If you have chef aspirations in a small kitchen, you may dream of more room for prep and cooking. But having a small kitchen doesn’t have to mean that you have to settle for less when it comes to your cooking projects. With five steps you can be on your way to creating a workable kitchen in a small space, which can also make your kitchen more appealing to buyers.
Declutter
The first step in reimaging any space is to get rid of what you don’t need. One method is to empty all of your cupboards and shelves and sort items by category. For example, group all mugs or all spices together. You can donate or toss those goods that you really aren’t using, any past their expiration date, or those that otherwise aren’t essential to your kitchen. After decluttering you’ll have a better idea of what you need to store and how you might arrange these items.
Use your vertical space
If you are working in a small space, creativity can help you get more out of the space you do have. Horizontal storage like shelves and cabinets may be how you organized your kitchen in the past, but adding vertical space can create even more storage. Some ways to use vertical space are by hanging pots, pans, and spatulas from a wall rack. You can also get creative with a pegboard backsplash. Hanging pots and pans above your stove can use vertical space and make these items more easily accessible.
Create a mason jar pantry
Another way to use your vertical space is by creating a pantry on your wall. Spices and other dry goods in mason jars of the same size can be stored on open shelves on your wall, making it easy to grab them when you need them. Any dry goods can be stored in this way and you may be surprised at how much you can store in the unused space on your walls.
Add light with open shelving
In small kitchens, you want to add light to create space, as realtors will advise you when selling your home. One strategy to do that is by removing doors from cabinets and creating open shelving. With open shelving, you can create easier access for plates and glasses, while at the same adding light by not weighing your kitchen down with cabinets. Open shelving doesn’t require as much space as cabinets and you could even use a bookcase to add kitchen storage.
Make your sink do double duty
In small kitchens, the workspace can be at a premium, and that’s why making creative use of space is so important. One area that you might never think about using is the space over your kitchen sink. For chopping and prep work, a removable cutting board that fits over your sink can give you an extra work area.
A small kitchen doesn’t have to mean that you can’t work on big cooking projects. By maximizing your space, you’ll have room not only to store your kitchen tools and dry goods but also to get chopping.