You’ve probably seen the HGTV episodes where someone swings a sledgehammer, a wall disappears, and suddenly a cramped 10x10 kitchen looks like a ballroom. It’s a dream. But honestly, an open concept small kitchen remodel is a lot more than just getting rid of drywall and hoping for the best. If you live in a pre-1950s bungalow or a tight 1980s condo, that wall you’re eyeing might be the only thing keeping your upstairs bathtub from visiting the living room.
Small spaces are tricky. They’re unforgiving.
When you have limited square footage, every single inch has to work double shifts. People think opening things up automatically makes a kitchen better, but if you don't plan for the "visual noise" of a messy sink being visible from your sofa, you might end up hating the result. It’s about balance. You want the airflow and the light, sure, but you also need a place to hide the toaster.
The load-bearing reality check
Before you buy a single subway tile, you have to talk about structure. This is where the budget usually dies. In many small homes, the wall between the kitchen and the dining room is load-bearing. Replacing that wall with a recessed steel beam can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on your local labor rates and the complexity of the span.
I’ve seen homeowners get halfway through an open concept small kitchen remodel only to realize that the "simple" wall removal requires rerouting a main stack of plumbing or a massive HVAC trunk. You can’t just move a 4-inch cast iron pipe three inches to the left without a massive headache.
If you're on a budget, consider a "cased opening" instead of a full removal. It keeps some of the structural integrity while still letting the light pass through. It’s basically a massive internal window. It feels open, but it keeps the zones distinct.
Designing the "Work Triangle" in a space that has no walls
Standard kitchen design relies on the work triangle—the distance between your fridge, sink, and stove. In a small, closed kitchen, this is easy. In an open concept, it gets weird. You don't want your stove sitting three inches away from your velvet armchair.
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One of the biggest mistakes in an open concept small kitchen remodel is trying to put a massive island in a space that doesn't want one. If you have to turn sideways to walk between your island and your fridge, the island is too big. Designers often suggest a minimum of 36 inches for walkways, but in a small space, 42 inches is the "sweet spot" where you won't feel like you're in a submarine.
Lighting is your secret weapon
When you remove walls, you lose the ability to have traditional overhead lighting centered in a small room. You’re now lighting a "great room." This means you need layers.
- Pendant lights over the peninsula or island to "anchor" the kitchen in the larger space.
- Under-cabinet LEDs because, without walls to reflect light, your counters will be dark.
- Recessed cans in the ceiling that are on a separate dimmer from the living area.
Think about the "Golden Hour" in your house. If you open up a north-facing kitchen to a south-facing living room, the light shift will be dramatic. You need to account for that.
Storage hacks for the wall-less kitchen
When you take down a wall, you lose all the upper cabinets that were hanging on it. That’s a lot of plates and coffee mugs that now have nowhere to go. This is the part of an open concept small kitchen remodel that scares people the most.
Go vertical. Take your remaining cabinets all the way to the ceiling. Use the "toe kick" space for flat items like baking sheets or pizza stones.
The Peninsula vs. The Island
In a small footprint, a peninsula is almost always better than an island. Why? Because an island requires 360-degree circulation space. A peninsula attaches to a wall, saving you that extra 3-foot walkway on one side. It provides the same seating and prep space but uses about 25% less floor area. Plus, it creates a physical boundary that keeps guests from under your feet while you’re trying to drain pasta.
Flooring and the "Seamless" illusion
One trick to make a small open concept feel twice as large is to use the same flooring throughout the entire level. If you have hardwood in the living room and tile in the kitchen, that visual "break" tells your brain the rooms are small.
If you run the same white oak or luxury vinyl plank (LVP) from the front door all the way to the back kitchen wall, the eye doesn't stop. It’s a continuous line. It makes the space feel expansive. Just make sure if you’re using wood, it’s finished properly to handle the occasional kitchen spill. LVP is honestly the MVP here because it’s waterproof and looks identical to wood these days.
Managing the noise and the smell
Nobody talks about the bacon.
If you have an open concept small kitchen remodel, and you fry bacon at 7:00 AM, your sofa is going to smell like breakfast until 7:00 PM. And if someone is trying to watch a movie in the living room while the dishwasher is running three feet away, they’re going to be annoyed.
- Get a high-CFM range hood. Don't skimp here. You need something that actually vents to the outside, not just those "recirculating" fans that blow the smoke back into your face.
- Check the Decibel (dB) rating on your dishwasher. Look for anything under 44 dB. You want it to be a whisper, not a roar.
- Soft surfaces. Since you’ve removed the walls that absorb sound, you need rugs, curtains, and upholstered furniture to keep the room from sounding like an echo chamber.
Real world example: The 800-square-foot bungalow
I recently looked at a project in Portland where the owners had a tiny 8x9 kitchen. It was a dark cave. They knocked out the wall to the dining area and replaced it with a narrow, 24-inch deep peninsula.
Instead of standard 24-inch deep base cabinets on the "living room" side of the peninsula, they used 12-inch deep upper cabinets as bases. This gave them a little bit of extra storage for board games and linens without eating into the living room's floor space. They used a light "greige" paint color (Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray is a classic for a reason) to keep the vibe airy.
The result? The house felt massive. They lost three upper cabinets but gained six feet of prep space.
Actionable steps for your remodel
If you're ready to start, don't just call a contractor. Do the homework first.
- Audit your stuff. If you haven't used that bread maker since 2019, get rid of it. Open kitchens have nowhere to hide clutter.
- Tape it out. Use blue painter's tape on your floor to mark where the new counters or island will go. Leave it there for three days. Walk around it. If you keep tripping over the "tape island," your design is too big.
- Check the vents. Look in your attic or crawlspace. See where the pipes go. If a major vent pipe is in the wall you want to move, add $2,000 to your budget immediately.
- Pick your "hero" feature. In a small open space, you can't have a busy backsplash, a loud floor, and a bright island. Pick one thing to be the star. Usually, it’s a killer quartz countertop or a unique light fixture.
- Consult a pro for the beam. Even if you’re a DIYer, pay a structural engineer $500 for a consultation. It’s the cheapest insurance policy you’ll ever buy.
An open concept small kitchen remodel is essentially a puzzle. You’re trading privacy and cabinet walls for light and social connection. As long as you respect the structural limits of your house and prioritize smart storage over "big" features, you can make 100 square feet feel like 500. Just remember to buy a quiet dishwasher. Your ears will thank you later.