Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas on a Budget

Let me guess…

Seeing as you have arrived at this post out of the billions of other websites on the internet; you are looking for small kitchen remodeling ideas that can be done on a budget?

Am I right?

Well, there are loads of ways that you can achieve this goal and this post will run through some of the more interesting ones that I have found whilst speaking with my readers.

You can check out my full guide about how to make the best use out of the space you have in my 15 creative kitchen storage ideas post…

The kitchen is an integral part of every home – a place that’s indispensable.

It can exude much-needed warmth for a family, however small it might be. It’s a place where a substantial amount of time is spent.

Naturally then, a cluttered and untidy kitchen is the last thing you’d want in your house. If that, however, is the state your kitchen currently is in, it’s little wonder that you hate entering and working in the messy kitchen even just to make yourself a cup of tea.

As for preparing elaborate meals, that’s nothing less than a nightmare.

Cooking in a small kitchen can be...somewhat stressful

You’re desperate to remodel your kitchen into something more tolerable, even if it’s not high-end.

Unfortunately, yours is a small kitchen and there’s very little space to work around even if you wanted to renovate it. There isn’t much you can do to change things in a small space, can you? After all, you need all the space possible for the essentials; you can’t really get rid of necessary appliances.

Your budget may also be limited, and you’re not sure what you can really do with a small amount of resources to transform your kitchen. You can see the paint peeling off and the cabinets in need of immediate replacement, but you just can’t afford to get new ones.

It’s time to let go of those unwelcome thoughts and look at these amazing ideas to remodel your small kitchen on a tight budget.

You’ll soon discover that you don’t really need to spend exorbitantly to revamp your kitchen. It’d be great of course if you had loads of money to spend, but the fact is that you can make significant changes to your kitchen even if your budget is kind of inadequate, or presumably so.

Quick Guide

A little imagination goes a long way
Looking at your kitchen in a fresh way can make a massive difference
Planning is the key to make sure you don’t go sending too much money
A clean, contemporary look will make small spaces look larger
Change the cupboard doors and drawer fronts for an easy change
Go upwards to gain space
Use granite tiles for the floor and clear out unnecessary items

Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas on a Budget 1

Look afresh at your kitchen

As discussed above; it’s important to take a fresh look at your small kitchen before you get down to revamping it.

You’re bound to spot things that require just a bit of ingenuity and innovation to make the space more appealing. You could begin by looking at the shape and location of your kitchen:

Is it vertical or horizontal?
Does it open out into a gallery or the dining space?
What possible changes can you explore without having to rip the kitchen apart, which would definitely cost a lot of money?
What type of cookware do you have?

With regards to this last point, The Kitchen Guy is always on the hunt for amazing and innovative cookware products, and a recent review of the Magma 10 Piece Gourmet Cookware Set gave it 5 stars – in part to do with its clever nesting ability and removable handles!

Planning is the key

Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas on a Budget by planning ahead

Armed with such knowledge, you can then take the initial, tentative steps towards planning its renovation, before going all out to spend the small savings you’ve set aside for it.

For instance, if the kitchen opens into the dining hall, why not plan it as an extension of the latter?

This could mean shifting some of the larger items, such as the refrigerator, toaster and perhaps even the microwave oven, into the dining hall.

You could do something similar if your kitchen opens out onto a balcony. For a kitchen looking onto a gallery, matching the décor of both areas could give an extended look and feel to the kitchen.

Talking of extended kitchen space, you could also put the space under the staircase to good use by fitting some of your kitchen equipment into it. All you need to do is get some custom cupboards built there to hold extra items from your kitchen.

There are loads of items in every kitchen that are used only occasionally and can easily be kept out of it, without being thrown into some unused corner of the house.

Go for a clean, contemporary look

OK, OK, so I am a bit biased here towards clean, minimalist design. Just look at The Kitchen Guy’s website!!!

A small kitchen can be made to look and feel quite spacious with a clean, contemporary design.

White can give your little kitchen the aura of spaciousness, with a touch of the hygienic (which is absolutely necessary for a kitchen).

However, if white is just not your color and it gives you the sense of being in a hospital ward; go for pastel shades or the more exotic ivory or stainless steel look. A light blue and cream combination could, for instance, lend your kitchen a sense of vibrancy coupled with peace – something everyone needs in their kitchen!

Glass can do a lot to make your kitchen look modern too, so you could use glass counter tops to give a feel of stylish roominess to the limited space. (Quartz is another affordable option for the countertop).

Glass as we all know, makes even the most confined spaces look bigger, so it may be a good idea to use it extensively, without making the kitchen look garish.

Glass panels are also useful to have in a small kitchen. You can use them to keep your wine glasses or other delicate crockery behind.

Before buying glass, however, do look at the varieties available, keeping your budget in mind.

Change the cupboard doors and drawer fronts

Dismantling those old cabinets and cupboards and replacing them with new and more fashionable ones is sure to cost you a fortune. That’s clearly not something you can afford on a limited budget.

But if they do need urgent repairs, it is something you can definitely do without digging too deep into your pockets.

The solution lies in changing the fronts.

Get new cabinet doors designed and replace the fronts of the drawers. From wood to glass to aluminum, there’s a huge variety of material you can use to have new fronts fitted onto the old storage cupboards. Try balancing your budget with the overall décor of the kitchen in making your choice.

Simply replacing the exteriors of the cabinets can make your kitchen suddenly look new and contemporary.

Now, let’s assume that the cupboards are in such bad shape that simply replacing the fronts is not a solution. But constrained by your budget, you just can’t imagine spending yet more of your hard earned on getting new cabinets built.

It may be a good idea in such a case, to replace the storage cupboards with stone panels, or perhaps a mix of granite and glass panels.

The result will be one of amazing aesthetics.

If those are not easily available, try to find some ready made inexpensive cabinets out there on the market. Just check out the size first to ensure they fit into your kitchen.

A fresh coat of paint or lamination to match your kitchen décor will make these cabinets stand out in an otherwise dull kitchen.

Another option could be to fit the cupboards with aluminum-frame doors. With their shiny look, they’ll enhance the visual appeal of the cabinets.

Imagination is the key

Use your imagination to create great ideas

Your imagination, frankly, is the only limit to creating a kitchen space that’s:

Clean
Well-organized
Warm
Welcoming
Able to cook decent meals

You can actually do a whole lot of things to your kitchen with a little creativity and imagination. It’s called space management, and it doesn’t necessarily come from money alone.

For once, let your imagination run riot and be creative with your small kitchen. Remember, tiny can be quite attractive. It depends on how you look at your tiny kitchen.

Beauty as they say, lies in the beholder’s eyes. So start by looking at the positive aspects of your kitchen.

It could be the natural light flowing in or the small balcony jutting out from your kitchen, or perhaps it’s the petite little window with a pleasant view that keeps you engaged while you’re working in there.

Every space, big or small, has some good points about it; you simply need to open your mind and heart to those little things.

Go upwards

Talking of cupboards and cabinets, how about putting all of them above the level of the work station?

You can simply line up the cabinets or the stone panels, as the case may be, on the walls higher up. As long as you can reach all your stuff, how does it matter whether it’s packed below the workstation or above it?

By shifting the cabinets higher up on the walls, you’ll be left with more space to move around while working in your small kitchen. An added advantage would be that the dirty-looking walls would get covered, eliminating the need to have them painted every few years.

Use granite tiles for the floor

Stone tiles for the floor create a more open feeling

Having transformed the upper part of the kitchen; it’s time now to look at the floor.

When working on a budget, it’s a good idea to use modular granite tiles for the floor. They’re relatively less costly and easier to install than granite slabs.

And talking of floors, why don’t you simply get rid of some of the excess stuff covering it? You don’t really need a door opening out from the kitchen into the dining space, do you?

Go for an open kitchen concept and see your kitchen suddenly look bigger.

The open kitchen is a popular concept in small apartments and augments the overall spacious look of the entire area. All you need to do is dismantle a wall and create an attractive, arch-shaped entrance.

And even that can be done away with if space is still a constraint. Just remember, it’s your kitchen and your space, so there’s nothing to stop you from making your own decisions when remodeling it.

With an open kitchen, blending it into the dining space or the gallery also becomes quite easy.

Conclusion

Your little kitchen can become a haven of joy for you and your family with a bit of originality and resourcefulness, even on a small budget.

Go for a mix of glass, wood and aluminum fronts for your cupboards and cabinets to add glitz to your kitchen. Balance these with granite panels and see this cost-effective idea transform that unpleasant corner of your house into a vibrant and cozy place.

Apart from the cabinets, you could even push some of the other counter top items, such as the microwave oven, the juice extractor, etc. higher up the wall.

You can also save some space by getting an induction cooktop which is a definite space saver, but you must make sure to use the induction ready cookware, as normal cookware might not be compatible.

As long as they’re within easy reach, you don’t really need to have them cluttering your small kitchen. You can also have hooks along the bottom edge of your cabinet doors to hang the serving spoons, ladles, scissors, cutters, and other similar essentials.

All of this is covered in The Kitchen Guy’s clever storage tips posts which I highly suggest you check out.

And while you’re trying to redesign your small kitchen, do an online check for some great design ideas that don’t require a huge budget for execution.

You could go for a black-and-white checkerboard pattern to give depth to the narrow cupboards. Or if your miniscule kitchen happens to be in a dark and dingy corner of your house, paint it a bright yellow to give it a sunny look. A red and white color combo could work great for a small kitchen too, as the bright red would have the effect of distracting from the tight corners as the white lends it a spacious feel.

A plant or two here and there, and some pictures or mementos on the walls – there’s so much you can do with your little kitchen if you put your mind and heart to it.

And if the lighting is right (and that needn’t be a costly affair if you don’t want it to be), the smallest of kitchens can look fashionably modern.

Think creative and be innovative, and you’ll never find yourself being constrained by a budget.