Our guest blogger today is Beatriz Garcia
What’s a small kitchen? If you ask a single person, you might get a different answer than from a family of four. The thing is, the kitchen’s size is often not just a question of area, but also how you use it.
My pet peeve is having dead corner space when two cabinets meet–so efficiently dealt with by having a pull-out corner in the cupboard.
When you have a small kitchen or even one that feels small, the key is to use every last nook and cranny. Here are eight simple ways to organize a small kitchen.
1. Below the Kitchen Sink
Don’t use the cupboard below the kitchen sink to store things and forget about them–those things probably need to be thrown out
Keep the space tidy, clean, and organized. Now this area can be a bit awkward as you often have huge pipes sticking into the space. Organizers and containers here can really help you make use of the unconventional space.
2. Shelf Risers
Shelf risers, available in different sizes, can help create more space anyway in your kitchen.
They are ideal for storing small things like cups, spices, and pantry items. Using them ensures you don’t have “wasted” air space above the other items on your shelves.
3. Consider Stackable Pots & Pans
Do you know who has genuinely miniature kitchens? RV and Boat owners have to make do with a tiny space. What do they use? Stackable cookware.
Be careful if you just decide to start stacking your current cookware–it can get scratched or damaged.
If you have the right cookware, it comes together like a jigsaw puzzle to take up less space. Beautiful.
4. Hang Your Cookware Sideways
If you don’t fancy stackable cookware, an alternate solution is hanging your pots and pans sideways.
This can avoid the full-on rubbing together, which can damage the surface, yet save on space. Hanging your cookware full stop can also help you maximize your storage space. All you need are a couple of hooks, and off you go.
Of course, this probably means putting your cookware on display. If you have a piece of cookware, you want to show off–then great! Yet if your cookware collection is a mess of different items, then you need to consider alternatives.
You could hang up your pots and pans in a cupboard, out of the way and out of sight.
5. Use Your Fridge and Oven
Fridges are great vertical cupboards perfectly designed for storage. Of course, chilled food takes priority. Yet if you have any leftover space, you can include other food or even containers.
And the freezer is just perfect for storing large glasses–ready frosted for your summer’s afternoon drink.
6. Inside Cabinet Doors
The inside of cupboard cabinet doors is often forgotten. Yet, it can be a convenient place to store the items most likely left on the countertop.
This helps keep your kitchen tidy and spotless. Friends with bigger kitchens will marvel at your organization.
It’s as simple as fixing a few hooks to the inside of the cabinet doors. And then remembering to use them!
7. Divide your Drawers
It’s so important to add dividers to drawers. I mean, you almost certainly have them for cutlery; why not everything else? Dividers keep everything neat and in its place, stopping the drawer from becoming one giant mess.
The thing with keeping things tidy is it often takes less room than the untidy jumble.
8. Countertops are an option
It’s always more impressive to keep your countertops clutter-free. Yet sometimes that isn’t possible. So what sort of items should you store on your counters?
-Regularly Used Appliances
Appliances often eat up the most room in the cupboard and don’t look out of place on a countertop. Why break your back taking that heavy food processor in and out of the cupboard?
Yet beware hardly used appliances. Do you really need that ice cream maker you use two times a year? Perhaps it would be easier to buy the ice cream…
Just be realistic about how often you use your appliance.
Frequently used–then it’s great for the countertop. Rarely used–then consider getting rid of it.
-Beautiful Cookware
Some cookware is just so beautiful that you can’t resist displaying it.
I’m looking at you, Le Creuset and Staub!
In that case, of course, the countertop might be the right place for it. Consider, though, if this cookware is expensive–do you want to risk damaging it?
Keeping Your Small Kitchen Organized
You’ve seen lots of ideas and thoughts. But you need to think about what works for you–will you make the effort you need?
You could pick one or two things and try them. Sometimes less is more. On the other hand, you might feel that whatever you do, your kitchen is just too small!
Perhaps it’s time for a larger house then? If so, let one of our experienced realtors help you find your dream kitchen.
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Organizing a kitchen is a very difficult task for me but you really made it simple, hats off to you!