5 Ways to Make White Cabinets Work in a Small Kitchen

One of the biggest challenges of a small kitchen is making the room look and feel spacious. If you’re seeking a timeless kitchen design style that can help make your small kitchen feel open and airy, you should consider starting with white cabinets.

In many ways, white cabinets are like a wide blank canvas that can be used as the foundation for a multitude of design possibilities. However, if you’re incorporating white cabinets into a small kitchen, there are certain design choices that work better than others to achieve a look that’s stylish and functional.

Here are 5 design tips to help make white cabinets work well for your small kitchen space:

1. Incorporate Metal Appliances

When you combine classic white cabinets with a metallic refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher, your kitchen suddenly become both timeless and modern all at once. There is an aura of stylish minimalism that evokes cutting-edge trends and traditional simplicity simultaneously. You can increase the visual appeal by adding metallic toaster ovens, microwaves, blenders, rice cookers, or other appliances to match.

Best of all, the reflective surfaces of your metal appliances will help your small kitchen appear larger than it actually is!

2. Hang Pendant Lights

It’s not only your metallic appliances that will reflect light, the whiteness of your cabinets themselves can work with your kitchen lighting to help make the whole room feel brighter.

One of the best ways to take advantage of this visual effect is to hang several pendant lights, especially in any otherwise darker corners. You’ll also want to be sure to incorporate pendants above prominent work spaces where a cook might appreciate extra light or over gathering tables where people might want extra light in order to see fine details.

3. Use Pastel Accent Colors

If your kitchen is otherwise white and metallic, you can give it a sense of personality and vibrancy by adding a little color. However, a very dark or saturated color can make a smaller kitchen just feel more cramped.

The solution is to use pastel shades for an accent color. Whether you’re creating a colorful backsplash or painting an accent wall, a little touch of pastel hues will add dimension and visual interest without intruding on the overall spacious effect.

4. Try Glass or Other Transparent Doors

Another way you can help make your small kitchen look and feel more spacious is by incorporating glass or other transparent materials. One of the best places to add these is to your cabinet doors.

For example, you can maximize the storage potential of your small kitchen and help draw eyes upward by installing cabinets that reach all the way up the vertical height of your kitchen wall. If several of these cabinet doors have glass panes showing a minimalist display inside, it can help the kitchen feel more capacious overall.

5. Hide Your Trash Receptacles

In a small kitchen, no one wants to be reminded of how close they may be to trash and other disposables.

In order to keep your small kitchen feeling clean and airy, it’s best to hide your trash and recycling receptacles behind closed doors, ideally behind one of your bottom white cabinet doors. As a general rule, you’ll want to keep your countertops and floors as tidy and clear as possible to keep your small kitchen feeling fresh and open.

Are you interested in white cabinets for your small kitchen? Call us and find out about your options at

RTA Wood Cabinets at: 800-788-7575.