4 Flooring Choices That Make a Small Kitchen Look Bigger

In a well-lived home, the kitchen is usually the busiest room in the house. So, if your kitchen is smaller than desired, it may affect everything from your daily coffee routine to the occasional hosted dinner. Luckily, there are a few ways to ensure your kitchen looks and feels larger—even if you’re dealing with a tiny footprint. Expansive flooring options combine functionality and style to create the illusion of spaciousness. From color to pattern to material, here’s what experts say matters most when choosing flooring options for a small kitchen.

Flooring Choices That Make Kitchens Look Larger

The flooring you choose for your kitchen can depend on a number of factors—from layout to budget—but if you’re goal is to make your kitchen feel more spacious, there are specific rules you should keep in mind. Color, pattern, and material are all key to finding the right fit for your space.

Light colors

One of the best ways to create the illusion of a larger space is to choose light-colored flooring that can reflect natural and artificial light. Whether the flooring is tile or engineered wood, opt for a light color, such as bleached wood tones, soft whites, sandy beige, or soft grays.

“For a small kitchen, I recommend light-colored flooring like pale oak, whitewashed wood, or even light ceramic tiles,” says Mike Belk, owner and founder of BELK Tile. “These options help brighten the space, making it feel airier. Also, choose sleek finishes like matte or satin to avoid overwhelming the space with high gloss.”

Scale

“If you’re looking to create the illusion of a bigger kitchen, go for large-format tiles or wide planks,” Belk adds. “They create fewer visual breaks, which makes the room feel more expansive. A neutral tone, like light gray or beige, complements the effect.” This style of flooring looks unified and uncluttered, making the space seem like a wider continuous surface. 

Continuity

Another way to create the illusion of a more expansive kitchen is to use the same flooring as the main living area or adjoining rooms. “If possible, continue the main flooring from the rest of the house into the kitchen. This creates a seamless flow and helps the space feel larger,” says Mark Tremblay of Marc-Michaels Interior Design. “Introducing a different material can interrupt the visual flow, making the kitchen feel smaller.”

If exact floor matching isn’t possible, then try to match the tone or texture in the kitchen flooring to that of the adjoining rooms. Alternatively, you can create a homogeneous look by pairing your kitchen flooring with walls or cabinets of similar shades.

Minimal patterns

While small, overly busy patterned floors can be a no-no for small kitchens, minimal patterns are okay. Simple patterns, like that of herringbone wood floors in low-contrast colors, can help create a sense of flow and movement that’s in harmony with the natural foot traffic for the kitchen.

Flooring Mistakes That Make a Kitchen Feel Smaller

As a contrast to the choices suggested above, dark or heavily patterned floors can make a small room feel even smaller. If you’re looking to make a kitchen feel enveloping and cozy, these styles may work. But, if space is already limited, these flooring choices can make the room feel cramped.

“Small, busy patterns and overly detailed floor designs will easily overwhelm a small kitchen and make it appear quite cluttered,” says Isfira Jensen, CEO and principal interior designer at Jensen & Co. Interiors. “Rather than creating a sense of continuity in a space, these patterns divide an already small kitchen floor into a visually fragmented area.”

High gloss finishes also create a glare that may highlight imperfections and overshadow the more expansive parts of the space, like windows, doors, and colorful appliances. If you opt for a glossy finish, try soft shades to balance out the effect.