Creatively Balanced: How to Fill Awkwardly Wide Kitchen

An awkwardly wide kitchen can sound like a dream at first lots of counter space, room for decor, and no cramped corners.

But here’s the thing: sometimes it’s just too expansive. The space can seem overwhelming, and figuring out how to fill it can feel like a design nightmare. 

Awkward corners and wide-open areas can make your home feel like a showroom rather than loved and lived-in space.

Whether you’re looking to balance out the feng shui or you want to create a cozy and intentional space, there’s a way to make the most of any wide kitchen. 

Today, I’m sharing a guide on how to transform your wide kitchen space into a functional, stylish, and organized space.

Let’s explore different ways to fill those tricky spaces and awkward gaps, without making it feel cluttered or messy. 

Creatively Balanced: How to Fill Awkwardly Wide Kitchen

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Define zones with rugs. 

Wide kitchens can feel like one continuous space, but adding a rug can bring warmth and personality back into the room. Plus, the pattern helps break up monotony and adds character. 

Rugs can emphasize a cozy and inviting atmosphere while also defining a designated area of your kitchen, like the dining space. 

Add in furniture. 

Speaking of dining space, if you have the room to incorporate one into your kitchen, now is the time to do so. 

Using furniture to create a “zone” makes this area look more thought-out and intentional rather than empty and uninviting. This boosts functionality by separating cooking and prep work from dining.

If you need some more dining room inspo, check out these dining room design tips!

Install an oversized kitchen island. 

A kitchen island serves as both a functional item and a stylish centerpiece in a wide kitchen. It provides extra counter space, bar stool seating, and additional storage. 

Aesthetically, a large kitchen island fills the space, making it feel purposeful and deliberate. It also acts as a natural focal point, ideal for minimalist kitchen decor to create a chic, cohesive design.

Use open shelving for appliances. 

Ironically, closed cabinetry can make a large kitchen feel bulky and enclosed. Even with plenty of space, your kitchen cabinets can make the space appear cramped.  

Open shelves lighten the space, enhancing a spacious and airy vibe. This is the perfect area to store cookbooks, glassware, or even small appliances. 

It fills up some of that wall space without making the room feel cluttered. 

Display decorative objects with open shelving. 

If you already have a storage space for miscellaneous kitchen items, use an open shelving concept to display chic decor!

Candles, small plants, or stylish ceramics can elevate your kitchen without making it feel disorganized. It draws the eye upwards, creating a contemporary focal point in what was once a blank canvas. 

Keep to a neutral color palette. 

Bold colors can make a wide kitchen feel vast and chaotic, emphasizing its size, while minimalist colors keep the space calm, relaxing, and intimate. 

A neutral color palette harmoniously ties a wide kitchen space together, making it feel more organized. You can always experiment with bold pops of color in the decor! 

Decorate with a statement light fixture. 

In rooms lacking natural focal points, statement light fixtures visually enhance the center of the room. This creates a sense of balance and harmony within a wider kitchen. 

Choosing a light fixture that shows off your individual style and aesthetic is yet another way to show off your individual style.

Incorporate tall cabinets. 

If you have the vertical space to spare, consider installing taller upper cabinets in your wide kitchen. 

Cabinets that reach the ceiling fill that awkward space between shorter cabinets and the ceiling, eliminating that challenge of figuring out how to decorate it. 

Functionally, taller cabinets make dishware and appliances easily accessible. Aesthetically, it fills that awkward wall space making the kitchen feel less sparse.

Install a wide hutch. 

Layered storage solutions are another way to efficiently fill up some of that excessive vertical wall space in a way that looks intentional and elegant. 

A hutch isn’t just a great place to display your antique china and heirloom cookbooks, it’s also a fabulous way to add a stylish personal touch. 

When filling your hutch, add things like greenery, pottery, sculptures, or decorative candles. This helps to encapsulate a cozy, lived-in vibe, while maintaining a polished aesthetic.  

Take advantage of natural light. 

If your kitchen gets plenty of natural light, sheer curtains soften the room and enhance a tranquil and relaxed vibe. 

Curtains also help to visually break the space up by decoratively framing the windows. Not only does this ensure privacy, but it also allows you to add a pop of color. 

Decorate with mirrors. 

Decorating a wide space with mirrors offers endless benefits. It amplifies natural night, fills wall space, and creates the illusion of depth.

Mirrors work wonderfully for making a space feel less cavernous. It helps to provide the space with a brighter, more breathable vibe. 

Create a multi-functional workstation. 

If your kitchen’s designed with a smaller cubby area somewhere amongst the floor plan, this is a great place to include a multi-functional workstation.

It’s a stylish way to add functionality and practicality beyond cooking and dining. 

Fill the space with your computer, a charging station, and maybe even a small lamp. This is especially helpful if you don’t have a home office and need a designated workspace. 

Add a cozy seating area. 

If your kitchen is wide enough, a cozy seating area is a stylish and contemporary addition. Even more so if this area is next to big windows and lots of natural light. 

This transforms your kitchen from a cooking space into another livable area. This encourages relaxation, fosters social interaction, and adds style to an expansive area. 

Install sliding or bi-fold doors. 

If your kitchen connects to a separate living space, installing sliding or bi-fold doors creates a sense of flow and prevents the area from feeling closed-off.

This is a fantastic tip if you have an outdoor dining or entertainment area. It seamlessly connects an indoor living space to an outdoor one, making everything feel harmonious and cohesive. 

Decorate your walls with artwork. 

Hanging large-scale artwork is another chic way to fill space within a wide kitchen, and even add an encapsulating focal point.

Use statement art pieces in various blank wall spaces, or create a gallery wall in an open area.

This is a sharp way to introduce color, texture, and personality, enhancing your kitchen without taking up unnecessary room. 

Incorporate under-cabinet lighting. 

Under-cabinet lighting is a relaxing contemporary addition to any kitchen space, working particularly well in wider kitchens.

It’s a functional way to add ambiance lighting, enhance relaxation, and illuminate specific areas when overhead lighting may be too harsh. 

Use baskets to store produce. 

If you’re someone who prefers a streamlined look, then you probably dislike storing produce on your counter. 

Woven baskets aren’t just a functional alternative for saving counter space, but it’s another unique and stylish way to decorate your wide kitchen. 

This utilizes some of that extra vertical space, making the area feel more lived-in. It’s also an aesthetically pleasing addition to accessible kitchen decor. 

Decorate with backsplash. 

A chic, minimalist backsplash seamlessly balances a wide kitchen, making it look more defined, cohesive, and visually appealing. 

It’s a great way to dress up your kitchen and complement your personal style.

For an awkwardly wide kitchen, opt for larger tiles or bigger patterns to prevent the backsplash from being overwhelmed by the space.

Create a breakfast bar. 

Adding a breakfast bar into a wide kitchen is another way to make a broad area feel more intimate. It creates a spot for casual dining after meals, or a space for guests to sit while you cook. 

It’s a sophisticated way to separate a cooking space from a dining space, enhancing the overall look and design. 

Design a coffee bar area. 

A coffee bar is another way to create a cozy, welcoming space in your wide kitchen. 

This works great for clearing excessive clutter off of your countertops, and it creates a designated spot for cozy coffee-drinking. 

You could even incorporate the open-shelving concept to store mugs, sugar, and greenery for a cohesive style. 

Which design ideas are you using to fill up your awkwardly wide kitchen? 

An awkwardly wide kitchen can feel hard to design, you just have to know how you want to utilize the space! There’s plenty of ways to make a vast kitchen feel cozier, more intimate, and better suited to your style.

For more kitchen-related inspo, check out these posts on How to Make a Small Kitchen Look Bigger, The Best Ideas to Organize a Small Kitchen, and 20 Ideas to Decorate a Small Minimalist Kitchen.   

For everything else involving decor ideas, lifestyle tips, and holiday-themed help, check out my blog! And as always, don’t forget to bookmark the blog to keep up with every new post! 

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