Small New York kitchen space NYC Living - 100 ways to maximize your space

1. Use pocket doors where there’s no room for standard door.
2. Hang open shelves above a kitchen island for extra storage, secure with steel brackets attached to the ceiling.
3. Replace a solid wall between the kitchen and dining room with an arched opening.
4. Built out a window seat and add drawer beneath it for storage.
5. Position deep shelving units on either side of the window seat.
6. Install beadboard wainscoting to break up the vertical expanse of a wall.
7. Add display shelves or bookshelves below the backside of a kitchen island or peninsula.
8. Lower ceiling or install a beam to define a transition zone between rooms.
9. Put structural elements like ceiling joists to work as part of the room’s decoration.
10. Cover one wall-top to bottom-with shelves and cabinets.
11. Paint the risers of a wood staircase white to create contrast.
12. Stencil a wood floor to help define an area.
13. Build shelving between the wall’s studs.
14. Separate two rooms with a half-wall to partially divide the areas.
15. Add character to a plain, wide opening by installing pilasters (half columns) on each end.
16. Lower a ceiling above kitchen countertops to house recessed lights.
17. Build in a bench by the back door for sitting and shoe storage.
18.  Bump out a window bay to create space for built-in seating.
19. Deploy a freestanding cabinet to divide two rooms. Half hide a TV on a swivel base behind doors so it can be viewed from both sides.
20. Make a stairway leading into an overlook to the level below.
21. Paint a single wall a contrasting color to create an accent.
22. If you have an undesirable view, add translucent window or stained glass to let in light only.
23. Divide a large are by adding a 3 foot high cabinet and two floor-to-ceiling columns provided storage and separation between the two rooms.
24. Use open shelving instead of a closed medicine cabinet in a bath, it will create a feeling of spaciousness.
25. Install windowsills low for easy viewing and to make the room seem taller. 
26. Use low bookcases to separate an entranceway from the living room.
27. Deepen a windowsill for plants and other displays.
28. Repeat a form, such as an arch, to unify separate spaces.
29. Add light and space with small transoms above exterior and interior doors.
30. Establish views diagonally across spaces to make the interior appear larger.
31. Create an open staircase (leave out the risers) so space flows through.
32. Use the same floor material inside and out to connect a room to the outdoors.
33. Install reflective surfaces to add light to a dark space.
34. Place a window directly across from an interior doorway to give the room a welcoming feeling.
35. Emphasize an area within a larger space by lowering the ceiling over it.
36. Use artificial lighting to define a seating area within a larger space.
37. Place an open plate rack across a window to provide light and screening.
38. Illuminate wall art at the end of a hallway to draw the eye forward.
39. Use the space within a dormer to create a cozy alcove.
40. Add visual interest to small, boxy hallway by replacing the flat ceiling with a curved one.
41. Use wall-mounted halogen uplights to cast a warm glow across the ceiling.
42. Build storage and display shelves around a staircase.
43. Break up plain wall surfaces by adding a horizontal trim band, then paint the lower portion of the walls darker color.
44. Lower the ceiling over a window seat to make it look like an extension of the room.
45. Spruce up the end face of stock kitchen cabinets with shelves.
46. Add skylight to the bathroom shower area to bring in natural light and create a feeling of height.
47. Hang a sliding door on a wall to save floor space.
48. Run crown molding along the top of each wall from one room to the next, this will create a continuous detail tying the space together.
49. Leave wood door and window sashes in natural wood, but paint the surrounding trim for an eye-catching look.
50. Use different shades of a single color to create contrast and an illusion of spaciousness.
51. Add a shallow curvature to an 8-foot ceiling, bringing it down to 7 feet on the sides to create a sense of focus in the middle of the room.
52. Display plates on a rail or thin ledge above doors and windows to draw the eye upward.
53. Paint the ceiling a different color to define a special room or area.
54. Don’t overfill a space-keep it simple.
55. Use moveable screens to temporarily close off or open up a designated area.
56. Install thin glass shelves across windows for plants and glass items.
57. Place window in the corner of a room to make the space appear to extend beyond its dimensions.
58. Build a small niche into a wall, add a recessed light, and use it for display.
59. Thicken a half-wall by adding plasterboard and molding to give it visual weight.
60. Put in an interior window to open up two connecting rooms.
61. Install a translucent glass door between rooms to let light pass through without diminishing privacy.
62. Add a perfectly square opening between rooms to create an open feeling.
63. Install a mini-library by adding narrow bookshelves to one or more sides of a staircase.
64. Paint interior trim in the same color throughout the house to connect the rooms.
65. Add storage shelving under a staircase.
66. Use one large wall to organize artwork; the visual drama will open up the room.
67. Spotlight key objects within a space rather than lighting the entire area evenly.
68. Use a curved worktop area instead of a rectangular one in a small, narrow kitchen or home office; it will relieve the linearity of the space.
69. Intermingle open shelving and enclosed cabinetry for a relaxed feel.
70. Install an exterior wall of wide sliding French doors to seamlessly connect inside and out.
71. Use trim of a different color than the surfaces to create contrast.
72. Hang translucent panels to divide spaces without blocking light.
73. Install a firewood rack into the wall adjacent to the fireplace to save on floor space.
74. Create a pattern of tiles to give the room more personality.
75. Paint the interior of a fireplace with black, heat-resistant paint to create depth.
76. Extend windows from floor to ceiling to add the illusion of height and emphasize a connection to the surrounding landscape.
77.  Install a ribbon of windows around a dining area at just the right height to see out of when seated.
78. Compose a small area of custom cabinetry for odd-shaped leftover spaces.
79. Bring windows all the way to kitchen countertops for maximum connection to the outdoors.
80. Align a long view through the house with a focal point in the garden beyond.
81. Use a floating shelf to divide one space from another.
82. Run a continuous trim band or line if tile around a bathroom or powder room at backsplash height and paint the wall below a darker color.
83. Contribute to the airy feeling of a room using transparent cabinetry.
84. Extend a bathroom mirror all the way from wall to wall and from countertop to ceiling, to give the illusion of a room twice the size.
85. Thicken the sides of a doorway so that moving through it becomes an experience.
86. Extend space in top-floor rooms by installing dormers.
87. Create a sense of expanded space in a small bath by installing a floor-to-ceiling glass shower door.
88. Stagger the height of the kitchen cabinets to create a feeling of distance from the ceiling.
89. Use two complementary but contrasting wood colors to add character to your interior trim work.
90. Use built-in furniture when possible to save on space and create more storage and functionality in a room.
91. Add window seat at the top of the stairs.
92. Use a pair of 6-foot-high walls on either side of a large narrow room to provide separation while retaining a sense of openness.
93. Continue kitchen countertop material up to the backsplash, this will make the surface seem larger.
94. Install the largest size vanity mirror in your bathroom, it will visually expand the space.
95. Keep a narrow room from feeling uncomfortably long by dividing the area into two – a nearly square area and a slightly larger rectangular area.
96. Extend wainscoting 5 feet from the floor instead of the standard 3-foot chair-rail height to make a small entry hall seem taller.
97. Use a closet to store a stacked washer/dryer; save additional space by using a door with a pleated shade to conceal them.
98. Add shelves that attach to the wall without brackets; they appear to float on the wall.

      99.  Position shoji screens as room dividers or to conceal closets.

    100.  Lower the ceiling in a foyer to create a welcoming and intimate entryway that opens up to a big view of            the living room.