Top 5 Small Kitchen Storage Ideas

If you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, you know that its size can make or break the experience. Insufficient storage or workspace can be serious obstacles to an efficient, enjoyable space, but with a few smart organizational methods, your small space kitchen can compete with the biggest of them. If your small kitchen gives you headaches, read on for our top small kitchen storage ideas.

 

1. Less Is More

The first step to achieving small kitchen organization is assessing what you have. Lay everything out to see what is currently taking up space. Then ask yourself what you really need. Do you use each of your small appliances frequently? Have you accumulated more tableware or serving dishes than necessary? Decide what you value most, then free up real estate by donating the rest.

As you bring new items into your kitchen, select products that reduce visual clutter in your space. If you store items on your countertops, look for modern kitchen accessories with minimalist lines to keep your kitchen looking fresh and clean.

 

2. Create Categories

Some small kitchens function poorly either because tools are not categorized or they are not stored in the proper location. Keeping similar tools together, such as spoons, whisks, and spatulas ensures that they are easy to find and within reach when you need them. Some utensils should be close to each other without necessarily being in the same drawer or cabinet (such as your plates and cutlery). Consider grouping items together like this for optimal small kitchen organization:

• Measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, and other baking tools
• Dining table items, including plates, bowls, drinkware, and flatware
• Food preparation supplies, like kitchen knives, cheese graters, can openers, food scales, etc.
• Pots, pans, and strainers
• Bakeware, such as cake pans, casserole dishes, muffin pans, and cookie sheets
• Food storage containers, foil, storage bags, etc.

 

3. Get in the Zone

The next step on our list of small kitchen storage ideas is to create “zones” for specific activities. For instance, the food prep zone should be near your cooktop. The baking zone might belong near the prep zone since you use similar items (like measuring spoons and mixing bowls) for both. Items for setting the table should go closest to the dining room, food storage containers make sense near the refrigerator, and so on.

Free up your drawers by keeping space-saving kitchen accessories and holders on the counter in your prep zone, but line them up against the wall to keep the work space functional. For example, Eva Solo’s angled knife stand, magnetic trivet, utensil caddy, or this set of cutting boards with a holder can be the perfect small kitchen storage idea to keep your tools accessible while preserving counter space.

 

4. Choose Multifunctional and Stackable

One of our favorite small kitchen organization ideas is to incorporate items with multiple functions. For example, if your kitchen is seriously lacking in counter space, a rolling island or cart that can be moved to different areas of your home as needed is a lifesaver. When you don’t need the extra prep space, a portable island can live as a bar cart, coffee station, or additional dining space.

 

 

When you’re looking for cookware, bakeware, serveware, or plate sets; look for stackable or nesting products, so you can save storage space. For example, Peugeot Saveur’s Appolia line of bakeware comes in nestable sizes, so you can store 3 baking dishes in the same space.

 5. Go Vertical

Sometimes the best small kitchen storage ideas simply mean taking advantage of all the space at your disposal. In your small space kitchen if you feel limited by the lack of cabinets or countertops, think outside the box and look for other options, like your walls. Using the vertical space in your kitchen can add much more usable storage. Consider some of our favorite vertical storage ideas:

• Hang pots and pans from a ceiling or wall rack
• Install more cabinets above your existing cupboards
• Install open shelving for extra storage
• Add hooks or holders to the undersides of your cabinets for paper towels, spices, coffee mugs, etc.

 

Become a Small Kitchen Organization Pro

As you experiment with these small kitchen organization ideas to improve your kitchen, remember to stay flexible. Maybe you can’t hang items on the wall or put every zone in an ideal location. Work with what you have and do what makes the most sense for your kitchen. With some patience and creativity , this guide will help you take your small kitchen from frustrating to functional.