Small kitchen remodel: what to plan first

Begin with how the kitchen gets used

Before looking at cabinet catalogs, spend a week paying attention to the room you already have. Where do groceries land when you come in? Where does the cutting board live, and how far do you carry it to the stove? Which drawer jams, which corner collects clutter, and where do two people bump into each other at dinner time?

Write the answers down. A small kitchen is unforgiving of habits the plan ignores. If one person cooks most nights, a tight working triangle between sink, stove and refrigerator is a gift. If two people cook together, a slightly longer run with a clear landing space on each side of the sink often works better than squeezing everything closer. If the kitchen is mostly for reheating and coffee, counter space and a good spot for small appliances matter more than a large range.

Three questions shape almost everything that follows:

• Does anything have to move, or can the sink, stove and refrigerator stay where their pipes, gas and wiring already are?
• Is a wall, window or door in the way of a better layout, and is that wall something the house leans on?
• How much do you store in the kitchen today, and how much of it do you use?

Which layout suits a small kitchen?

Most compact kitchens fall into one of three shapes. The room's doors and windows usually decide which one is realistic, so measure those first and mark them on a sketch.

One-wall kitchen

Everything sits on a single run: refrigerator at one end, sink in the middle, cooktop or range toward the other end. It suits studios, open living rooms and narrow condos. The weakness is counter space, since every appliance takes a slice of the same wall. Tall cabinets to the ceiling and a movable cart or small table opposite the run can make up for it. If the sink stays in its current spot, this layout often keeps the plumbing untouched.

Galley kitchen

Two parallel runs face each other across an aisle. Galleys are efficient because the cook turns rather than walks. The aisle width is the deciding measurement: too narrow and two open doors (a dishwasher and an oven, say) block each other; too wide and the efficiency is gone. Put the sink and the cooktop on the same side when you can, so hot pots do not cross the path, and keep tall items like the refrigerator and pantry at an end so they do not cut the counter in two.

L-shaped kitchen

Two runs meet at a corner, leaving the rest of the room open for a small table or a walkway. The corner is both the strength and the problem: it adds counter length but creates a deep, awkward cabinet. Plan that corner on purpose with a pull-out, a lazy Susan or a blind-corner organizer rather than letting it become a dark cave.

Whatever the shape, ask whether a peninsula or a narrow island truly fits. In a small room, a fixed island that pinches the walkway costs more usefulness than it adds.

Storage that earns its space

Small kitchens rarely run out of square footage on the floor plan; they run out of reachable storage. A few choices make a measurable difference:

• Drawers instead of doors in the base cabinets. Deep drawers for pots and plates let you see and reach everything without kneeling.
• Upper cabinets to the ceiling. The top shelf holds the holiday platters; the gap that would have collected dust becomes storage.
• A pull-out pantry in a narrow slot beside the refrigerator or range, where a standard cabinet would be wasted.
• Wall rails and open shelves for things used every day, keeping the counter clear.
• A planned home for small appliances, such as an appliance garage or a dedicated outlet run, so the toaster and mixer are not living on the only prep surface.

Before you choose cabinets, do a quick inventory of what you own. Many people find that a remodel is the right moment to give away half of what is in the cupboards, which changes how much storage the plan needs.

Sizing appliances to the room

Appliances are the fixed blocks the cabinets are built around, so choose models before the cabinet order. Compact kitchens have more options than they used to: narrower ranges and cooktops, slimmer dishwashers, counter-depth refrigerators that do not stick out into the aisle, and combination units such as a microwave with a convection mode.

When comparing models, write down three numbers for each: width, depth with the door closed, and the space needed to open the door fully. Check door swings against walls, other doors and the aisle. A refrigerator that fits the opening but cannot open past a side wall is a common and avoidable mistake.

Also ask whether a new appliance needs a different connection than the old one. Switching from gas to an electric or induction range, adding a dishwasher where there was none, or adding a microwave over the range can each mean a new circuit or a new water and drain line, which moves the job from cosmetic into licensed trade work.

Lighting a small kitchen, and the California rules

Good light makes a small kitchen feel larger and safer to work in. Plan it in layers: general ceiling light for the room, task light under the upper cabinets so you are not cutting in your own shadow, and if there is a sink window, light over the sink for evening use.

In California, new or changed kitchen lighting falls under the state Energy Code. The California Energy Commission's 2025 single-family compliance manual, residential lighting chapter says that in an alteration, new or altered lighting must meet the residential lighting requirements, while existing fixtures you do not change may stay as they are. It also explains that recessed ceiling downlights must not have screw-based sockets and need a light source tested under the state's JA8 standard, and it notes there is no wattage cap for residential lighting, only efficacy requirements. In practice, that means planning on LED fixtures listed in the Commission's JA8 database rather than reusing old cans with screw-in bulbs. Lighting built into a range hood is treated as part of the appliance.

In Texas, ask the city what energy paperwork comes with a remodel; Dallas lists an energy code form among its remodel documents, covered below.

Decide in this order

A plan holds together when the decisions are made in a sequence where each one sets up the next:

1. Measure the room wall by wall, including window and door openings, ceiling height, and the location of the sink drain, the gas line and the electrical panel.
2. Choose the layout and decide what moves. This decides which trades are involved.
3. Choose appliances and get their specification sheets.
4. Plan storage by cabinet, drawer and shelf, around those appliances.
5. Plan lighting and outlets along the counters, using the layout and the cabinet drawing.
6. Pick surfaces (counters, backsplash, flooring) last, once the shapes they cover are settled.
7. Ask about permits and licenses with a finished sketch in hand, so the answer fits the real plan.

For the order in which the construction itself happens once the plan is done, see our page on kitchen remodeling.

Which changes need a permit and licensed trades?

The city where the home sits decides what needs a permit, and the answer changes with what you move. CSLB's page Do I Need a Building Permit? notes that code requirements differ from one California city and county to the next, and tells homeowners to check with the local building department. Bring that department your sketch and a list of what changes.

Fort Worth spells out one useful line on its residential permitting page: a "cosmetic" remodel, such as new cabinets, countertops, shelving, floor or wall coverings, or swapping a plumbing fixture, does not need a permit, while plumbing work, electrical work and changes to heating, cooling or exhaust fans each need their own permit. Dallas includes remodeling a kitchen among its examples of work covered by a residential permit, and its remodel forms include a single-family remodel checklist and an energy code form for remodels.

On the license side in California, a job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, or any job that needs a permit, calls for a licensed contractor, according to CSLB's bulletin on the minor work exemption. A refresh that keeps everything in place may be one or two trades; a layout change that moves the sink and adds circuits pulls in plumbing and electrical work as well, which is where a general building contractor comes in. Once you have bids, our guide to California home improvement contracts covers what the paperwork must say.

Where we fit in

Contractor Near Me is a free request service. We are not a contractor and we hold no contractor's license, so we do not design kitchens, quote prices or do the work. When you send us your small kitchen plan, we call or email you back to talk through what is moving, which kind of licensed contractor it points to, and what to ask before you sign.

Sources: California Energy Commission, 2025 Single-Family Residential Compliance Manual, Chapter 6: Residential Lighting; CSLB, Do I Need a Building Permit?; CSLB, Industry Bulletin #24-07, minor work exemption (2024); City of Fort Worth, Residential Permitting; City of Dallas, Residential Permits.