Tile Design Ideas For A Small Kitchen

Image: CS-Terra Nova Honed Picket Mesh Marble Backsplash and Della Terra Quartz New Venatino Beige Kitchen Countertop from Arizona Tile

Working with a small space can test your design abilities, but with the right ideas, turning a small kitchen into a functional space is very rewarding. Not only is utilizing the most appropriate tile options for the job important, but finding ways to get creative with storage should also be a focus.

There are ways to help trick the eye into seeing expansiveness when it isn’t necessarily there, and small touches with this in mind will go a long way to create space and comfort.

Small Kitchen Set-Up

Regardless of whether your living space simply cannot accommodate a large kitchen or if it is your preference to have a small kitchen space, integrating beneficial design tactics will be helpful. These ideas can apply to any kitchen, even a large one, but a generally small kitchen, a galley kitchen, an outdoor kitchen, or a second kitchen is where you will find the most benefit.

Image: Calacatta Umber Honed Marble Kitchen Backsplash from Arizona Tile

Collapsable Furniture

1. If you live in a condo with a condensed floor plan or live in a tiny home, getting creative is important. One helpful way to create more space is to install a wall-mounted dining table. With a way to also hide the seating or make it part of the hidden piece, this option significantly saves on floor space. When it is time to eat or do some work, simply fold the table down and pull up some chairs (or also install fold-down benches). These tables can range from elegant to simple, and some designs will even add storage shelves on the wall where the table folds up.

Tiered Shelving

2. Adding tiers within your cabinets with shelf risers can practically double your storage space. This additional shelf space allows you to gain back much-lost space. Those several inches that remain unused atop your canned goods, spices, cups, etc., can be greatly utilized by placing a shelf riser over them to add another layer of storage.

Shelves Behind Doors

3. Add metal shelving on the back of doors—inside the pantry or on a closet door, even inside a cabinet door if the shelving is narrow enough. These racks are great for spices, baking supplies, small canned goods, and sandwich bags, for example.

Image: Aequa Cirrus Hex Mosaic Mesh Porcelain Tile Kitchen Backsplash from Arizona Tile

Storage Racks

4. Visible but neat displays on the kitchen walls to organize knives and cookware will free up shelves and counter space. Install a magnetized knife rack on your backsplash to prevent a knife block from taking up precious counter space. Installing a pot and pan rack will keep this cookware easily accessible and free up cabinet space from the clutter these can create.

Corner Shelving

5. If your focus is on a second kitchen or an outdoor kitchen, chances are you are working with a more condensed layout. Corner shelving, counters, and cabinets will utilize forgotten-about space. You truly can fit a lot into a corner if it’s well-designed. Also, when thinking about the need for extra counter space and storage, try portable options like a moveable island. If you’re outside, a portable grill or sink is worth consideration so that a fixed object isn’t consuming your workspace.

There are so many more helpful tricks within small organization tactics, so be sure to chat with your designer so you can maximize your space. Beyond construction and organization elements, here are other ways to make your space seem larger and that is with colors and tile.

Image: Citrine Quartz Kitchen Countertop Island & Flash White 3 x 12 Ceramic Herringbone Backsplash from Arizona Tile

Kitchen Aesthetics

Dark colors are notorious for making spaces feel smaller, especially when dark colors are primary for a space as opposed to some accenting elements. Light, bright colors add a more airy, open feel; however, if you love an element of darkness, the floor or the countertop is a good place for that to go. Paros porcelain tile offers two dark and a white option that would look beautiful for a small kitchen floor tile idea. If your sights are on a dark countertop, Black Mist Honed granite is ultra-durable, sleek, beautiful, and versatile with nearly any decor. When a darker material is paired with lighter backsplash tile in a small kitchen, the design contrast really helps to open the space. Some great options for a light color pairing with a darker material are Calacatta Umber marble, CS- Terra Nova marble, and CS- Bianco Venatino marble. Each offers a different element of softness with either grey or beige detail.

Image: Black Mist Honed Granite Kitchen Countertop & CS-Bianco Venatino Honed Herringbone Marble Tile Backsplash from Arizona Tile

Tile with a glossy finish and polished slab countertops help reflect light around the room and work well with small kitchens that receive direct sunlight. To help this smaller space receive this influx of illumination, Flash ceramic tile adds all the gloss you need to move light around the space. Offered in eight beautiful colors, Flash gives gentle texture, and soft glaze, and is designed to emulate hand-crafted tile. Within these color options, you could pair with almost any slab countertop options, like Citrine quartz or Arabescato Como quartz—both quartz countertops are white, with soft veining, and are durable.

Image: Arabescato Como Quartz Kitchen Countertop & Paros White Hex 8-1/2×10 Porcelain Kitchen Backsplash from Arizona Tile

Additionally, and contrary to what you may assume, larger tile can add a look of expansiveness, especially on the floor. A great one for this, for both interior and exterior spaces, is Aequa porcelain tile. Given its comforting appearance of wood, its long “planks” elongate any room. This beautiful tile could easily run through your kitchen and your entire home, even outside. Its R11 Anti-Slip Finish makes this a perfect option for your backyard kitchen.

Design Tools

Finding the right colors and style for your small kitchen tile, countertop, and floors should be fun, and with the right products, can last a lifetime. To see some tile and slab options you would like to consider, check out our Just Imagine – Tile and Slab Visualizer. Be sure to stop by any Arizona Tile store or slab yard to see and feel your favorite selections. Questions are always welcome, so don’t hesitate to ask our helpful and knowledgeable staff.