\setlength{\tabcolsep}{0.5em} % for the horizontal padding
{\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.2}% for the vertical padding
\begin{tabular}{|l|l|}
    \hline
    column 1 & column 2 \\ 
    \hline
    I really would like this less & crammed\\
    \hline
\end{tabular}
}