59 Apartment Kitchen Ideas That Won't Make You Lose Your Security Deposit

Make Bar Stools Cozier

This bright apartment from Desiree Burns Interiors has a peninsula-style bar with gold-toned stools that match metallic accents throughout the space. Fluffy sheepskin seat covers on the bar stools add texture and comfort.

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Swap Cabinet Hardware

Another easy fix for a rental is swapping out existing kitchen cabinet hardware. Trade old knobs for something more glamorous, like these gold-toned bar pulls. Or add a modern feel with black metal hardware.

Define Space With Pendants

Upgrade your apartment kitchen by changing out the lighting fixtures for something more modern, like this pair of pendant lights that define the semi-open kitchen from the rest of the space. Be sure to hold onto the old ones so that you can reinstall them before moving out if necessary or required.

Try a Moody Paint Color

If your lease allows you to paint, transform a galley-style kitchen with a moody paint color, like this earth-toned space from deVOL Kitchens. The space still reads as neutral but feels warmer and more inviting than pure white.

Install a Breakfast Bar

A two-seater breakfast bar will turn a small rental galley kitchen into an eat-in space that brings café energy to your home. This wall-mounted counter next to the window creates a cozy spot for coffee or a meal, alone or with a partner. Open shelving painted the same color as the cabinetry creates a mini pantry.

Keep Clutter to a Minimum

Resist the urge to clutter up your countertops by editing your possessions and organizing your kitchen cabinets to provide maximum storage. Leave plenty of space for meal prep and keep your apartment kitchen easy to clean with bare surfaces.

Paint It White

In a tiny studio apartment with an open kitchen, painting walls and cabinetry white will help it to fade into the background when not in use. Neva Interior Design added green and blue accents throughout this airy, high-ceilinged Parisian space for a fresh, nature-inspired feel.

Try Peel-and-Stick Tiles

If your apartment kitchen doesn't have a backsplash, consider adding one with peel-and-stick tiles. This budget- and renter-friendly hack allows you to introduce color and protect your walls, and is removable so that it won't damage walls or give your landlord a reason to keep your security deposit.

Plant an Indoor Herb Garden

Brighten your studio apartment kitchen with an indoor herb garden that is both decorative and edible. Neva Interior Design installed a wall-mounted hanging plant pot above the countertop filled with favorite herbs that are within arm's reach.

Maximize Views

If you're lucky enough to have a balcony or outdoor space off of your apartment kitchen, make the most of it. Set up a small stylish seating area for morning coffees and nightcaps, fill it with plants, and decorate it like an extension of your kitchen to create an indoor-outdoor feel. Install sheer curtains on the inside that can provide privacy while preserving light and views to the outside.

Try a Skirted Cabinet

Hide clutter or disguise a dated appliance such as a dishwasher or a small fridge with a simple skirted cabinet under your countertops, like this Berlin kitchen from Kateryn Gonchar. Make a simple DIY version from recycled bed sheets or extra fabric attached with a tension rod, or use premade café curtains.

Leave Some Empty Space

Make a small apartment kitchen feel more spacious and airy by not cramming every inch of shelving with supplies and objects. Use a display shelf for essentials to keep countertops clear. But leave plenty of negative space to maintain an uncluttered and effortless feel that isn't overly styled, like this serene space.

Choose a Stylish Trash Can

In a small space, every choice matters. Choose a stylish trash can that you will be proud to display in the corner of your kitchen to free up space beneath the sink.

Utilize Open Shelving

Keep open shelving under your kitchen island looking neat and tidy by limiting your color palette when choosing everything from dishes to dishtowels. This will ensure that your everyday essentials are visible and accessible and free up space in closed cabinetry for one-off items and hiding clutter. Be sure to stack like items together to create an orderly feel.

Personalize Walls With Art

Hang some art on the wall of your kitchen to make it personal to you while creating a focal point. Source inexpensive art online or at thrift shops or yard sales. Use removable hooks to hang an unframed canvas that won't leave a mark or damage your security deposit refund.

Keep Reinventing

If you're a longterm renter, keep things fresh with small affordable makeovers that will make your space feel new without major changes. Interior designer Alvin Wayne has transformed this New York City a number of times with simple swaps that you can recreate in a rental apartment with a little ingenuity.

Swap Out Bar Stools

Just changing the seating from shiny gold-toned metal bar stools to soft upholstered and black metal models changes the look of this space that is open to the living room. Source secondhand furniture and sell or donate your old decor to maintain a sustainable approach to decorating your space.

Style Your Countertops

Make your kitchen feel cozier by styling—and restyling—your countertops. Have fun playing around with vignettes that are both pretty and practical. Use cookbook stacks to display small plants or cookie jars. Mix decor objects with practical tools like a stylish vase holding a collection of wooden spoons.

Change the Backsplash

Change the look of your rental kitchen by swapping a subway tile kitchen backsplash with a mix of square and rectangular tiles with a neutral graphic pattern for added texture. Another change of bar stools—this time for light wood and upholstered bouclé models with tall backs for extra comfort—and new ceiling light fixtures gives the kitchen a subtle upgrade without changing the color palette.

Choose Statement Pieces

Add color and texture with accessories that double as decor. Elevate an apartment kitchen by displaying fruit in a statement bowl on the countertop that looks just as good empty as brimming with seasonal produce. Mix and match styles and materials for added interest.

Refresh Cabinet Doors

Redoing kitchen cabinets doesn't have to be expensive. Renters can cover flat-front cabinet doors with contact paper for a budget makeover that anyone can DIY. These cabinet doors went from high-gloss white to shiny gold with nothing more than metallic gold contact paper.

Add a Row of Cabinets

If you're a longterm renter or a homeowner, consider installing extra storage space with a ceiling-mounted shelving unit or row of cabinetry that includes closed and open shelving. Style the display shelves with shiny copper accents and trailing plants to make it as decorative as it is functional.

Try a Bold Budget Refresh

If you're a renter with dated cabinets, consider asking your landlord if they are open to allowing you to refresh them with paint.

The Merrythought gave the rustic wood cabinets in a rental apartment a makeover—with the landlord's blessing—that updated the compact space with $55 worth of olive green paint and a little elbow grease.

Repaint Your Cabinets

Some landlords will offer to chip in if you take the initiative or offer to do the labor yourself, so it never hurts to ask. This kitchen went from tired to on-trend with earthy green paint that adds color while remaining neutral, and a simple white subway tile backsplash to modernize the look and feel of the space.

Optimize a Galley Layout

Hang open shelving to optimize a galley-style kitchen layout with available wall space. In this rental kitchen, Brady Tolbert for Emily Henderson Design added open shelving with gold-toned brackets to provide extra storage space above the sink.

Choose Black and White

In a kitchen with black-and-white checkerboard flooring, carry the two-toned scheme throughout the kitchen and breakfast nook for a cohesive feel. Sticking to black and white decor and accessories will simplify your life and ensure you don't grow tired of your space, which can be accented with color to change up the look.

Hang a Gallery Wall

Extend the black-and-white aesthetic by hanging a gallery wall in the dining nook. Mix photography, prints, and letter board signs of various shapes and sizes to create variation and dimension while sticking to a limited color palette.

Utilize Vertical Space

Take full advantage of vertical space by hanging shelving all the way up to the ceiling. Place items according to how often you use them, with everyday dishes and glassware on the bottom shelf, for example. Even if you leave the very top shelves empty, structuring the walls with shelving that draws the eye up will make a narrow layout feel less claustrophobic.

Invest in Storage Jars

Decant your often-used spices or pantry goods into matching storage containers for a neat and tidy look on open shelving. Use small trays or trivets to hold glass bottles of olive oil and vinegar or your creamer and sugar to allow everyday items to organically add color and functional decor to your space, like in this guest apartment kitchen from Velinda Hellen for Emily Henderson Design.

Hang an Extra Rod or Two

Attach a hanging rod to the end of your countertops to add storage to a small L-shaped kitchen. Use it to display extra utensils, dry bundles of herbs, or hang tea towels or pot holders in a convenient spot that won't crowd your meal prep workspace.

Try a Full-Wall Backsplash

Make the ceilings in a smaller basement apartment kitchen feel taller with a full-wall backsplash. Velinda Hellen for Emily Henderson Design chose square tiles with a handmade feel that blend in with the open shelving and wall color for a seamless look in this bright space. The full-wall tiles draw the eye upward to blur the distinction between the walls and the ceilings for an airier feel.

Define Space With a Rug

Define space in an open-plan apartment with a colorful or patterned kitchen rug. Becca Interiors chose a stripey black-and-white runner rug in this bright space to add some graphic pattern and movement on top of hardwood floors.

Add a Small Mobile Island

Create a sense of separation between your cooking area and the rest of your apartment with a small kitchen island on wheels. Use it to store dishes or extra pots and pans, display fruit or flowers, or add a couple of stools to give your friends a place to sit while you whip up a meal.

Choose a style that complements your decor, like a stainless steel model to blend in with an industrial-style kitchen. Or paint the base of an all-wood island in a soothing shade of sage green to freshen up a farmhouse or traditional space.

Replace the Countertop

If you're planning to stay awhile in your rental, you might want to consider making bigger changes with the owners' consent. Replacing an old or damaged countertop by a professional or an experienced DIYer will give your space a boost.

Jess Bunge for Emily Henderson Design replaced the countertop in this rental kitchen with alder pine for a brand new look, adding a short matching backsplash to finish it off.

Display Everyday Items

Style open shelving with everyday items that highlight the beauty of essential things. Stick to neutral tones and group like items together to keep your kitchen from looking overly busy.

Mix materials like clear and colored glass, wood, and woven materials to add texture to your space. Sharpen white walls and cabinets with a few black accents mixed in for added dimension.

Hang a Witch Eye Mirror

The apartment didn't come with a full-sized range, so Bunge positioned a freestanding gas stove at the end of the kitchen with its back against the wall as a compromise. Hanging an ornate vintage convex witch eye mirror on the wall distracts the eye from the asymmetrical layout while reflecting light and maximizing views to make the kitchen feel more spacious.

Warm Up With Wood Accents

Make your apartment kitchen feel homey and warm with wood accents like cutting boards that are both practical and beautiful. Leave your mortar and pestle out on the countertop and display color canisters to make your space feel lived-in and inviting. Add little extras like a framed painting leaning against the wall and a scented candle for a cozy feel.

Add a Wallpaper Accent

Add interest to a small apartment kitchen dining nook with a wallpaper accent, like this tiny space from Neva Interior Design. Create a focal point with removable peel-and-stick wallpaper for a renter-friendly hack that you can change up when you feel like it without spending a lot.

Divide With a Peninsula

A slim peninsula can help to structure a small kitchen that is open to the living room while maintaining flow in a tiny space. Hack the look of a peninsula with a freestanding bookshelf in a rental apartment.

Accent With Color

Don't be afraid to mix colorful accents in a small space. Fresh green cabinets, colorful illustrated nature-themed wallpaper, and multi-colored throw pillows on the built-in seating area in this apartment kitchen, dining, and living room hybrid make the space come to life.

Decorate With Plants

An easy way to make your rental apartment feel like home is to decorate it with plants, like this Barcelona kitchen from The Travelling Apartment. Take advantage of tall ceilings by decorating the top of kitchen cabinets with trailing plants for a boho-style feel. Or let one dangle off the edge of your kitchen island for an effortless feel.

Squeeze in a Bar Counter

Add a small bar counter on the outside of a loft apartment kitchen to create a space-saving dining area that will provide a space for sit-down meals. This space includes can lights embedded in the base of the loft bed and dropped ceiling, but you can add ambient light with portable USB-powered lamps that will add atmosphere during or between meals for a less permanent fix.

Focus on Materials

Maintain a minimal but warm feel in a small apartment kitchen with rustic materials such as wood and brick. In this space, wood beams on the walls and ceiling are complemented with dark stained countertops that add contrast with clean white painted walls.

Use Complementary Finishes

Create a sense of harmony in a small kitchen with complementary finishes. A modern brick tile backsplash echoes the original exposed brick wall on the other side of the room for a cohesive feel that mixes old and new variations of the same materials.

Paint the Backsplash Tile

If your rental apartment kitchen backsplash tile is dated or unappealing, ask your landlord for permission to paint it. S.U.S.A.P renovated the backsplash of this one-walled apartment kitchen with water-based tile paint for a quick and budget-friendly DIY makeover that makes the space look brand new.

Focus on Layout

In an open-plan apartment kitchen and living room, position your seating area to face away from the cooking area if your layout allows, like this space from Neva Interior Design. This will take the focus off of your open-concept kitchen when you're using the space as a living room.

The minimalist open kitchen decorated in neutral finishes and clean-lined cabinets fades into the background when not in use for a streamlined feel.

Add Colorful Cushions

Make a bare bones kitchen banquette seating area more comfortable and inviting with simple upholstered cushions for an affordable upgrade. Paint the chairs on the other side in a contrasting or complementary shade to add personality to the space. This is an easy way to modernize a thrift store find and furnish your space on a budget.

Use Neutral Tones

Minimize color by sticking to a neutral palette of black and white to keep a narrow kitchen that is visible from the living room from visually encroaching on the rest of your space. Keep countertops clear for a clutter-free look, like this Scandinavian apartment from Fantastic Frank.

Maximize Storage

Hide clutter behind closed cabinetry for a contemporary and minimalist feel. Hang Edison bulb pendant lights for a modern industrial feel. Don't be afraid to store a seldom-used appliance on top of cabinets if you run out of space.

Change Grout Color

Refresh the look of a rental kitchen backsplash without replacing tile by changing the grout color. Black grout with white subway tile is a classic move for an industrial feel in a contemporary kitchen. Changing grout color is a DIY project that is simple to complete, requiring no expertise—just patience and focus.

Create Continuity

Match an adjacent dining area to the color palette of your kitchen to make the space feel visually connected. Here, white cabinets and black countertops are paired with a black dining table and painted white chairs for a cohesive look.

Define With Floor Tiles

Define a small corner kitchen in an open-plan apartment with a floor tile accent, like this space from Neva Interior Design. Create a similar effect with a decorative faux tile vinyl kitchen mat if retiling isn't an option.

Hang Solar Shades

Filter light and provide privacy from neighboring windows by hanging solar shades on your kitchen windows. You can choose simple white shades that blend into the walls or a more colorful pattern if you prefer.

Build In Appliances

If you're designing a rental apartment kitchen, optimize a small space with sleek, energy-efficient, built-in appliances. Cover the fridge with a paneled door for a sophisticated feel that will make the kitchen feel less intrusive in a smaller space.

Hide With a Curtain

If you're a renter who wants the option of closing off the kitchen in a smaller apartment, try a budget-friendly curtain. This patterned curtain hung on the outside of this London kitchen from Studio Peake can be whisked closed at a moment's notice. The vibrant green-and-white pattern softens the space.

Define Zones With Lighting

If you live in a loft apartment or an airy guest house like this space from Marie Flanigan Interiors, define zones with pendant lighting. Choose different but complementary styles to anchor the kitchen, dining, and sleeping areas as seen here and feel free to play around with heights.

Vary Lighting Heights

Hanging a pendant light at a lower height over the dining table will create a cozy feel. A picture light over a simple painting or photograph will elevate your wall decor.

Add a Mirrored Backsplash

A mirrored backsplash will reflect light and create depth in a smaller kitchen. Mimic the effect in a rental apartment by leaning a thrift shop mirror on the countertop above the sink.

Create a Hidden Coffee Bar

Take advantage of storage closets to hide appliances as well as building in extras like the stealth coffee bar in this guest apartment that shares space with a small pantry and mini laundry room.