Organizing a Small Kitchen

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Organizing a Small Kitchen

Alexandrea Denny · Oct 31, 2014

iStock_000005085992SmallKitchen organization is problematic, no matter the size of the space. With an apartment kitchen, more often than not, that space is going to be small. With limited scope, too few cabinets, and a definite lack of counter space, organizing a small kitchen becomes all about finding ways to maximize your minimal space. My current kitchen is absolutely tiny! While I appreciate the openness of the kitchen in relation to the living room, the limited workspace and lack of pantry was enough to make a person nervous. So, I had to adapt. I had to organize the space to the best of my abilities and utilize every conceivable option.

Whenever possible, make good use of magnets! Hear me out now; how much cabinet room is being taken up by the spice rack? If you are anything like me, you like to have a multitude of spices to choose from. This becomes problematic when your spices are taking up valuable cabinet space. The solution is simple. Attach magnets to the bottom of your spices and stick them on the side of the fridge or to an adjacent magnetic strip underneath a cabinet. If you want to spice it up a little bit, look into switching all of your seasonings into small glass jars, (empty baby food jars work perfectly!), and spruce them up. Use chalkboard paint or labels to identify each spice. This looks great and opens up an entire cabinet! I’ve also seen people stick their knives on a magnetic strip, opening up a drawer or counter room. Utilizing magnets can help to maximize your kitchen space and, in turn, can be a fun DIY project with useful results.

Focus on what you use most and organize around that. It’s fun to have fancy dinnerware and expensive kitchen gadgets, but when your space is limited, you have to focus on necessities. Keep your counters clear, with the exception of what you use daily. If your counters are cluttered with appliances and your cabinet space is unable to fit it all, look into getting a small shelf. Set the shelf next to the island at the end of the counter, or somewhere accessible, and store your appliances on that. I find that organizing in this manner is cute and efficient. You’re not going to use your toaster every day, but accessing it from a nearby shelf is easy and gives you no excuse not to put it up when done.

Use your wall space! Hang the things that you can on nails or cute hooks. Suspending your pots and pans above the oven looks great and clears a ton of cabinet space! So many things can be hung: pots and pans, oven mitts, measuring cups, and more. This is a really efficient way to clear space without having to sacrifice the aesthetic appeal of your kitchen. Hanging things also allows you to fill your wall space and create the illusion of a fuller and larger kitchen.

Running out of counter space? When cooking a large meal, sometimes additional counter space is absolutely necessary. A great way to expand your counter space is to place cutting boards on open drawers; this gives you a space to store items until you need them. Setting a large cutting board across the sink also gives you additional space and a sturdy place to chop food and store items.

Let’s be honest, apartment kitchens do not always provide the best pantries. This makes storing food difficult. A really effective way to organize your pantry is to utilize Tupperware and storage bins. Transferring your odd shaped boxes and irregularly shaped storage into stackable Tupperware will allow you to make the best use of your limited space. Another option is to hang a vertical shoe rack and use the pockets to organize your snack food and smaller items.

The generally minimal nature of apartment life is advantageous in many ways; it forces you to cut down on clutter and focus on the necessities. However, working with a small kitchen can be stressful. Once you know how to best organize your minimal space, apartment life will never be easier.

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