The kitchen is often one of the busiest places in the home. Small kitchens can present a challenge, but there are things you can do to create more storage space and to give the illusion of a more spacious kitchen.
- Open cabinets.
Taking the doors off your cabinets will immediately create the illusion of more space in the kitchen. That is, assuming you can keep the contents of those cabinets organized enough to be seemly in the open environment. Don’t forget you also likely have extra storage available on top of the cabinets themselves. - Use a pegboard or a pot rack.
If you’re short on cabinet space, storing pots, pans, and utensils vertically by hanging them from an otherwise unusable space is a great way to make some room. - Get a moveable island.
If your kitchen has enough space, a small island on wheels can not only add an extra surface, but also add additional storage underneath, and can be moved out of the way when more floor space is needed. - Use lighting.
Certain types of lighting, such as small lights illuminating the countertop from under the top row of cabinets, will give the illusion of space, improve visibility, and are cheap to install. - Clean the clutter.
Kitchens are notorious for being the dumping ground for all types of rarely used cooking equipment. The true space-saver in a small kitchen is to keep the cooking equipment limited to what you actually use. Items that get used rarely (once a year or so), can also go into storage between uses.
These five tips should help you get some space in your small kitchen. When in doubt, remember that the kitchen is for cooking, and focus on the practical.
