After living in a converted basement studio apartment for the last year, I’ve learned a thing or two about making the most of a small kitchen. In fact, I don’t even have a proper kitchen in this space, just a microwave, hot place, and mini fridge. But it’s taught me how to look at normal kitchens and apply the lessons I’ve learned to maximize space efficiently. Below I want to share with you my thoughts on how to make the most of your small kitchen space.
Combine, merge, and purge appliances.
Many kitchens have become a graveyard for unused kitchen appliances. We buy them with high hopes of how much we’ll use them, only to use it a couple times before moving on the next. If you want to make the most of your small kitchen space, it is absolutely critical to combine, merge, and purge your kitchen appliances. I suggest getting rid of anything you’ve not used in the last 2 months first. This alone will get rid of probably half your appliances! Then look at clever “combo” appliances that have a two in one function. For instance, we have a toaster oven that can heat up to 400 degrees. This means we can get away without having the traditional large oven that takes up a huge portion of most peoples kitchen. Another trick is to get a juicer that also doubles as a food processor. You’ll want to get the best food processor juicer combo available if you do this. In fact, when buying smaller, more efficient, and dual use appliances in general you will do better in the long run to spend more money on something that will last for years to come than something small and cheap that will break down quickly.
Liberate the back yard grill.
Do you have a grill? Ok. Next question. Do you use your grill? If you have a small kitchen, you might find it not only efficient but fun to get in the habit of grilling outdoors when the weather permits. You get the benefit of having grilled food without making a mess of your kitchen or even needing to be in your kitchen.
On the other hand, if you have a grill and don’t use it, I’m going to suggest you do what only makes sense: get rid of it!
Use the Back of the Pantry Door.
Small items such as vitamins and spices should be kept out of sight and one of the easiest ways to find them in a home is to buy a hanging storage panel for the back of the pantry door, cabinet door, etc. The more items you can store this way, the better.
Use Attachable Storage Under the Cabinets.
Using attachable storage that fastens itself to your kitchen cabinets does two things for space. One, it gives you a small area for storage but two, it helps keeps those same items from otherwise permanently residing on the counter. When it comes to a kitchen with minimal counter space, everything you do should assist in keeping that counter space free and open. Clean counterspace gives you a place to prepare foods and it also simply makes the room feel more open and larger than it actually is.
These tips are based on my own experience in managing smaller living space. Some of them might seem a bit extreme – especially if you have a huge kitchen and aren’t really worried about saving space. Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with making the most of your kitchen with limited space.