Kitchen is the heart and the hub of a house. But a complicated and unorganized kitchen set-up may be impeding instead of helping, particularly when it is a small kitchen.
If you ever feel like your kitchen looks like a jumbled mess, it does not mean you have to keep it that way. As storage space in a small kitchen is limited, you will have to find creative methods to make the most of your tiny space.
Here are sixteen creative ways to perfectly organize your kitchen and maximize your small kitchen’s feel-good factor, form, and function. Let’s get started!
1. Declutter Unused Items
Most cool kitchen cupboard ideas include removing unnecessary items. When organizing a small kitchen, you want to save storage space on things you do not need or use. Therefore, the first thing to do before looking for creative ways is to declutter unnecessary items. Remove any products you do not use, do not need, or do not want to consume. Once that is done, you are all set to look for how to organize and store what’s left.
2. Prioritize the Essentials
After decluttering, you need to narrow down what is needed to be stored. Then, you need to prioritize your essentials, as the products you will use every day needs to be clean, neat, and easy to access.
Ideally, you should organize the essentials in the following order- silverware, then vessels like bowls, cups, and plates; cooking or prepping tools like whisks, spatulas, etc., then pans and pots; and finally, the go-to appliances such as toaster ovens, coffee makers, etc.
3. Store Occasional Products Elsewhere
Not all your kitchen storage needs to be in the cooking area. Products that you do not need every day, for example, a bulky Crock-Pot, can be stored outside the kitchen- in the storeroom or a sideboard or buffet in the dining room near your small kitchen.
In the same way, surplus utensils and gadgets can be placed in baskets and stored above a tall kitchen cabinet. Relocating such occasional products is a great way to free up your storage space.
When considering kitchen layouts, you might have heard about zoning. For instance, the cabinets beside the cleaning area- the dishwasher and sink, will host kitchen towels, cleaning products, and the trash bin, while drawers and cabinets around the hob and oven will contain bakeware, pans, pots, etc. Creating zones like this is a very efficient way to organize a small kitchen.
Moreover, consider installing new cabinets or cupboards near a zone to make it more functional and practical. Many cool kitchen cupboard ideas will not only keep your items organized but will make your kitchen look good as well.
5. Keep Countertops Free
When organizing your kitchen countertops, minimalism is the key. Keeping your countertops free of clutter will increase your cooking space. It will also make your kitchen clean and tidy and make its maintenance easier.
A good way to keep them clean is to keep out only the appliances you regularly use and store the rest. It is also a good idea to install countertop cabinets with doors and keep your toaster, coffee maker, etc., inside. When the doors are closed, it will create an uncluttered appearance.
Grouping products together in jars or on trays will make them look like one item instead of several. Position the groupings as per your workflow, seasonings, and condiments, and you are good to go!
6. Store Products Vertically
Storing products like chopping boards, oven trays, etc., vertically instead of horizontally is a great space-saving idea for small kitchens. This will make it simpler to access the products and remove your headache of storing larger products.
7. Make the Best Use of Drawers
Drawers are mandatory when planning kitchen storage schemes, especially if it is a small kitchen. They ensure the maximum usage of space. They are great for organizing spices, crockery, appliances, pans, pots, etc.
Moreover, you can tailor them to your preferred specifications and ensure the easiest access to your kitchen essentials. Standard kitchen drawer dividers and bespoke inserts are becoming quite popular for holding chopping boards, oven trays, organizing coffee pod refills, knife blocks, spices, and many other items.
Kitchen drawers not only increase the storage options in your kitchen but also make it a better-functioning one overall.
8. Go for Open Shelving
Wall cabinets may feel imposing to some people, especially in small kitchens. But removing cabinets to bring about an airy feel may cause a storage problem. Open shelving can be a solution to this.
WheOpenelves can be the perfect way to insert personality and style and maximize your kitchen storage when organized nicely. It is also a handy space to place dinnerware sets, availing easy access.
To ensure your shelves look well arranged and neat, organize products into clusters, adding different sizes and heights to each cluster. For example, pair a big linear product, such as a chopping board, with a horizontal product, such as some stacked cookbooks, and you are good to go!
9. Use Corner Cabinets
When organizing your small kitchen, you need to ensure every kitchen space is properly used, including the corners. Sometimes you may find them hard and awkward to reach and difficult to access and store products. Still, if you are smart enough, you can install corner customised cabinets and make them adequate space for organizing bulkier kitchen products such as appliances, pots, and pans.
10. Utilize Hooks
Hooks are handy for small-sized kitchens. For wooden shelves, screw-in cup hooks are usually the ideal option. Utilize them to organize your tea cups and mugs, and if it goes well with your space, hang whisks, spatulas, and other tools.
You can use hooks on your kitchen wall as well, making more room for your cutting boards, cookware, tools, cleaning supplies, etc.
11. Properly Store the Food Items
To make sure the cooking task of your kitchen runs smoothly, it needs a space-efficient and well-ordered food storage system and for that, removing large food packaging is a great place, to begin with.
When organizing your pantry, move all the dried foods, cereals, nuts, pulses, sugars, flours, etc., into transparent and labeled containers. This will allow you to locate your desired item easily and know when the items are running low.
Also, arrange the items as per dates so that the items brought first and with the closest expiration dates stay in front of the other items. Pantry organizers like lazy susans, risers, and clear bins are amazing for making tinned foods, spices, oils, and condiments easily accessible.
Keeping a food inventory is also a good idea. It will allow you only to buy the items you need, so you will not overbuy any item and overfill the cupboards.
12. Ditch the Duplicates
When organizing your small kitchen, ensure you make all the storage space you can. Therefore, duplicates of prepping or cooking tools are a big no for small kitchens. Check out for any duplicates, and if you find one, ditch it immediately.
13. Consider Portable Storage and Workspace
Overfilled cabinets and drawers are not favorable for a well-ordered kitchen. If you need more storage space, try flexible furniture such as portable islands for your kitchen instead of trying to stuff everything in.
Portable furniture is a great way of enjoying extra storage space or countertops when needed. For instance, you can bring in a butcher’s trolley in busy times like entertaining, and when more space is needed, you can easily move it out.
Again, you can leave a rolling cart permanently beside your dining table instead of in the kitchen. Organize condiments and cereals in nice containers, place them on the upper shelf for easy access, and hide bulk-buy dried foods and tins that are not required daily in baskets beneath.
14. Rack Up the Door
Using the doors can greatly benefit when organizing a small kitchen. Hanging racks can keep the items in order by providing single-row storage space for condiments, oils, and other necessary ingredients, ensuring other products won’t cover them. It is the perfect method of organizing spices and herbs as well.
Moreover, shelves of different heights facilitate storing less-used, heavier products at the bottom and more frequently or regularly used products near the top, preferably at eye level.
15. Use Your Under-Sink Space
The space beneath your sink is a good space for storage, so make sure to use it properly. Use baskets to keep the cleaning products organized together. Also, you can keep a less-used or bulky appliance there as well.
16. Do Not Go After Every Single Space-Saver
For a small kitchen owner, purchasing all the space-saving items you find can be tempting. However, we do not recommend this.
Bringing in too many space-saving items can take time and effort. Instead, check out what you own and what is left to organize, and then look for items, particularly for those products.
The Bottom Line
An organized kitchen is the indicator of an organized home. Organizing your kitchen is a fun way to give the space a new and beautiful look. And once you do it, you will realize there is nothing like an organized, neat, and clean kitchen. Happy organizing!
