8 tips to help you get the most out of your small kitchen
We’re all guilty of it – assuming there’s nothing to be done to create more home storage, or to fix those space issues you’re experiencing in your home. Having a small kitchen can seem like a battle that can’t be won – but a small kitchen doesn’t need to be cluttered and inconvenient. Follow these tips to get the most out of your small kitchen, with some clever storage ideas!
Declutter
The kitchen is often the central hub of the home, and can also be a dumping ground for clutter. A lot of stuff can collect in your kitchen – and can be taking up valuable space. Find a new home for things that don’t need to be there, or get rid of them altogether if you don’t want to create room elsewhere for it. Remember Marie Kondo – if it doesn’t Spark Joy, and all that. Be honest about the things you rarely use, and store them somewhere else until you need them. If you know you won’t be cooking soup during the summer, put your slow cooker in the linen cupboard. Ditto, the breadmaker you had to have but perhaps don’t use as often as you hoped!
Pay attention to storage
Be prepared to invest in your kitchen, to optimise space and find a system you will stick to. Be aware of what you use the most in your kitchen, and therefore what needs to be easily accessible.
Organise your pantry
Behold, the pantry storage – likely one of the most commonly accessed storage spaces in your home. A small pantry can seem like a nightmare, but if used correctly, the physical size of the pantry doesn’t matter so much. Invest in good-quality, transparent containers that create a tight seal, so that you can stack things on top of one another and know what you have without having to pull everything out. Ditch the packaging your ingredients came in, and your pantry will look tidier, and it makes storing food so much simpler. Group ‘like’ items together so you remember where everything is, and stack larger items at the back with smaller items at the front.
Kitchen drawers
If you struggle to fit everything into your pantry, consider using your kitchen drawers to store things like spices. Get an in-drawer spice holder so that all those little bottles don’t create havoc in your pantry. Drawer dividers are your friend! You can store all the odd things like spatulas and measuring cups in a neat way that makes sense – don’t fall into the trap of just having a ‘junk’ drawer! It makes it impossible to find something when you need it, and all that careless throwing of items into one drawer takes up a lot of unnecessary space. Be purposeful about what you place in your drawers – even if it means finding another place in your home for your appliance manuals!
Kitchen cupboards
Again, make sure that everything that is stored in your kitchen cabinets needs to be there. Stack smaller dishes that you use most often, like cereal bowls, at the front for easy grabbing in the mornings. Consider adding hooks to the inside of your cupboard doors – this way you can hang tea towels under your sink without taking up any extra space. Otherwise, other handy holders can be installed in your cupboard doors to hold your miscellaneous items, like cling wrap or baking paper. Invest in small fold-out shelves which you can place in your kitchen cupboards, effectively giving you more shelf space.
Make use of empty space
Make sure you’re using all available space – even if that means creating shelving above or around your fridge recess. Tucked-away parts of the kitchen are most likely to be overlooked – so make sure you look into every corner of your kitchen to identify other places you could store things, or that could be put to better use.
Renovate for space
There are many thrifty things in the market these days to make the most of storage for small spaces – but it’s not always enough to just add a stand-alone shelf into your cupboards. It may be worth considering renovating for space. The addition of overhead storage cupboards can make a huge difference to a small kitchen! Pull-out pantries on runners can be an excellent solution if you only have a skinny cupboard-width of room for your pantry. Install extra shelving on your walls or above your sink, to store dishes or pots and pans, or consider hanging your pots from a bathroom towel-rack or similar. For a less permanent option, use removable hooks to hang your utensils on the walls or splashback.
Hold yourself accountable
Re-organise and practise minimalism to make the most of your small kitchen storage space. Small, well-organised kitchens can be more effective and convenient than a huge kitchen filled with junk. Once you’ve made the most of all your available space, stick to your system and your small kitchen will feel comfortable, convenient and you will find it’s the perfect size for your needs!
