Making More Room in Small Kitchens

Vanessa Obioha

For most renters in Lagos, finding an apartment with a spacious kitchen can be a luxury, as more and more homes come with smaller kitchen spaces. But the modern kitchen is expected to do more than simply provide a place to cook. It has increasingly become a kind of showroom, with appliances, utensils and cookware often as much a part of its visual appeal as the cabinets and countertops.

A scroll through Instagram reels can make it seem as though every kitchen needs to display the latest air fryer, microwave, toaster, blender, coffee maker and a collection of stylish cooking utensils. Add dining sets, groceries and cooking pots to the mix, and a small countertop can quickly become a battleground for space.

The challenge is even greater in Nigerian homes, where kitchens often have to accommodate heavy cooking and entertaining. For renters and homeowners working with limited space, the question is therefore not simply how to make the kitchen beautiful, but how to make every available corner work without making the room feel crowded.

The biggest mistake people make when designing a small kitchen, according to Emmanuel Oluwatobi, CEO and Creative Director of Emmy Interiors, is sacrificing function for aesthetics, particularly by failing to plan adequate counter space and workflow.

“You have to consider functionality first, your daily workflow in the kitchen — the kitchen triangle — and map out how you move between the sink, fridge and stove,” he said.

Ideally, a functional kitchen should be an optimised workspace built around an unobstructed flow between the sink, refrigerator and stove. This allows the kitchen to breathe while remaining organised. Other considerations include appliance storage, lighting, reflective surfaces, vertical space and backsplash choices.

Whether you are a homeowner or a renter, here are practical ways to make a small kitchen more functional while keeping it visually appealing.

Know Your Kitchen Layout

Before buying cabinets, appliances or storage units, consider the shape and dimensions of the kitchen. Whether the space runs along one wall, has parallel counters or wraps around two or more walls, its configuration determines where appliances can go, how much countertop can be created and how easily you can move around.

“The shape of your kitchen almost entirely determines its layout because structural elements like walls, doors and windows dictate where counters and appliances can physically fit,” Oluwatobi said.

The best way to approach a small kitchen is to first understand its layout. Some of the most common configurations for compact spaces are the one-wall and galley layouts.

In a one-wall kitchen, everything is arranged along a single wall, including the cabinets, sink, cooker, refrigerator and other appliances. It takes up the least floor space, making it suitable for particularly compact homes.

A galley kitchen, on the other hand, has two parallel runs of cabinets and appliances facing each other. When well designed, it can be highly functional because everything is within easy reach. It makes efficient use of limited space and can provide plenty of cabinetry and countertop space along the two walls. For Nigerian homes where heavy cooking is common, this layout can also provide an efficient workspace.

Other configurations include the L-shaped kitchen, which uses two adjoining walls, leaving the centre of the room relatively open. This makes it a versatile option for small and medium-sized spaces, particularly where homeowners want to maintain a sense of openness. It can also leave room for a dining area or, where space permits, a small island or peninsula.

A U-shaped kitchen uses three walls, providing generous countertop and storage space. However, because it occupies more of the room, it needs sufficient width to prevent the kitchen from feeling cramped. For a small kitchen, maximising storage with a U-shaped layout can be useful, but adding more furniture or an island may defeat the purpose if there isn’t enough room for comfortable movement.

Do Not Waste Any Space

One of the questions to ask when designing a small kitchen is how functional every available space can be. Areas that might otherwise be overlooked can provide valuable storage.

Oluwatobi identified vertical wall spaces, the inside of cabinet doors and the deep, dark corners of lower cabinets as some of the most commonly wasted areas in a small kitchen.

“Homeowners can make better use of these neglected spaces with smart organising tools and clever adjustments,” he advised.

For those who use several appliances, smart storage and the use of vertical space can help reduce clutter. Multi-purpose appliances can also be useful where countertop and storage space are limited.

If there is one thing that should not be sacrificed, however, it is a solid stretch of uninterrupted countertop. It provides essential space for food preparation and can make the kitchen considerably easier to use.

Your Choice of Colour, Lighting and Cabinetry Matters

Aesthetic choices can also function as critical spatial tools in a compact kitchen. According to Oluwatobi, the idea is to manage light reflectance, visual weight and continuity in a way that guides the eye and creates a greater sense of space.

To enhance the visual appeal of a small kitchen, he recommends light and neutral shades such as white, cream, soft grey and pale pastels for walls and cabinets, as they can help reflect natural light.

“Layer your lighting with under-cabinet LEDs to eliminate dark shadows on countertops,” he said.

For cabinetry, he recommends handleless or push-to-open cabinets to create cleaner visual lines and reduce protruding hardware.

Heavy, ornate cabinetry with raised panels, dark wood stains and elaborate crown moulding, he cautioned, can add visual weight and make a compact kitchen feel more enclosed.

Dark colours, however, do not necessarily have to be avoided altogether. Used strategically, they can create contrast and character. But in a small kitchen with limited natural light, deep shades such as navy, charcoal or forest green can absorb light and make the space feel more enclosed.

For renters who cannot make permanent alterations, Oluwatobi suggests peel-and-stick backsplash tiles, which can add colour or texture without significantly altering the existing walls or tiles.

Additional storage can also be created with a rolling cart or slim shelving unit, provided there is enough room to move comfortably around it. In a particularly small kitchen, adding a freestanding island may create more congestion than convenience, so the available circulation space should be considered before introducing one.