? Or does someone need to enter the main work area to grab a drink from the fridge?

“Make sure to leave enough space for driveways,” says Stratton.

A kitchen doesn't have to be big, but it does have to be well laid out.

Bad zoning decisions

Every kitchen has designated zones for removing food, preparing meals, chopping and slicing vegetables, etc. But when these zones are stacked on top of each other, chaos is inevitable and a feeling of confinement can creep in. In fact, the whole room feels cramped.

“Poor room layout – things like food preparation, cooking and cleaning – creates unnecessary crowding and makes the kitchen feel more cramped than it actually is,” says Szerdi Morrison.

Fix the problem by increasing the spaces between these zones, especially on the kitchen island, where clutter is more visible than in other areas of the kitchen.

Forcing an island into a small kitchen

“There's nothing worse than a kitchen design that insists on fitting the smallest island into a space that doesn't actually allow for it,” says interior designer Chasity Centeno.

This can lead to tight spaces and poor circulation in the kitchen. As a solution, think of small kitchen island ideas to optimize your space. Design your kitchen with towers that have appliance garages or under-cabinet lifts for things like blenders.

“For islands, make sure there is 42 inches of clearance all around, and if you can't fit at least three stools, skip the island altogether,” suggests Centeno.

Disorganized drawers and cabinets

“When you open a closet and are assaulted by storage container lids, it can feel like you don't have enough room to store your things. Then your brain says you need more space,” says Stratton.

To improve the situation, pursue kitchen organization ideas to make your space seem less cluttered. For example, equip your drawers and cupboards with organizers. This makes things easy to grab and you don't have to constantly rummage through the drawers.

Making a kitchen easier to use can make the space feel larger, regardless of where that change occurs.