If you live in a small apartment, you may well find it very hard to manage with the kitchen. Small kitchens can, on the one hand, be very cozy, but on the other hand, they can be a nightmare if you have insufficient storage space and not enough room to prepare food properly. The other disadvantage is that the slightest thing that is out of place can make the whole room look cluttered and untidy.
So how can you make your small kitchen into a pleasant place?
The first rule is to make sure that you don’t have too much stuff. Keep the number of dishes, saucepans and appliances to a minimum. Obviously, you don’t want to restrict yourself too much because you want the room to be workable. You need the basic kitchen appliances, such as a refrigerator, oven, and stove, but don’t hold on to anything that you really don’t need. In a larger kitchen, you may have the luxury of storing tea sets and decorated glasses that you would never be seen dead with. But if space is few and far between, pass them on as wedding presents or keep them in the garden shed if you have one!
If you have high ceilings, consider building upwards rather than outwards. You can always add another tier of kitchen cabinets. While you may have to stand on a chair to take out the food mixer, at least it has a home! If this is not possible, why not add shelves to the wall space that you already have? A microwave or spice jars do just as well on a shelf as inside a cupboard. In fact, if you sift through as many kitchen design articles and essays on kitchen DIY as you can, you may well find some very creative kitchen storage solutions.
When it comes to making sure that the place looks tidy, the answer is strict self-discipline. Teach yourself good tidiness habits, such as never leaving anything out on the countertops before you go to bed. Make sure that all food items are put away and all dishes are washed and stacked neatly. You also should not overload the room with any superfluous kitchen accessories as these would take up too much space and add to the overcrowded atmosphere.
Another idea is to use foldaway furniture, such as a kitchen counter attached to the wall that you can open up or down whenever you need it. This saves needing to put a freestanding kitchen table in the room, which would take up a lot of space. Similarly, you may find a trolley very useful as this can be used as a portable kitchen island. The top shelf is good for a little extra food preparation space, while dishes, silverware and saucepans can be stored on the lower tier. You will also find this to be a great help for when you have guests as you will be able to wheel the things that you need easily in and out of the dining room.
All of these ideas should make your kitchen a far more user-friendly place.