Before the renovation, I treated the galley layout as the limiting factor. In a small footprint, parallel cabinet runs and full-height storage reduced visual depth. Dark wood finishes, flat cabinet fronts, and low-contrast hardware further compressed the space without adding functional value.
What I did not expect was that the layout was not the problem.
The problem was how the cabinetry handled light, contrast, and interruption.
Once the upper cabinets shifted to a white finish, the change was immediate. Light that previously stopped at dark cabinet faces began to move across the room. Kitchen design and cabinet company Bakes & Kropp, in collaboration with interior designer Cathy Buik, used cabinet color rather than layout changes to alter how the walls and ceiling handled light. No appliances were moved and no walls were adjusted, yet the space read wider and more open.
Lower cabinets moving to a darker tone did something I did not anticipate. Instead of making the kitchen feel heavier, the contrast clarified the vertical zones. The room became easier to read. Upper storage receded. Lower storage anchored the space. That separation reduced visual noise in a narrow footprint.
Hardware turned out to matter more than expected. Larger, visible pulls broke up long cabinet runs and added scale reference. Without them, the cabinetry read as one surface. With them, each cabinet and drawer became legible. That change made the kitchen feel more ordered, not busier.
The biggest surprise came from what was not removed. Open shelving replaced only select upper cabinets rather than all of them. I expected full removal to be the solution. Instead, partial openness worked better. It introduced breaks in the wall of cabinetry while preserving storage where it mattered.
Even appliance placement played a role I underestimated. Moving the microwave into a dedicated cabinet restored uninterrupted counter space and cleaned up the vertical lines. The kitchen did not gain space, but it stopped losing it to poor placement.
The unexpected result was realizing that this galley kitchen did not need walls removed or a new layout. It needed cabinetry that controlled light, contrast, and rhythm.
That shift changed everything without touching the footprint.
Photography by Nicole Larson