Tips for Designing a Small Kitchen

Organizing your kitchen

Not all homes have a big spacious kitchen. If you can’t tear down a few walls, or expand your kitchen area, you need to make smart design choices. Designing a small kitchen has a few challenges, but with the right elements, you can still design your dream kitchen, even if it’s small.

Designing a small kitchen
These rustic slab cabinet doors are perfect for a small kitchen.

 

Challenges of a small kitchen

With a small bedroom or a small living room, you can simply remove items to accommodate the size of the space. However, in a kitchen, there are a lot of elements that are essential. You need storage space, counter space, a kitchen sink, and appliances. Getting all the necessary elements into a small space without making it feel cramped is the key to designing a small kitchen.

Simple design and clean lines

For a small kitchen design, look at clean lines and simple design. Slab cabinet doors are the perfect choice for a small kitchen. The reason we love slab cabinets in small spaces is that too much design can take up too much space. The traditional cabinets with raised panel designs may not seem like they take up space, but with small spaces, you want to keep the design as simple as possible. Too much design will make everything feel too busy. The kitchen will feel more calm and functional with modern design choices.

Making Modern Design Cozy

If you don’t like the idea of modern design, and you’re looking for something more down to earth, then there are ways to tone down modern slab cabinets so that they become more in step with your country kitchen. Use natural elements to make the modern design look more rustic. You can warm up a modern kitchen using reclaimed wood for your cabinets.

Natural earth tones

Remodeling a small kitchen
Talk to our designers about tips to remodeling a small kitchen.

The latest trend in kitchen colors is to use neutral colors with hints of gray. Gray tones will make your kitchen look cool, but feel warm. Use backsplashes on the walls using natural stone to add more earthy elements, making your small kitchen cozy, not cramped.

Avoid too much shine

Shiny surfaces are great for increasing natural light in the kitchen. Although you want a lot of light to make a small kitchen feel bigger and warmer, you don’t want too much light. Having glossy cabinets in a small space will make the light bounce from surface to surface, and it can be a bit jarring. Consider matte surfaces to avoid too much glare, without blocking the light.
The Kitchen Showcase has over 40+ complete showrooms for your inspiration. Talk to a designer about tricks to remodeling and designing a small kitchen. Stop by our Denver showroom to see the latest products to create your dream kitchen, no matter what the size.

Tips for Maintaining Your Dream Kitchen

Denver kitchen design professionals

maintain your kitchen
The best part of designing and getting your dream kitchen is that everything looks shiny and new. You’re almost afraid to use your kitchen because you know that after the first cooking session, your kitchen will no longer be spotless and pristine. But, you have to use your kitchen – after all – you made it so you can prepare meals and enjoy them. Here are a few tips for maintaining your dream kitchen and keeping it clean, bright, new, shiny, and inviting.

Kitchen design professionals in Denver
Keeping the sink clean and free of dishes will go a long way to maintaining your dream kitchen.

Cleaning as you go will ensure that you are never overwhelmed

Letting dirty dishes and cookware build up in your sink, or clutter your counter space is the fastest way to ruin the zen of a new kitchen. Too much clutter will leave you anxious, more likely to run and hide in another room, pretending that you don’t have last night’s spaghetti and red sauce to clean up. Waking up to a messy kitchen will leave us all admonishing ourselves “if you just did the dishes last night, your kitchen would be clean now!”
It sounds so simple, but “steady as she goes” is the best way to maintain your kitchen and your sanity.
Clean dishes, cookware, utensils, and countertops as you go avoiding having to do one giant cleanup after dinner. When you’ve just eaten a satisfying meal, all you want to do is rest on the couch. Don’t leave all the dishes until after dinner.
Keeping the sink empty and clean and emptying the dishwasher when it is done will make cleanup a breeze.

Maintain your cookware and utensils on a regular basis

To ensure a long lifespan of all your new kitchen utensils and cookware, including wooden cutting boards, make sure you tend to them regularly. Taking the time now and then to remove stains and rust will go along the way to keeping your kitchen looking new. Again, as you spot problems in your kitchen, the sooner you address them, the easier it will be to fix or clean. If you leave burnt pots or stained knives too long, you may never get them clean again.

Denver Kitchen Showcase
Clean off stains and rust from kitchen knives, and be sure to oil treat your wooden cutting boards regularly.

Wooden cutting boards should be treated with oil to prevent them from drying and cracking and absorbing food that can cause bacteria to stick around and contaminate your food.

De-clutter your kitchen counters

The last step to keeping your kitchen clean is to get rid of any clutter that may be taking up precious counter space. When you are designing your dream kitchen, talk to one of our professional designers about the right cabinetry and organizational units to give you the space you need for all of your kitchen appliances, equipment, and cookware.

Denver kitchen design professionals

For more tips on how to plan and design your dream kitchen, stop by our Denver showroom or get a free quote!

Add Homey Touches to a Warm and Modern Kitchen Design

Custom cabinets

There’s no chance the modern, white, minimalistic kitchen is going out of style. The biggest mistake people make is to forget to add some warm elements in their design. We’ve got a few simple ideas for adding homey touches to your modern kitchen.

Warm kitchen design
The darker the floors, the more warmth they will bring. Keep them matte or semi-gloss, or they become too formal.

 

Clean, simple, and homey

The modern kitchen has clean lines, simple design, and is customized to meet the functional requirements of the homeowner. Everything has a function, everything is perfectly fitted to the space. Whites, grays, and neutral colors tend to dominate. But, you have to add some warm elements to make the kitchen feel more like home.

Hardwood floors

Adding hardwood floors to a modern kitchen adds instant warmth. The new, white organized kitchen says “don’t get anything dirty!” But the warm dark brown hardwood floors says “don’t be afraid, make yourself at home!” If you’re trying to take some of the formality out of your modern kitchen, consider hardwood floors with a matte or semi-gloss finish. The less glossy the finish, the more homey and casual your floors will be, adding a much needed warm contrast to the cool modern kitchen.

Wood countertops

Modern warm kitchen design
Match your wooden countertop to your hardwood floors for warmth and cohesion.

Instead of natural stone countertops, think about adding wooden countertops and keeping them in their natural state. The modern kitchen can sometimes feel too futuristic and minimalistic. By keeping countertops in their natural wood colors, you can bring your kitchen back to earth. If you also have hardwood floors, think about matching the wood tones for cohesion. You don’t want to muddle the simplicity of the modern kitchen design with too many varying earth tones.

Natural Wood Elements

You can also contrast the custom white cabinets and shelving with a few natural wood elements. Instead of painting everything white, leave a few borders and trim in the natural color of the wood. It’s a nice break from all the white. Lighter wood tones, like blondes, will keep your modern kitchen in the Scandinavian style. Darker wood will make it more warm and rustic.

Brass and copper fixtures

Any warm tones you can gently incorporate into the kitchen design will make it feel homier. A white kitchen can be intimidating. Make your kitchen a place where people feel like they can be comfortable and be themselves. Adding lighting fixtures with copper or brass tones is a subtle way to add warm natural tones to balance out the white. And, when you choose knobs and pulleys, look for warmer tones and natural materials.

Warm modern kitchen design
Bring in subtle earth tones with brass and copper light fixtures, knobs, and pulleys.

The Kitchen Showcase has been helping homeowners, business owners, builders, and contractors design dream homes and commercial spaces for decades. By specializing in the best brands per price range, we offer greater quality and value than any kitchen and bath company in Colorado. You get much, much more for your investment.

Give Your Denver Kitchen a Facelift with New Cabinets

kitchen remodelling and design

Elmwood kitchen cabinets at TKS Denver

Where to get the best kitchen cabinets in Denver?

Kitchen cabinets are one of the most important elements of a kitchen, so it’s essential you choose them wisely and invest in quality. At The Kitchen Showcase, we are proud to be associated with first-class cabinet manufacturers, whose commitment to quality matches our own.
We have a broad range of cabinets from the best manufacturers for virtually any budget out there. Our kitchen cabinets in Denver include the following brands:
Custom wood cabinets in Denver

Elmwood Cabinets

This premium brand offers 148 customizable door styles and 87 exotic and standard species to choose from. Frameless, inset, framed, and channel cabinetry; custom color matching, a vast selection of finishes.

Crestwood Cabinets

These cabinets are plywood, custom-made, and available in any color and design that you desire, including traditional, transitional, and contemporary designs.

Kitchen Craft Cabinets

These are made of a frameless box with the option of plywood box as well and are semi-custom. The available designs are contemporary, transitional and traditional design styles.

Decora Cabinets

These cabinets are made of plywood box and have an outstanding reputation since you can find them in more than 2,000 Sherwin-Williams paint colors. Decora Cabinets are also available in a wide range of door styles, wood types, and finishes.

Koch Cabinets

Available in red oak, maple, hickory, ash, cherry, paint grade poplar, alder, knotty alder, beech, knotty beech, and some other wood species that will add significant value to your home.

Aristokraft Cabinets

Also made of wood species, these cabinets are available in maple, cherry, birch, oak, hickory, and rustic birch, with the advantage that they are very affordable.

Danver Stainless Steel Cabinets

These are perfect for both indoor and outdoor use, and they are beautiful, durable, and of excellent quality.
Custom kitchen remodel in Denver by TKS

The Kitchen Showcase: the best Denver kitchen remodeling option

Let us show you why we are the best cabinet company in Colorado. Our staff will keep you informed of every single step of the process and will ensure that your project is finished on time. They will always treat your products exactly as we treat you – with the utmost care for all of our customers and their kitchen remodeling in Centennial.
So if you need help with your custom kitchen design in Denver or with your kitchen remodeling in Coloradoget in touch with us!

Finding the Best Color Palette Specific to Your Kitchen

Smart Kitchen Design

A white kitchen always needs a little color for contrast and texture. But, deciding on the perfect color palette for your kitchen is hard. The kitchen is the heart of the home, so the colors you choose should help bring the rest of the house together. Like your heart pumps blood to the rest of your body, the kitchen should pump life to the rest of your home. So, when choosing a color for your kitchen, you need to look at the big picture.

Kitchen color trends
The chocolate hardwood floors is a great way to incorporate natural color to contrast a white kitchen.

Where to look for color inspiration

There is color inspiration everywhere. Choose colors that are versatile and can go with anything. Use a few neutral colors and one big splash of bold color for texture and intrigue. But, keep it simple.

Colors you love

When you choose a color for your kitchen, you need to draw inspiration from several sources. First and foremost, you need to draw inspiration from yourself. What colors do you like? Because in the end, it is you and your family that need to feel at home in your kitchen. Who cares what your fancy neighbor is doing, or what is featured in Good Housekeeping. If you choose colors you love, you can’t go wrong.

Choose existing colors

Look at the products that you have already chosen for your kitchen. Your cabinets, floors, countertops, and kitchen appliances may be screaming the answer. Look for colors that will compliment the other products in your kitchen. If your cabinets are already colorful, you may want to choose a more neutral color to contrast. You don’t want too much of a good thing. Look for clues in your natural stone countertops for natural colors you can use in your kitchen.

Bring in colors from outside

Choosing color for white kitchen
Add a splash of red for an interesting contrast.

You’ll want to look at the color scheme for your entire home, especially if you have an open floor plan. But, another great source of inspiration is right outside your kitchen window. Bring in the colors of nature. Bringing nature into your kitchen can make your kitchen feel bigger and more alive.
The Kitchen Showcase has been helping Colorado homeowners, builders, and interior designers fall in love with their homes for over 30 years. Our Designers average over 21 years each in the Kitchen and bath industry!  We are a family-owned business that specializes in best-in-class brands and expert service and design.

Gettting Creative with Kitchen Storage Space

Kitchen showcase in Denver

Kitchen showcase in Denver
Whether you’re remodeling your kitchen or designing a brand new kitchen, the only way to get exactly what you want is to have everything custom designed from the interior of your cabinets to the outside. Our designers are industry professionals, always keeping up with the latest kitchen design trends. That includes getting creative with your storage space and kitchen accessories.

Creative and functional storage

Contemporary Kitchen five
Contemporary kitchen design by The Kitchen Showcase in Denver.

Custom-made cabinetry is beautiful on the outside but also must be functional on the inside. Talk to your designer about what type of kitchen items, utensils, and appliances you have that may take up more space than usual. To help organize your kitchen and keep the clutter off of the countertops, we can accessories your drawers and cabinets with the latest gadgets and design tricks to take the functionality of your kitchen to a whole new level.

“The best way to experience our selection of hardware and accessories is to visit our Denver showroom. With large displays and nearly 40 mini-rooms, you can walk around and interact with our products firsthand.”

Our functional and fashionable accessory selection includes, but isn’t limited to:

  • In-cabinet accessories, such as pop-up mixers, flip-down sink fronts, ironing boards, and silverware holders
  • Organizational accessories, such as dividing trays, cutting boards, mobile shelves, and in-drawer organization systems
  • In-cabinet lighting
  • Under-cabinet lighting

Hiding appliances behind custom cabinet doors

Custom kitchen design in Denver
It’s what’s inside your drawer that takes the function to a whole new level.

A recent trend in new kitchen designs is to hide your appliances, even the big ones like your refrigerator, toaster oven, microwave, etc. Tucking away your appliances can create a more uniform and modern look in a kitchen. However, the stainless steel refrigerators and other appliances may help break up the monotony of your cabinets, giving your kitchen more dimension.
With the comeback of the country style kitchen, nothing is more classic than displaying your Kitchen Aid front and center, mixing classic rustic charm into a modern and functional kitchen design.

Custom kitchen design professionals near Denver

If you need inspiration for your kitchen remodeling or kitchen upgrade, stop by our kitchen showroom in Denver. We’ll help you find the perfect blend of function and personal style to make your dream kitchen a reality… and the envy of all your friends!

Kitchen Showcase Inc., 6528 South Racine Circle, Centennial, CO 80111