Are you feeling a little overwhelmed with how crowded your small kitchen feels? This post will definitely help by showing you clever storage ideas for small kitchens!
The kitchen is one of the most important areas of any home, meaning it’s one of the busiest as well. These spaces tend to get the messiest and most cluttered. This can be so frustrating, especially when you already have a smaller kitchen in the first place.
Whether you live in an apartment or a home with a tiny kitchen, it can be super important to have specific places to store the things that you need. Storage in a small kitchen definitely needs to be prioritized in order for you not to go insane. Thankfully, this blog post will give you some easy and clever storage ideas for small kitchens.
This blog post is all about clever storage ideas for small kitchens.
Clever Storage Ideas for Small Kitchens
1. Get rid of what you don’t use
This may not be a storage-specific hack, but it’s something easy that will definitely clean up some space for more storage. We all have utensils, measuring cups, and that one old raggedy pan that we barely use in our kitchen. Be honest with yourself when you’re looking around your kitchen. Do you have an appliance that you don’t even use anymore – or maybe one that doesn’t even work? You can always donate or even sell that espresso maker you may have bought back during the pandemic.
2. Put away what you don’t use
Let’s go back to the espresso machine that I was talking about earlier. It’s totally okay if there’s something that you have that you may not use often and you’re still not willing to give it up. That’s when we put it away, either in another room or whatever storage you have that is outside of the kitchen. For me, it’s my espresso machine and my crockpot.
3. Take note of what’s taking up space
Now it’s time to take a look at what is really eating up a lot of space in your kitchen. Go through your drawers and cabinets and look at your counters. Is there anything that stands out? Do you have a bunch of coffee mugs in your cabinet? Or maybe you have one of those really nice, fancy Le Creuset pieces? Take note of those pieces because we’re going to be moving those items shortly.
4. Hang everything you can
This is one of the best ideas for kitchen storage. Why shove it in a drawer or cabinet when you can hang it? And when you’re looking for places to hang things, you could utilize anywhere: walls, the inside and sides of cabinets, and even the side of the refrigerator. Remember when I told you to take note of what’s taking up the most space? This is when it’s important. We want to try to hang those things as well. Typically, they’re big pots and pans or even all of your favorite coffee mugs.
5. Magnet board for knives
This is a quick and easy fix as well. By using a magnet board to hang your knives, you can get rid of that heavy, wooden block that they’re most likely sitting in. Although, I wouldn’t recommend this if you don’t have a good enough space to keep it above a counter space. Please don’t put this on a random wall, especially if you have rambunctious pets or little children. Below is a link to simple magnet board for knives:
6. Drawer dividers and organizers
You would be surprised at how much extra space you can create in a drawer or a cabinet once you add either a divider or an organizer. I would start adding dividers to any cutlery drawers and organizers to any large cabinets. Remember to try to utilize the backs of the cabinet drawers as well. Above is an example of what I have in my own drawers, but I would actually recommend acrylic dividers and organizers instead because they are easier to clean, like what I linked below. They’re actually the ones I use in my bathroom!
7. Shelf risers in cabinets
This is another great option for your kitchen cabinets to create more room. Acrylic shelf risers can be helpful to create almost a second shelf or even third shelf in your cabinet while allowing you the visibility to see everything you have. Below is a link to the shelf risers that I use in my own cabinets that I would suggest:
8. Wire shelving unit
Another way to create storage is by adding an entire separate unit if you have the space. The best way to go about doing that is adding a wire shelving unit that has wheels. That way you can move it around very easily when you need to reach other areas that it may be blocking. There are plenty of different widths and heights to fit differently sized spaces, but if you’re someone that has a lot of appliances that you don’t want to give up, I would make sure that these wire shelving units can at least hold an appliance or two.
9. Hide your pots and/or pans in the oven
This is definitely an oldie but a goodie! Both my mom and my grandma used this hack as well. The oven is a perfect storage place to put all your pans and maybe one or two of your largest pots that you own. Pots can take up so much space that you can’t afford in a smaller kitchen. Just be sure to remember that you actually have stuff in the oven before you turn it on. I may or may not have made that mistake once or twice…
10. Use the windowsill
This might be a little niche, but do you have a windowsill in your kitchen? If so, maybe you can use it to display some pieces in your kitchen that would otherwise take up space elsewhere. For example, a piece that could fit easily into a windowsill would be something like a mortar and pestle or something that would fit into a cup, like your cleaning brushes.
11. On top of your fridge
When trying to make the most of storage in a smaller area, you need to utilize every little space you have. This includes the top of your refrigerator! If it’s a really visible part of your kitchen, you can try to make it look as cute as possible. Do you have cookbooks taking up space in your kitchen somewhere? That’s one good option to keep a cuter aesthetic. But if you don’t, that’s okay! Storage doesn’t always have to look great. We’re focused on storage hacks, not design!
12. Use items that can double as other things
Using items or having furniture that can double as storage is super clutch for a smaller area. When you live in a tiny apartment or have a small kitchen in your house, you get really good at finding pieces like this. For example, if you have the space to do so, instead of having a normal, small table, I would go with a moveable island that can also serve as your table. In a perfect world, this island would also have storage like drawers and cabinets as well. Linked below is a perfect example of what I’m talking about:
13. Turn your clutter into decor
This is one of my favorite ideas. Do you have any cute cutting boards or anything personalized in your kitchen? For example, I have a personalized cutting board that has our address on it that I hung up on the wall in my kitchen. It is such a big win if you can take an item that is currently cluttering your kitchen and reuse it as a piece of decor!
14. Get a sponge holder OR a sink caddy
A sponge holder (like in the photo above) OR a sink caddy are both small but effective ways to clear up a little bit of space off of your countertops. You can use a sink caddy, like the one I linked below, to hold anything that you typically keep in or around your sink: sponges, brushes, soaps, and anything else you may need. There are ones that can sit outside of your sink, but if you want to maximize your smaller space, I would recommend one that goes in it.
15. Make the most of your counter space
So far we have tried to make the most of all the drawers, cabinets, and even appliances in order to optimize your storage space. Now that we have filled everywhere else up, we can use up any counter space. This should be reserved for small-to-medium appliances that you use either daily or almost daily. It’s important to have what you use frequently in a spot that’s easy to access, or you’re going to create a mess just trying to get to it.
16. Put your food into clear, reusable containers
Now that we’ve hit almost every other area in your kitchen, it’s time to look at where you put your food. Typically, this is seen as a more trendy, aesthetic way to store your food, but it’s also a great way to get rid of unnecessary extra space. A lot of bags and boxes can have empty space that can take up room that you definitely could use for other items.
17. Organize your fridge
Lastly, time to look inside of your refrigerator. This is another area in your kitchen, where there tends to be a lot of empty space that isn’t utilized. This is where acrylic shelves and dividers come in handy again. If you stack acrylic shelves carefully, you can add even one or two shelves. Also make sure to check if the shelves in your fridge are moveable – this can be a game changer as well when it comes to maximizing your space!
When it comes to making the most of your small space, these tips and tricks should allow you to maximize your kitchen area. Having proper storage can decrease clutter and improve the overall aesthetic. And let’s be honest, for an area that you probably spend most of your time in, you want to actually like being in there. Good luck using these storage hacks!
This post was all about clever storage ideas for small kitchens.
