2 Paint Colors Made This Tiny Kitchen Feel Cozy Without Adding a Single Inch
Writer Sarah Ingle doesn’t hide the fact that her 10-square-foot kitchen, which she once referred to as a “chaotic corner” in her Brooklyn apartment, made her feel a little overwhelmed when she first moved in.
Not only was the fridge outside the room, but the kitchen also had mismatched shelving and cabinetry. She shares that it felt more like “an afterthought.” That wasn’t going to work for her.
She Leaned into the Coziness of the Kitchen Because She Couldn’t Make the Space Larger
The kitchen is situated in plain sight of the living room, so the lack of cohesion and flow between the two spaces needed to be addressed. It wasn’t possible to make the room physically larger, so she leaned into its coziness by creating a “Parisian-style nook” — like something you’d see in a storied European home.
It Was Her First Huge DIY, and She Drenched the Space in Moody Colors
“It [the kitchen] pushed me to get creative and think differently about how the space could function and feel. Instead of trying to force it into something it wasn’t, I leaned into its quirks and reimagined it as something intentional, beautiful, and aligned with the rest of the home,” Sarah adds.
Having never done a huge DIY project before, Sarah was intimidated but ready to go — and the first step was aligning on a color palette. Initially, she was torn between olive green and maroon, but she landed on Sherwin-Williams’ “Crabby Apple” for the walls and “French Roast” for the ceiling. “It felt moodier, bolder, and a little more transportive, which was exactly what I wanted for the space,” she continues.
Remember that mismatched shelving and cabinetry? That had to go. Sarah removed all of that, power-sanded, filled holes, and caulked the walls to prime them for painting. Three coats later, the room had that moody desired effect. For storage, she opted for wraparound shelving to display not only kitchenware, but also sentimental finds.
Small Upgrades Like a Light Shade and Sink Skirt Softened the Space
“The finishing touches are what really made the kitchen feel alive,” Sarah says. “I found a shade to cover the overhead ‘boob light,’ which instantly softened the room and added so much charm. Then I slowly started collecting the pieces that would live on the shelves and walls — mostly vintage finds from Facebook Marketplace and Etsy.”
Thoughtful, collected pieces like a custom sink skirt and a vintage cutting board that Sarah uses to hang towels on make the room feel layered and not as if it were put together in one day. (It actually took three days to finish the project.) What Sarah is most impressed with — besides her newfound DIY skills — is that she made the kitchen look entirely different with only $300.
Now the Kitchen Evokes a Feeling of Warmth and Coziness
“I love that the kitchen really evokes a feeling. It’s incredibly cozy and has this warmth to it that I didn’t think was possible in such a small space,” Sarah shares. “While I don’t necessarily love how tiny it is, I’ve learned to reframe it. Instead of seeing it as limiting, I’ve started to see it as something romantic and full of character.”
And this isn’t the only room in her home that’s bursting with character. To see more, visit the full House Tour. Inspired? Submit your own project here.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: A Tiny 10-Square-Foot Kitchen Got a Parisian-Inspired Makeover for $300
Shop This Before & After
