Space Saving Ideas for a Small Kitchen
When you’ve only got a tiny amount of space to work with, the kitchen can be one of the most difficult spaces to really get right. In this article we are going to be looking at some of our favourite space saving ideas for a small kitchen.
Thankfully, it really is possible to cram a lot of form and function into a very small amount of space. Like most aspects of downsized living though, the key to really doing this well is focusing on the things that you will actually use. There’s no point in having a lot of gimmicky kitchen items that that will just take up room without serving a practical purpose. Be sparing with the items that you put in your kitchen and your job will be a lot easier!
Once you know the items that you need in your kitchen, it’s important that you find everything a home. Make sure that it’s well designated and in a place where you can easily reach it. Make sure the items that you use most often have pride of place in the kitchen and can always be easily accessed.
Using draws instead of cupboards is a great idea for a small kitchen, especially if it’s not a space where you have a lot of room to move around. You certainly don’t want to spend a lot of time on your hands and knees trying to find something at the back of a kitchen cupboard. Draws like this provide easy and fast access to whatever is inside.
In many ways the kitchen sink forms the heart of your kitchen, and it’s undoubtably one of the most used items. When choosing a sink it’s great to think about options that come with a lot of accessories that can pack away and store inside the sink itself. These can include items such as chopping boards, dish racks, colanders and even second sinks (which are especially useful when washing dishes). Even if your kitchen is quite small, it’s not a bad idea to get a large sink, as it can be really frustrating if you’re sink isn’t big enough to wash some of your larger kitchen items (such as large pans).
Finding space to hang items like wine glasses is a great way of freeing up space in cupboards and also making use of what would otherwise be wasted space. If done right, this can also add a lot of character to the kitchen.
If you’re growing herbs in your kitchen, I love this idea of using draining racks that can water your plants while they drip dry. Applying some permacultrual principles of self-sustaining cycles in the kitchen is something that I would really like to explore more in the future.
If you have large items that you use quite regularly, such as blenders or mixers but don’t want to leave them taking up space on the bench, adding a fold out shelf like this is a great idea. It keeps them handy and ready to use whenever you like, but out of the way and freeing up much needed bench space when not in use.
When you’re adding storage to your small kitchen, it’s great to think of adding as much shallow storage space as possible. It’s always a pain trying to reach jars and cans in the back of a cupboard somewhere. Keep everything easy to access.
I love this idea for herb storage because it really takes a space that would otherwise be very difficult to effectively use and turns it into a very valuable feature in the kitchen. Always think out of the box wherever possible!
The best advice is to be creative and construct a space that will work for you. If you’re the next master chef, take some time to work out a kitchen plan that will give you the space to create your next culinary masterpiece. If your interest in cooking is more limited to heating up a packet of soup, then really only build what you are going to use and focus your space on other items that are more important to you. Most of all, have fun with your design and construct a space that you will love to be in!
