How to Expand a Galley Kitchen

Look at ways to create more floor space between the two counters. Leave a wall counter intact, but remove its parallel counter from the floor area. Install the counter you remove about 2 feet further into the room if there is no wall to prevent this. Allow more walking room in the galley this way, and add a sitting stool on rollers to move about.

Buy base cabinets that will hold more supplies. Install bottom cabinets that are approximately 6 inches wider with deep drawers, for example. Add wider countertops, too, of course. Use this extra width on each of the two parallel counters to add several extra square feet of storage and work space for cooking. Keep in mind that 6 inches x 12 feet is 6 square feet more storage in just one counter area.

Open a wall to add more room. Take down a wall to expand a galley kitchen visually. Increase the size of the countertop width to build more work space. Use the countertop overhang on the opposite side of the kitchen for a bar. Build the bar counter side's base cabinets about 12 inches wider to create extra storage underneath.

Push an end wall outward. Make a galley kitchen larger by incorporating space from a bedroom at one end, for example. Check the wall to see if it's load-bearing before tearing it out. Keep in mind that non-load-bearing walls typically run parallel to floor joists; however, ask an expert if you're not sure. Build cabinets and more kitchen space at the end of the galley in the former bedroom space. Enclose the acquired space with 2-by-4-inch studs on 16-inch centers; cover walls with drywall and paint them. Extend kitchen flooring into the new space to match.

Take out some upper cabinets on an exterior wall. Install three of four windows to visually enlarge the kitchen. Recycle the removed cabinets to a back-door entrance or laundry room to create storage for kitchen items there. Use the old cabinets for storing canned goods, for example. Paint the galley kitchen walls and cabinets white to reflect maximum light. Add sand-colored tile countertops and light oak hardwood flooring for contrasting color.