We can’t all live in a huge sprawling mansion with a massive kitchen featuring a kitchen island, an Aga and loads of space for our interior design ideas.

But, that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of the floor space we have with a few simple ideas and the occasional talking piece.

So, in this article we will be exploring a few tricks that will help you to get the stylish kitchen on a small budget.

Make the most of your walls!

Traditionally, we would mount cabinets on the walls for storing all our food and crockery, especially if it’s a compact kitchen, but in a small room cupboards looming over your head can be a bit overpowering.

So, how about open shelving instead?

They are budget friendly, would open the walls up and give a lighter, more airy feel to the whole space. If you want a quirky look, then have the shelves at different heights and in different sizes.

For the utensils you can hang a rail up, making everything easy to reach … plus, it looks pretty cool, we think.

If you want to get ambitious, and have some top quality pots and pans, you could hang them from a rail too.

All that said, cabinets can still look great and they are very practical when it comes to hiding all your bits and bobs. We’d suggest you put them as high up the wall as possible to open the space under them up.

You could maybe hang a few rails underneath them too.

What is the best finish for a kitchen cabinet door in a small room?

Now, while you may not have cabinets above the worktop, you’re going to need them under the worktops.

So, to create an illusion of space in a small kitchen designs it’s best to look at cabinets with high gloss doors. Their reflective surface bounces the natural light all around the kitchen and makes the space feel larger.

Simple, modern, and uncluttered units work best with that sleek high gloss finish – you could even try a handleless kitchen.

Off whites, light pastels and and subtle greys are your friend here, just ensure that whatever you choose is either a close match or a contracting colour to the walls.

How do I use colour to make the kitchen look bigger?

This can be a tricky one as not everyone likes to choose a colour for their kitchen based on making it lighter, we tend to stick to our own personal tastes.

Plus, there’s the question of trends and fashion in interior design to take into account.

Seasonally, the popular colours at the moment are deep shades of blues and greens. But, there are also a huge selection of mid-shade hues that are starting to emerge.

We would suggest that a lighter colour is used though, and maybe use flashes of darker colours to make the walls really pop.

Another idea is to use splashbacks to cover the walls.

Yes, you read that correct!

The price, technology and availability of either glass or perspex splashbacks is no longer a barrier to covering every inch of the kitchen in cool looking, easy to clean materials.

As you can see from this picture, the splashback can be cut and printed in just about any design you want. In a smaller kitchen chooses something plain for the main walls and then hit people with that talking point right behind the hob, or sink, or anywhere you like really.

Plus, like the gloss cabinets, both glass and acrylic have nice shiny surfaces to bounce the light around the room, making it feel and look that little bit bigger.

What is the best lighting for a small kitchen?

Lighting is a fantastic way to make the room feel bigger and brighter but it very important where the lighting goes to ensure the best ‘spread’.

Task lighting for counter space and cooking areas is a great idea, as most of the natural light tends to be blocked by you as you prepare your food or cook.

Most cooker hoods have lights built in so that would sort the cooking area out. But, as we are talking about tiny kitchens, you may not want a big extractor taking up all the space.

So, take a look at wall mounted strips, goose necks and under cupboard lights.

Whatever you go for, try to get ‘blue’ bulbs for them as that is a more natural kind of light.

What is the best flooring for a that tiny dream kitchen?

It is always going to be a challenge getting the right floor for your kitchen – but even more so when the when it comes to cost effective flooring for that small kitchen.

It would be a shame if you had opened up the walls, tried to create the illusion of space, and then spoiled it with a bust or dark floor.

Tiles are a great idea for kitchen flooring.

They are tough, practical and easy to fit. One tip we would suggest is that, larger tiles are the best way to achieve an ‘open’ look – there are less lines, grout to clean and cluttered visuals.

There are plenty of different ideas for flooring but you will also need to take into consideration what kitchen appliances you have – laminate, or wood flooring, is not very practical if you are sloshing a lot of water around, but if your washer etc. are in a utility room, you can go for that more organic look.

Take a look at stone too – it may not be the cheapest option but, if you only have a small space to cover, you may be able to pick up some ‘end of line’ materials cheap at the local builder’s merchants.

What about adding in some features or patterns?

It’s always best to err on the side of caution when adding pattern into the decor of a little kitchen, unless you are going for a particularly ‘busy’ feel.

But, there is nothing wrong with adding focal points to parts of the wall.

Again, the addition of an exciting splashback can really lift a design and you don’t have to stick just having one behind the cooker!

Try behind the sink, or just random places to add a bit of ‘wow’ factor.

So, why not set your imagination free and check out the Premier Range web site.