15-Second Summary
Having a small kitchen without upper cabinets does not require you to compromise on your storage space.
Do you want to incorporate extra storage space in your kitchen and get rid of the upper cabinets?
This blog is going to provide you with all the advantages and challenges of a small kitchen without upper cabinets, with great alternatives for storage.
Let’s explore how to maximize the space of your small kitchen without upper cabinets!
Introduction
Having a small kitchen with upper cabinets can sometimes make your space feel congested and less spacious. Not just that, it has also become a contemporary kitchen design trend that everyone is following.
If you are considering renovating your small kitchen space by removing the upper cabinets and are having any second thoughts, this blog is going to help you with finalizing your decision around your kitchen renovations.
We are going to provide a detailed analysis on key aspects that will help you make a quick decision, considering the important factors around small kitchen renovations involving removing the upper cabinets.
You will explore a detailed guide about:
- Advantages of a Small kitchen without upper cabinets.
- Challenges that come with removing the upper cabinets from your small kitchen.
- Alternatives that you can use to overcome those challenges.
Do you want to find out how to make your small kitchen functional without upper cabinets?
Let’s explore these in detail!
Advantages of Small Kitchens Without Upper Cabinets
Although for centuries we have been following the basic cabinets for storage purposes in kitchens, the world has now changed, and so has the perspective of people, especially when it comes to customizing their personal spaces as per their choices.
There are some key advantages of considering a small kitchen without upper cabinets, which have been briefly described below.
Visual Spaciousness
Removing the upper cabinets will definitely add visual spaciousness to your kitchen. Your kitchen space looks significantly open and bright, giving the idea of a large cooking space.
The room also becomes more airy, and if you are someone who cooks, you will definitely find this aesthetic pleasing enough to enjoy your cooking more than before.
Wallspace To Personalize
Removing the upper cabinets means having a wall space to yourself that you can customize based on your own choices. You can use a statement backsplash, lighting fixtures, or your favorite art to enhance this wall and make it personalized to your style.
Space To Add Decorations
Removing the cabinets and creating an open wall space also means you are open to add more to the personalization by having some decoration pieces to display on your wall, which could be added on the open shelves mounted on the wall for a little open storage or display.
Wall organization ideas like shelves will be discussed further in the blog, and you will find images to get inspiration. It seems like an excellent benefit to you.
Easy Reach To Stuff
Not everyone is tall enough to reach those old-style high cabinets in the kitchen. There are some people, especially ladies who cook a lot, of short height who find it difficult to reach the upper cabinets and deal with using stools to reach them regularly.
Accessibility Friendly Option
A kitchen without upper cabinets and better storage on the ground level is an ideal choice for people with disabilities, too. The kitchen becomes more functional for them, making their meal prep, storage, and cleaning routines easier.
Less Cluttering
Without the upper cabinets, there is less space to hoard stuff. Hence, you make practical buying decisions around appliances and cutlery to cause less clutter and keep the space more organized.
This is all making sense now, right? Are you now positive about removing your small kitchen upper cabinets?
However, you may experience another sense of doubt moving forward in our blog. But mentioning challenges is necessary to help you make a wise decision.
But worry not, right after mentioning these challenges, we will be recommending the alternative storage ideas that will help you rule out any challenges.
Challenges of Kitchens Without Upper Cabinets
Fewer cabinets also means you might be facing some challenges. And it is true. Removing the uppers does come with challenges that are briefly described below.
Lack of Storage Space
Removing the uppers means obviously having the need for storage for all the stuff that was in there.
With fewer cabinets, you now have a challenge of reduced storage space. If you are using a small kitchen island without drawers, then this may become more of a challenge and will require you to come up with smart storage ideas for your kitchen stuff.
Dust Accumulation
Open space means there is no dust that comes with the doors of the cabinets. If you have kitchen stuff like spice or tea jars on the shelves or your favorite China cutlery set displayed on open shelves, these things might accumulate dust and grease on them and require maintenance.
Cleaning Maintenance
Now that you have a visual spaciousness, it also means having the kitchen appliances or stuff like spice jars on the countertop.
Dust and grease particles from the air will definitely settle on these things, which will require you to have a strict cleaning routine to keep them clean.
This becomes quite a challenge, especially when you are a working person and you hardly have time for daily cleanups.
Impact on Buyer’s Decision
This is a crucial aspect to consider when renovating your small kitchen without upper cabinets.
If you are not planning on staying in your house for a long-term period or you are someone who flips houses, then you must consider that most people buying houses prefer having more storage options with upper cabinets.
Unless or until you are sure that there is a trend of having a small kitchen without upper cabinets in your area, you should not consider it if you plan on selling your property soon, as it can impact buyers’ decisions.
How To Make Small Kitchens Functional Without Upper Cabinets?
Incorporating Lower Cabinets
Opening up the upper space does not mean you have no more storage options. You can always use extra storage by incorporating smart lower cabinets.
You can use different options in the lower cabinet that maximize the storage options in the same space as having simple cabinets.
Some of these smart lower cabinet choices include:
Cornerstone Cabinets
Lazy Susan Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinets with Silverware drawers
Base Spice Cabinets
Base Baskets Cabinets
Pull-Out/Slider Cabinets
Adding these cabinets will not only provide you with more storage space, but it will also add to the functionality of your small kitchen.
Utilizing Open Shelves
You can also incorporate open shelves in your small kitchen without upper cabinets as an added storage option. These shelves can hold a lot of kitchen stuff that you can keep in the open space without making it cluttered.
Utilizing Wall-mounted Storage Options
You can also utilize your wallspace with wall-mounting storage options like pegboards, hanging pot racks, magnetic strips for knives, or decorative wall baskets to add more storage space in your small kitchen.
Adding A Small Kitchen Island
If you do not already own one, or you have one but it is a traditional freestanding island without drawers, then you can consider either buying a kitchen island with drawers or replacing your old kitchen island with a new, more functional island with drawers.
How to Decorate An Open Space in a Small Kitchen without Upper Cabinets
To decorate an open space in a small kitchen without upper cabinets, you have a lot of options, including using wall art, a statement splash, decorative hanging baskets, and kitchen-related artificial fruits or vegetables hangings, vintage signage, kitchen plants, or a beautiful display of antique decorative plates.
A Before and After Comparison
Let us have a look at the before and after images of a small kitchen without upper cabinets and with upper cabinets.
Kitchen With Upper Cabinets (Before)
Kitchen Without Upper Cabinets (After)
You can clearly see a massive difference in the look of the same kitchen with and without the upper cabinets. Both the before and the after are visually appealing, and based on your preference, you can make your small kitchen without upper cabinets as stylish as you want it to be without compromising on storage space by using our recommended storage alternatives.
Final Remarks
Having a small kitchen always comes with a strong urge to create a visual spaciousness to it. It not only makes it look spacious but also makes it an aesthetically pleasing space to cook in.
But removing shelves sometimes comes with the challenges of less storage, which can be solved with alternative storage ideas, given in our blog.
We hope that this blog has been of help to you in making a decision about renovating your kitchen into a small kitchen without upper cabinets.
You can definitely go for it, and you also do not have to compromise on your storage space. For more house designing or renovation-related ideas, explore our Decor and Design Category.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can a small kitchen work without upper cabinets?
Yes, a small kitchen without upper cabinets can be really functional with so many storage alternatives like wall-mounted shelves, pegboards for hanging utensils, flexible lower cabinets, and kitchen islands with drawers.
- What are smart storage alternatives to upper cabinets?
Some smart storage alternatives to upper cabinets include: Kitchen islands with drawers, smart lower cabinets like wari corner cabinets and pull-out cabinets, pegboards, pot hanging wall-mounted racks, and wall-mounted shelves.
- How much storage is lost by removing the upper cabinets?
It depends on how much stuff you have stored in your upper cabinets. If you have less stuff, then you might not feel like losing a lot of storage, but if you have more stuff and you cannot declutter or donate it, then you may lose a lot of space, but you can always use alternative storage options, to maximize your kitchen space without upper cabinets.
- Are floating shelves a good option in small kitchens?
If you can easily keep up with the cleaning routine for dust and grease particles from air on the decorations or pots you are planning to put on them, it is a good option to consider for storage.
- Are pegboards practical above a countertop?
Yes, pegboards are a really practical choice, especially for kitchens above your countertop to save the countertop and cabinets for storing the items that are used frequently.
- How to style open shelving without clutter?
You can use a cohesive theme and incorporate containers, baskets, or decorative books to style your shelves and still manage the clutter.
- Should I mix open and closed storage?
Mixing an open and closed storage space is definitely a great storage idea for a small kitchen without upper cabinets. You can use the open spaces to keep the stuff that is easy to clean and maintain from dust and grease particle accumulation, and choose to keep other stuff in closed storage places.
- How to display cookware on walls without a mess?
You can use a pot rack, a pegboard, or a hanging rail with hooks to display your cookware on kitchen walls without creating a mess. You can style them in a way that they provide a pleasing aesthetic.
- Does removing upper cabinets impact a home’s resale value?
Yes, if you are living in an area where contemporary renovation ideas like kitchen without upper cabinets are not in trend, then your home’s resale value might be affected and go down a bit, not drastically, but still it could impact the buyers’ decision, especially if your lower storage is not enough.
