IN THIS POST
- Create a Spice Drawer
- Remove Packaging
- Use Mesh Baskets
- Buy a Cutlery Tray
- Hang Your Mugs
- Invest in Risers
- Go for a Pot Rack
- Install a Knife Strip
- Opt for Upper Shelves
- Utilise Space Under Sink
Who doesn’t want a large kitchen with a walk-in pantry and a massive storage space to hide all the appliances that would otherwise be littering the countertops? However, in reality, many of us are stuck in tiny cooking spaces with barely enough room to store cutting boards and expensive dishware. Though the lack of space can be quite frustrating, you can make even the tiniest of areas super functional with these ingenious small kitchen storage ideas.
If you find yourself browsing through videos on how to organise a small kitchen or creating Pinterest boards of all the items you want to add to your cooking space, this guide is meant for you. Our storage solutions for small kitchens will transform your cluttered and cramped space into clean and stylish.
From creating a spice drawer to installing hidden shelving next to your fridge, here are some DIY-friendly storage ideas for small kitchens that will make your cooking space feel larger and more comfortable in no time.
10 Small Kitchen Storage Ideas That Can Maximise Your Space
Here are some of the smartest kitchen storage hacks that can make even the smallest of spaces feel big and airy.
Create a Spice Drawer
Instead of filling up several cabinets with mismatched boxes and bottles of spices, consider allocating a single drawer to keep them all in place. If your kitchen has a shallow drawer, you may want to dump out everything it is currently holding and then thoroughly clean it from the inside out. Next, you can either invest in identical glass jars available at departmental stores or use the standard-sized spice bottles to fill up the space.
This storage idea makes it easier to spot different spices, as you won’t be required to sift through multiple cabinets to find what you are looking for. In addition, a spice drawer looks aesthetically appealing and helps you cut down on the visual clutter in your kitchen.
You can also check out our guide on how to organise spices in your kitchen for more inspiration.
Get Rid of Bulky Packaging
Cereals, chips, and many other snacks usually come in big boxes or air-filled bags that can be hard to fit into cabinets. Even if you somehow manage to arrange them neatly in a drawer or a shelf, they end up taking a lot more space than their actual contents. The easiest way to eradicate this problem is to ditch the bulky packaging and decant everything into air-tight containers.
It is also recommended to opt for clean and stackable containers, as they will help you save up space while ensuring you don’t have to open the lid of every single one to finally find what you are looking for. Moreover, you can stick a piece of paper to the bottom of these jars to write down the expiration date of its contents.
An added benefit of these glass and plastic containers is that they look rather pretty, which means you can easily place them on open shelves.
Invest in Mesh Baskets
When it comes to small kitchen organisation ideas, you cannot forget about mesh baskets. They are perfect to store smaller snack items such as chocolate bars, packs of biscuits, and candies. You can arrange these baskets inside your cabinets or even place them above the shelves to utilise the prime piece of real estate that often goes unnoticed.
Mesh baskets are generally available in many different sizes and are beautiful enough to be displayed on countertops when needed. They are also excellent for keeping smaller items together in one place without creating any clutter. You can also use these baskets to store your tea towels and cleaning supplies, such as sponges and steel wools.
Buy a Cutlery Tray
No one likes digging through a tangle of cooking utensils in a drawer to find the right spatula. It can be annoying and time-consuming. Moreover, if you are not careful, you may even get a few cuts and scratches on your fingers during your quest to locate the perfect spoon. Meanwhile, if you decide to store your spoons and forks in a cute holder on the countertop, you will be pretty much wasting some precious space.
Cutting a long story short, you should consider installing a cutlery tray in any shallow drawer in your kitchen. If your cooking space only has deep drawers, the cutlery tray can be a false bottom for that space, allowing you to store your rarely-used utensils without creating clutter. It is also one of the most affordable small kitchen storage ideas, as these trays are easily available at most stores that sell home goods.
Hang Your Mugs
Mugs can take up a lot of space, especially if you store them next to each other in a cabinet. They also don’t stack too well, which further exacerbates the problem. Of course, you can buy one of those mug-holder trees to keep these kitchen utensils in one place.
However, be aware that those holders are extremely easy to topple over. In other words, if you have young children in the household who might pull a mug roughly off the holder, there is a good chance the entire thing will fall, shattering all the mugs in the process.
The best solution to this problem is buying hooks, which are among the best storage solutions for small kitchens. You can install hooks under a shelf or a cabinet and use them to hang your coffee mugs by their handles.
Use Risers to Increase Space
The next on our list of small kitchen storage ideas is using risers. Even if your cabinets already have a wooden board in the centre to divide the space, there is still a good chance you are not utilising the entire height of the available shelf.
Well, you can easily double the space inside your kitchen cabinets by placing risers in each of them. These affordable yet handy tools work as tiny tables, allowing you to organise items both underneath and above them. They also help keep different items separated, keeping you from fishing through a shelf in search of a single box or bottle.
If your budget allows, you can also invest in a Lazy Susan aka the small turntable platforms readily available in most departmental stores.
Go For a Pot Rack
Are your kitchen storage cabinets not big enough to accommodate all the pans and pots in your home? If there are a few cooking utensils always sitting out on your counters, even when they are not in use, there is a good chance that you are struggling to find the right home for them.
Perhaps the easiest way to deal with this issue is to install a pot rack. These racks are available in horizontal and vertical alignments, so you can either install one in an under-utilised corner of your kitchen or hang it above the kitchen sink.
In addition, if you are a little tight on the budget, you can install hooks on the wall above your sink or counters to hang frying pans and other utensils that have a hole in their handle. Just make sure the hooks you have purchased are sturdy enough to support the weight.
Opt For a Magnetic Knife Strip
When it comes to countertop space, every single square inch counts. So, if you have one of those block-shaped knives-holders in your kitchen, you may want to ditch it for a sleek magnetic strip near your cooking station. This is one of the top kitchen wall storage ideas that can add a new level of sophistication and functionality to your décor.
In addition, magnetic strips are easy to install and clean. You can also use them to hang things other than knives, such as steel serving spoons and whatnot. However, please avoid buying cheap or inexpensive magnetic knife strips. If the magnetic material is not strong enough, your knives could fall off the strip and cause an injury.
Install Upper Shelves
Although installing kitchen cabinets is easier than most people realise, it sure isn’t cheap. So, if you are looking to maximise your kitchen storage space but cannot install a new row of upper cabinets, you always have the option to fill the empty space with open shelving.
Along with being really trendy, open shelves are relatively less costly and easier to mount. In addition, they can make your kitchen look airier and more spacious while adding depth to your interior design. It’s a win-win situation, to be honest.
Similarly, you can hang a removable magnetic shelf to the side of your fridge to store small and weightless items – such as tea bags and sachets of condiments. It is also one of the most practical small kitchen organisation ideas for renters.
Be Smart with Under Sink Storage
Keeping a small kitchen clean can be a difficult feat, considering you have to do all your washing, prepping, cutting, and cooking within a limited space. However, you cannot leave your space looking unorganised or dirty. Therefore, make sure to invest in quality cleaning products and store them all under the sink.
Unfortunately, this area is the least clean place in the entire kitchen. But you can turn that around by thoroughly wiping and disinfecting the space before placing your dustbin on one side and a pile of stacked plastic drawers on another. You can use these drawers to hold the sponges, rags, and other cleaning essentials.
Furthermore, don’t forget to attach a rod to the inside of the cabinet door under the sink. You can use it to hang bottles of cleaning solutions without creating clutter.
This concludes our guide on storage solutions for small kitchens. Nevertheless, if you are looking for more tips on how to organise a small kitchen, here are a few blogs that you want to scroll through.
- Things You Should Never Store on Kitchen Countertops
- How to Organise a Messy Kitchen in 6 Easy Steps
- How to Store Food in Your Kitchen Smartly?
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