I’ve spent the last few years obsessing over kitchen organization. I thought if I just cleared the counters and mopped the floors, the room would finally feel big. But even after a deep clean, I’d sit at my kitchen table and feel like the walls were closing in on me. It was frustrating. I had plenty of floor space, so why did it feel so cramped?
I finally realized the problem was that I was only looking down.
I wasn’t looking up.
My kitchen had these massive, dark cabinets that went all the way to the ceiling. On paper, they’re great for storage. In reality? They’re
“visual thieves.”
You see, our eyes need a place to rest. When you have solid blocks of wood right in your face, your gaze has nowhere to go.
It just hits the cabinet and bounces back. It’s like trying to have a conversation with someone standing two inches from your nose. Even if the room is 200 square feet, your brain tells you it’s a tiny box because the “view” is blocked.
And don’t even get me started on the shadows. Those tall cabinets act like umbrellas for your lights. They cast these heavy shadows near the ceiling that make the air feel thick and the corners look dingy.
I’ve started making some changes, and it’s made a huge difference. I actually took the doors off two of my upper cabinets to create some open shelving. It sounds small, but just being able to see the back wall through the shelves makes the whole room feel like it’s breathing again. I also added some cheap LED strips underneath to kill those dark shadows.
The lesson I learned? A kitchen isn’t just a place to store pots and pans. It’s a place where you should feel comfortable. If your storage is making you feel claustrophobic, it’s not doing its job—no matter how much stuff it holds. Sometimes, “less” really is more, especially when it comes to your line of sight.