Making the Most of a Tiny Kitchen

BreakingModern — Have you ever groaned when someone on a house hunting TV program airily dismisses a well-equipped, eat-in kitchen as “not big enough?” The reality is that many of us have much less space to deal with — sometimes a little alcove is all we’ve got.

Don’t despair. A tiny kitchen can be both stylish and functional. Here are a few ideas to make the most of the kitchen space you have.

Tiny kitchen

Ten Tips for a Tiny Kitchen

1. Ruthlessly prune utensils and gadgets. How many types of coffeemakers do you need? The simple, traditional methods, such as a moka pot, are often the best and don’t take up as much room on the counter.

2. Fix a hanging rack on the wall for pots, pans and large utensils. You’ll be amazed how much space this frees up, and it instantly transforms your kitchen into a glowing foodie haven — even if you never do much more than warm up soup!

3. Hang up other stuff, too.  Magnetic strips keep sharp knives out of harm’s way while protecting the blades. Screw hooks into the edge of shelves to hang your collection of cups, mugs and jugs. And don’t forget the sides of cabinets.

4. Only items you use all the time deserve a place on the counter (e.g. scale, chopping board and that coffeemaker). Group these items at the ends of the counter, too, so you’ll have room to work in-between.

5. Add more counter space. Not enough room for food preparation but plenty of floor space to spare? Pull out a large appliance, like a washing machine or dishwasher, so it stands out a short way from the counter. This will give you a valuable extra surface.

Tiny kitchen

6. Stove burner covers. You can also buy (or make) a cover for your burners to free up some extra counter space when you’re not cooking.

7. Look out for space-saving kitchenware. Save space with bowls that nest neatly inside each other, utensils that fold up for easy storage and multi-functional gadgets.

8. Display your cooking wares. If you display frequently used crockery and glassware on open shelves they’ll be close to hand and look good, too. Sticking to a color theme will prevent a messy look.

9. Don’t forget about the top of your refrigerator. Magnetic spice holders, timers and measuring spoons can be kept out of the way on fridges, freezers and extraction hoods. Again, hang everything!

10. Buy racks and boxes from storage specialists to use every inch of your cabinet space. You can get racks for plates, boxes that sit on the inside of doors to hold aluminum foil and kitchen wrap, and baskets that hook under shelves.

Living spaces are getting smaller every year. People are choosing to downsize their homes and minimalism has become mainstream. This means there are now more clever fixes for the tiny kitchen than ever before, both instantly available to buy (if you want) or solved with simple DIY tricks. Good luck!

For BMod, I’m .

First image credit: © Andreaphoto / Dollar Photo Club

Second/Featured image credit: © vvoe / Dollar Photo Club

Judy Heminsley

Author: Judy Heminsley

Judy Heminsley is the founder of Work from Home Wisdom, a blog providing advice and inspiration for freelancers and home workers that is regularly featured in the UK national press. She is the author of Work from Home (How To Books), and writes on a variety of topics on her lifestyle blog All Things Bright & Good.

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