You don’t have to restrict your cooking and storage options when you have a small kitchen. But with some smart planning and inventive solutions you can keep your kitchen feeling functional and stylish, while making the most of your storage space. Choose the top kitchen renovation specialist available in the market that offers quality with ease!
9 Tips to Get More Storage Space in a Small Kitchen
The trick is to use vertical space, choose multifunctional furniture, and make smart design choices. Here are nine practical tips for getting the most out of your dream kitchen storage space.
1. Maximise Vertical Space
Every square inch in a small kitchen counts. And one of the best ways to increase storage is to use your walls. Install tall cabinets that extend to the ceiling to store things that you don’t use often. One such option would be open shelves to store spices or to display dishes. You can hang pots and pans from a ceiling rack or wall-mounted hooks.
Not only will this free up cabinet space, but it will also give your kitchen that decorative touch. A 2021 study found that just the right amount of floor plan & vertical storage can nearly triple your kitchen functionality.[1] It allows you to have more storage and enough room to move by using the height of the kitchen.
- Use Hooks and Racks: You can use hooks to hang utensils, mugs, or even small baskets for more storage. If you do a lot of cooking, ceiling racks are perfect for storing big items like pots and pans, out of sight but easily reached.
- Add a Pegboard: A pegboard is a versatile storage solution. This allows you to customise your storage space by arranging hooks and shelves in any configuration pleasing to you.
2. Use Multi-functional Furniture
Each piece of furniture in a small kitchen should have more than one function. Space-saving and also versatile multi-functional furniture for your small kitchen designs well. Foldable tables or kitchen islands with wheels are good, for example. You can extend a foldable table when needed and tuck it away when not in use.
A wheeled kitchen island can add more workspace or storage and make it easy to move around, particularly if you have a tight kitchen requiring improvisation, so to speak, and you can wheel it out of the way as needed for those big mixing jobs.
Other kitchen carts with storage compartments are also useful. They can hold utensils, spices, or small appliances and are easily moved throughout the kitchen. These carts can be tucked into a corner when not in use, making the space open and clutter-free. Good solutions help to balance workspace and storage, which makes the kitchen more productive.
- Choose a Kitchen Island with Storage: Pick an island that has cabinets, shelves, or drawers. It works to give storage for extra items without taking up too much space.
- Opt for a Rolling Cart: It has wheels and can be rolled back and forth. Put items that you frequently use in it or use it as a way to store the workspace when you’re cooking.
3. Use Light Colours and Reflective Surfaces
Sometimes, colour makes a room appear more or less spacious. A small kitchen can be made look bigger by using light colours and reflective surfaces. White or glossy cabinets and pastel furniture cabinets will reflect more light, making you feel in an airy atmosphere. These are the colours that help bounce light back around into the room, helping to create fewer shadows and making the space feel less claustrophobic.
Glossy surfaces like glass tiles or mirrored backsplashes add to the effect. Also, glossy elements add a sleek and modern touch in a natural light-reflecting manner. They not only give the space some brightness and help the kitchen feel bigger but also add depth. Interior designers use these tricks a lot when designing small spaces, and they are just as effective in kitchens.
- Paint Cabinets Light Colours: Light coloured cabinets will also reflect more light into your cupboards, which can make the kitchen appear bolder and more spacious.
- Install Reflective Backsplash: Light reflecting off a shiny backsplash work to add visual interest without overloading a space.
4. Incorporate Smart Storage Solutions
If you have available space, smart storage solutions can prove to be useful. Pullout shelves and lazy susans let you reach the back of the cabinets more easily. Utensils and tools can be kept organised with drawer organisers, while spice racks can be mounted in the inside of cabinet doors. Stackable containers and clear jars can also aid you in seeing what you have instead of creating additional extra storage.
A 2023 study in the Journal of Housing and the Built Environment found that modular storage is a very effective way to increase storage and organization in small kitchens.[2]
- Use Pull-out Pantry Shelves: They allow you to access things at the back of cabinets without having to move everything in front.
- Install Lazy Susans: Lazy Susans are perfect for corner cabinets and are a great way to maneuver items without knocking everything over.
5. Streamline Your Appliances
Space can be taken up by appliances in a small kitchen. Look into minimising the number of appliances you maintain on the countertop to enable more room. Look into wall space for things that do double duty, such as a blender and food processor.
You can look for smaller, more streamlined versions of common appliances. Microwaves can be compact, refrigerators slim, and dishwashers snug without overbearing the kitchen. This keeps the kitchen neat and tidy. At the end of the day, when cleaning a workspace, streamlined appliances allow for simple cooking and meal preparations.
- Choose Compact Appliances: If you don’t want to give up functionality in your home, you might want to consider finding essential appliances that don’t take up much space.
- Combine Appliances: Pick your appliances with the ability to do more than one job, such as a blender that also functions as a food processor.
6. Maximise Countertop Space
A small kitchen means there’s limited space for meal prep, but countertops are a need! For more use from your countertops, over-the-sink cutting boards are worth a try. Without more furniture, they simply create extra prep space. They come off the countertop when not in use, keeping the countertop clear.
Small kitchens can feel cramped with cluttered countertops. Store knives and utensils with wall mounted racks or magnetic strips, freeing up drawer and cabinet space. Space-saving ways to provide more workspace when you need it include a fold down table or a sliding countertop extension.
- Use Wall-mounted Storage: Put in racks or strips to hold knives, utensils and various other grieved items that you use frequently and keep them accessible but not taking area of the cabinet room.
- Install a Fold-down Table: An additional workspace could be a fold down table used when needed and stowed away when not in use.
7. Create an Open Kitchen Layout
Such an open layout makes a small space seem a little more welcoming. Small changes, like removing the bulky kitchen cabinets and going with open shelving, help bring out an open feel to the floor space. Open shelves not only make the storage but also give a modern touch to the kitchen.
An open layout makes it easier to move around and reach items. Additionally, it makes things organised, as everything is visible. It helps to get rid of clutter and put a kitchen back together.
- Remove Barriers: Try to get rid of walls or large cabinets that can impede the circulation of the kitchen, making things seem more spacious instead.
- Use a Kitchen Island: An island can be both a work area and a storage space, allowing you to maintain a clean and functional kitchen.
8. Install Open Shelving
Small kitchens, in particular, can be spiced up with open shelving. Used to store dishes, spices, or glassware and temporarily hide away other typically folded-away items, it also gives you more room in closed cabinets. In addition, open shelves can be equally extra decorative, displaying some of your favourite kitchenware.
Open shelving is supposed to require some upkeep to avoid clutter, but it can also combine storage with style. Organising items makes them easy to access, which makes cooking easier. Open shelving has been found to be more functional because it allows you to keep the essentials easily accessible.
- Organise with Matching Containers: Store items on open shelves in uniform containers. The result is a tidy and cohesive look.
- Display Decorative Items Sparingly: Open shelves are great for storing things, but don’t overcrowd it with too many decorative pieces to keep it clean and uncluttered.
9. Maximise Your Drawer Space
When properly organised, drawers can offer excellent storage affordably. Adjustable dividers and drawer organisers can work well when using drawer space. They are just tools to help things stay in order so you can find what you need.
Small utensils fit in shallow drawers undermount sink, while deep drawers are fine for larger items such as pots and pans. Inside cabinets, pull-out drawers allow you to reach the back items. There are some ways you can organise your drawers effectively, use your space, and keep your kitchen tidy follows:
- Use Drawer Organisers: This makes it easier to find what you are looking for without rummaging through a cluttered pile of utensils and tools by keeping them neatly arranged with dividers and organisers.
- Designate Specific Drawers: Make use of a few drawers to designate certain items, like one for the cutlery and another for the kitchen gadgets, to create order and make things more efficient.
Get Expert Help to Remodel Your Small Kitchen
If you have big plans to change your kitchen, a professional kitchen designer would be a great resource. Experts can take design ideas and create customised solutions to maximise your kitchen’s storage and functionality. They might propose taller cabinets, pull-out shelves, farmhouse sink, or hidden storage.
Many renovators replace cabinets when remodelling to use their space more efficiently. A designer can look at your kitchen’s layout and give you some suggestions on how to make the most of the space and improve storage. They are also handy when deciding what materials and finishes will work for you while remaining practical.
More Advice for a Small Kitchen Storage
Beyond the nine main tips, here are some ideas for some extra ways to optimise storage in a small kitchen:
- Use Cabinet Doors for Extra Storage: Throw a shelf or a hook into the hinges of your cabinet doors to hold a spice or cutting board.
- Choose Slim Appliances: Slim refrigerators are compact appliances that save on space while keeping function.
- Try a Pegboard: Kitchen tools and utensils can be held on a pegboard. It’s customisable and gives your decor a great special touch.
- Use Clear Containers: Pantry items stored in transparent containers can be found more quickly and don’t take up much space.
- Add Drawer Inserts: Drawer inserts help to keep cutlery, small tools, and the like organised, so the drawer provides less clutter.
- Consider a Lazy Susan: Corner cabinets with a Lazy Susan make it easy to scoop from the back.
- Hang Cookware: Hanging pots and pans, if nothing else, can free up cabinet space and keep the items that spend most of their time in the pantry within easy reach.
- Install a Pot Rack: Pot racks add storage for cookware and provide a rustic or modern look to your kitchen.
- Stackable Shelves: Stackable shelves are added to cabinets to add vertical space and make the best use of available space.
- Organise Your Pantry: Adjusted shelves and baskets maximise pantry space while keeping used items at eye level.
Optimise Space With Your Small Kitchen
To get the most storage in a small kitchen, design and choices have to be smart. With multifunctional furniture, vertical space, and open shelving, you can create a functional space out of a cramped kitchen. The aim is for the space to be both practical and pleasurable. If you plan carefully, even a tiny kitchen can be made into a place that works well for cooking and socialising. Contact us at Brisbane Bathrooms and Kitchens to maximise your small kitchen space.
References:
[1] Houzz Kitchen Trends. U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study (2021)
[2] Sal Moslehian, A., Warner, E. & Andrews, F. The impacts of kitchen and dining spatial design on cooking and eating experience in residential buildings: a scoping review. J Hous and the Built Environ 38, 1983–2003 (2023).
