Ideas for a Small Country Kitchen | eHow

Light paint colors are a natural choice for country-style decor and are an ideal choice for a small kitchen, as they help to open up the space. Choose a pastel shade in a color you like, such as blue, pale pink or lilac. Another option is to paint the walls bright white and bring in accents of pastel colors through the trim or with decorative stencils painted on the walls -- fleur de lis or scroll work, for instance.

Stay away from dark wooden cabinets in a country kitchen. Instead, use light wood or white cabinets that have an open frame or glass-insert doors. Whichever option you choose will not only work for a country kitchen, but will help to make the space appear larger. To add more of a country look to the cabinets, apply a crackle painting technique to give them an antiqued look.

If you have limited storage in your small kitchen, remedy the problem with wall shelves and pot racks. While a sideboard or a hutch would provide extra storage, it will also take away from valuable floor space. Hang light wood or white shelves on an open wall. Use the shelves to hold food, pots and pans, or appliances. Suspend a metal pot rack from the ceiling and use it to store your pots and pans.

Incorporate decorative accents to complete the look of your country kitchen. Delicate lace curtains hung over windows will allow light to pour into the space, which will help to open it up. Hang bread baskets on the walls as a means of storing them, but they also add a decorative accent to the space. Place arrangements of wildflowers on countertops. Put a braided rug on the floor in front of the sink or stove, or in the middle of the room.