13 small kitchen extension ideas that pack a compact but powerful culinary punch

When it comes to adding a kitchen extension to your home, if space is limited, small kitchen extension ideas may seem a lot of effort for little return.

But, with a considered approach and a true understanding of what your kitchen extension needs truly are, even the smallest of spaces can be beneficial. As these small kitchen extension ideas show, it's about the quality of the square meterage you add, rather than the quantity.

Small kitchen extension ideas that prioritise adding light, height, a connection to the garden and creating a multi-functional space will always transform your relationship with the kitchen, even if you're only adding a few square metres.

Small kitchen extension ideas must start with questioning your needs

Although designing a larger extension can seem a bigger task, it's often smaller spaces that take up more of your time in the early stages. With every centimetre of your kitchen ideas needing to work hard for its money, it's vitally important to get your needs and aspirations clear from the offset.

"In small kitchens, whether they include an extension or not it is always important to boil it down to the priorities," says John Place, owner and designer at PlaceDesign. "Why are you doing the work? What do you hope to achieve? It isn't always the same and every client I see is different," he says.

"For example a family with young children may prioritise being able to see them while they are in the kitchen and so the dining table is positioned close by. Another client may want a bar area as a priority. Understanding needs and prioritising which ones are the most important will then enable us to look at the space available and see just how hard we can make it work."

John Place

John started his career in furniture design and since then has worked as a designer with some of the biggest brands in the furniture and kitchen industry. In 2012, he set up PlaceDesign to draw from these 20 years of experience and works closely with his clients and a skilled team of tradespeople to create unique, bespoke kitchens.

13 small kitchen extension ideas

1. Convert an existing kitchen extension

Wondering how to convert an existing extension? This project in London from Yard Architects reimagined an old space, turning it into something far more stylish and functional.

“The kitchen in the existing home simply didn’t work,” explains Simon Graham, co-founder and director at the practise. “Housed in an old side return extension, it was small, low and cut off from the rest of the house via a small flight of stairs.

“Our brief was to create a generous multi-functional family space,” says Simon, “which involved taking out the side wall of the rear reception room and reconstructing the side return, joining the two spaces together to create a kitchen dining scheme.”

As the space behind had less light, this became the perfect location for a utility room, cloakroom and music room. Moving the kitchen into what had previously been the old reception room and lowering the floor also created a seamless space that connected to the outdoors.

“This subsequently gave the homeowners a room with a huge ceiling height and allowed us to install large French doors which created the perfect focal point,” added Simon.

To make the most of the light, the fully glazed roof has electrically operated skylights and a clever design feature. “As the room would have been overlooked by neighbours, we designed a series of oak louvres which sat beneath the underside of the roof,” explains Simon. “These provide privacy but also create a beautiful filtered light effect.”

Simon Graham

Simon founded Yard Architects with Jon Duffett in 2014, having gained extensive experience leading award winning residential developments at previous practices across London. Simon has led the teams on the company's award winning projects, and has completed many domestic projects at all scales, using different building techniques and materials.

2. Opt for a glass topped brick extension to add light and space

Small glazed kitchen extensions are a great way to add interest but also space to a kitchen. Flooding the area with natural light, it's a tiny addition to the kitchen, but helps add light into the otherwise dark space, as well as providing the perfect outdoor/indoor connection.

Box windows are often used in to create window seats to add a casual seating, but a tiny glass box extension like this one from IQ Glass adds valuable space to the kitchen, while adding some architectural interest too.

North-facing kitchens are great candidates for using a serious amount of glazing, whether for a side return or rear extension idea, as they don't run the risk of overheating when the sun does come out and suffer from lower amounts of natural light than other facings.

3. Design your small kitchen extension idea around a courtyard

Although many terraced properties naturally look to a side return extension as a means of adding more kitchen space, if this is the space in your home which benefits from the most sunlight, it may not always be the best place to extend. Instead, consider switching your design around, as Yard Architects did with this end of terrace Victorian house.

“Early investigations showed that the current side return was the sunniest spot on the plot, benefiting from south-westerly sunshine for most of the year – whereas the rest of the garden was partially overshadowed by high boundary walls,” explains Simon Graham.

“We subsequently decided to free this area up to become an external courtyard garden idea and the focal point of the ground floor, and instead extend to the rear of the house,” he says.

“In order to benefit from the upwards view, the kitchen roof was designed to allow views of the trees and capture the sunlight. Large plywood fins were used to provide structural support, as well as filtering light, and full height sliding glass doors to two sides of the courtyard also provide a practical flow throughout the space,” he adds. “The practical sliding window at worktop level was also included to create a servery area to the outside.”

In terms of construction, the extension itself is a timber frame extension, built using prefabricated panels that slot together inside the existing brick boundary walls. “We chose this method as it had both environmental and cost benefits,” says Simon.

4. Incorporate angles into your window shapes for added interest

Small kitchen extension ideas generally involve finding clever ways to add as much natural light as possible to the heart of the home. With open plan kitchen extensions still a popular design choice, we expect a lot from our kitchens that requires light.

Cooking, entertaining, homework, family meals, breakfast spots and socialising all take place in one space meaning it needs as much natural light as possible, as well as great kitchen lighting ideas.

So, instead of sticking to regular rectangles or squares in the windows and doors for your small kitchen extension ideas, embrace the angles of your roof design instead, bringing both light and architectural interest to your space.

5. Add colour to your exterior for a stand-out finish

Even a small extension can be used to add impact to the exterior design of your property. in fact using striking effects in smaller measures can often be a great way to let your imagination run riot, without your radical extension ideas becoming too overwhelming.

This rear and small side return extension completely transforms the lower half of this terraced property. And, in order to create cohesion, the courtyard and garden area has also been given a contemporary makeover to match with bold yellow planters and seating spots.

6. Match your internal and external flooring pattern to make the floorplan seem larger

Extending the full width of this terraced property, means the extension works hard, providing cooking, living and dining spaces. The use of half width internal walls and furniture creates a broken plan feel in and otherwise open space, but in general this seems a large and roomy extension thanks to a number of different tricks.

Full width bi-folding patio doors open the whole of the exterior to the outside, a skylight above the dining area provides a strategic source of natural light, but perhaps the design feature that adds the most impact is the flooring idea.

Using a herringbone patterned parquet floor, naturally draws the eye up and down the room. But instead of this coming to a natural end by the patio doors, the use of a brick patio laid in exactly the same pattern ensures there is end point. Instead, the eye continues into the outdoor space, thus making the overall floorplan feel much larger in size and stature.

7. Side returns are perfect for small kitchen extension ideas

Side returns tend to be underutilised spaces in terraced or semi-detached properties, so extending out into one is a good way to add extra room into your kitchen without losing valuable garden space.

While a side return extension may only add as little as 3 or 4 square metres to your kitchen, the effect will be transformative, providing a better layout and the possibility to add a dining area and glazing to bring in more natural light.

Extending the facade of the side return extension across the rear of the property is again, another clever idea of making the space seem larger than it actually is.

8. Ensure there is an easy flow around your small kitchen extension ideas

In a narrower space, it can be difficult to ensure there is sufficient space to move around which is why your kitchen layout ideas need to be thoroughly planned in small kitchen extension ideas.

While it can be easy to get carried away with images of wonderful space you see online or in magazines, "being realistic about what you can and can't achieve is one of the key factors in getting any kitchen design right, says John Place.

"Don't try to replicate something you have seen on instagram if the room size differs dramatically," recommends John. "I always tell clients when there is a problem fitting things in or making a small space work, you have to let the room win.

"The architecture to a degree dictates what you can and can't do and that should lead the design," says John, "which means if you are building an extension once you have the architect's plans, get the interior space finalised before committing to the build.

"The design of the kitchen/living space may have an impact on the architecture so it is beneficial to do them in conjunction with each other. Adding a small extension may not give you the extra space you expect," he warns, "so it is always good to get the whole space thoroughly designed before the build starts.

"Once you see the interior design, you can then weigh up if the build is worth it or not," says John.

9. Extend to the rear but use floor to ceiling glazing

If you have budget to spare but only a small space to work with, you could add impact to your small kitchen extension ideas by choosing structural glazing for two of your external walls.

Include large sliding patio doors on both sides for an al fresco dining feel and turn your new and empty side return area into a green oasis with large evergreen planted pots. When choosing your kitchen cabinets, it's a likely a fitted kitchen vs freestanding one will work better in a space like this as you'll need to maximise all the available space along the remaining solid walls

10. Keep it light and bright in small kitchen extension ideas

Although this kitchen extension is fairly generous in size, it has design aesthetics that would work equally as well in small kitchen extension ideas.

While paint trends suggest we are moving away from paler colours, instead embracing a more colourful palette inside our homes, in smaller spaces that need to be light and practical, sometimes lighter shades work best.

A simple combination of white, pale grey and light wood, combined with skylights, strong pendant kitchen island lighting and a neat built in seating bench along one wall make this a great masterclass in modern kitchen ideas.

11. Match your bricks for a seamless integration

One approach when designing a small kitchen extension is to match materials to mitigate its visual impact on the existing house. Finding reclaimed bricks that match perfectly is difficult but can be done, while there are also options such as brick tinting that can help unify a new extension with this existing house.

This is an option that is more likely to work with a small extension than a larger kitchen extension, as the amount of materials used will be minimal, especially if the design incorporates large expanses of glazing, such as this one which has a glass section cut through the middle which means any small variations in finish will be less noticeable.

12. Carry your exterior materials into your interior finishes

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Using a triptych effect of three different surfaces on the exterior of this small side and rear kitchen extension adds great visual interest to this detached property. Swathes of glazing add light, while the weatherboard was chosen to tie in with wooden boundary fencing.

The terracotta blade wall also serves three purposes. Used to form the side of the extension, it continues inside to serve as the splashback for the kitchen, while also acting as a reference point for the ridge tiles of the roof of the original building.

13. Consider an orangery or conservatory for your small kitchen extension ideas

When extending a small kitchen to add a dining or living space, an orangery or conservatory is an idea to explore that will bring plenty of natural light into your home.

However, a conservatory should be carefully specified and positioned to ensure your space doesn't overheat in summer or leak too much heat during the winter months.

This design from Vale Garden Houses helps to provide the homeowners with valuable extra kitchen storage ideas, a kitchen diner like space and a far closer connection with the garden outside.

Small kitchen extension design tips

We asked Robert Burnett, co-founder & director at Kitchens by Holloways for his top tips for designing a small kitchen extension and here's what he recommends.

"My main advice would be to design the interior of the extension in parallel with the shell. We are often asked to design kitchens for extension spaces which have already been through the planning process, and the outcome is never as good as when the exterior and the interior are designed as one.

"The first step when designing an extension is to be clear about the usage of the space. For example, is it a kitchen-living-dining area, a kitchen-dining area, or a kitchen-living area? How many people need to sit in the living and/or dining area? Will there be a fireplace, a walk-in pantry, a TV, radiators? Will the patio doors be sliding or folding, and will they sit flush with the patio, or step down?" says Robert. "These are all important considerations that will affect the overall design of the extension."

"Secondly, consider aesthetics. The design of an extension intended for a contemporary kitchen is usually quite different to how we would treat a more traditional extension space.

"A more traditional kitchen often looks nicer as a taller space, so proportion in terms of doors, architectural details and different depths need to be considered in the extension design.

"However, a more contemporary style generally requires more linear, geometric lines," says Robert, "and often a more ‘level’ design from inside to out. So think about the style of the kitchen and the interior, and how that will be reflected in design of the extension."

Of course, when designing your kitchen, you'll also need to take into account what kitchen appliances you'll need to make your kitchen function. However, with these taking up a considerable amount of space, you'll need to buy well. Do your research by checking out our guide to the best appliances for small kitchens.