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6. Get Floored(6 of 8)

Where does our eye go when we walk into a room? Often it goes down — right to that dust bunny or scuffed floor. That’s why the flooring in a petite kitchen is so important. Linoleum — that old favorite of kitchen floors everywhere — can be really eye-catching in checkerboard black and white in a small space. It’s a relatively inexpensive choice.

Since dimensions are diminutive, you may be able to afford a beautiful tumbled marble that can give you a touch of the outdoors. Of course, marble can be really cold and hard underfoot, but the impact may be worth it to you. Or try cork, which is the number one flooring used in industrial kitchens in the United States. You’ll have to make sure it’s properly sealed (water can make it expand), but it’s a beautiful choice. And you can feel smug about using a politically correct "green" flooring.

Retro is all the rage in this kitchen designed by Liz Stewart. The room may be small, but the white high-gloss cabinetry and laminate black-and-white flooring pack a big design punch.