The Best Cabinet Trick To Create The Illusion Of More Space In Your Kitchen

Most of us crave more space, but, until you start knocking down walls and even expanding your home's blueprints, this can be hard to come by. That's when a little magic comes in handy, or, more precisely, a little illusion. You can still evoke the appearance of a bigger room with some careful color and material choices even when more square feet aren't quite in the kitchen renovation cards. Cristiana Crin, founder and director of design at Perpetuum Designs, shared some of those very tips with Chowhound exclusively. "Trying to bring a light natural wood color in the upper cabinets and combining it with glass (any type of glass) will create a soothing feeling of more space," Crin says, with one caveat.

"Whatever you do, please don't bring mirrors into this space," Crin says. The kitchen is not a place for mirrors!" So, if you were eyeing those shiny surfaces in the hopes that their reflective properties might brighten up the place, follow Ina Garten's lead for a cozier kitchen and add a lamp, instead.

Cristiana Crin also says that swapping a cabinet or two with floating shelves, which can be great for storing pretty dishes, will make the kitchen seem airier. So, too, will some unique shapes. "Staying away from standard dimensions will definitely create a unique design. If the space is generous with the high ceiling — anything above 8 feet — then the answer is simple and stretching the upper cabinet all the way to the top (no more than 10 feet maximum height from the floor) will add dimension and trick the eye into thinking the kitchen is more spacious, she says.

The conventional belief that dark colors will make a space seem smaller becomes critically important when you're trying to conjure the opposite effect. Lighter shades generally perform better in smaller kitchens in any case. "Dark color cabinets, especially on the upper part will bring a heavy tone to a kitchen." That heavy feeling can become even more tangible once you add actual objects to the mix, Crin says. "Also cabinets with heavy decorations, and I am including here, heavily orated crown molding; this will not look good," she says. Wall to wall cabinets on the upper part will also bring a heavy feeling and should be avoided.