The kitchen is the heart of your home.
It's where we spend hours trying to come up
with the perfect meal to show our love
for friends and family.
Unfortunately,
it can also be one of the most stressful places in your home.
The kitchen is difficult to keep organized–
what with its everyday use
and your overflowing supply of appliances,
tensils, glassware, and cookware.
It's all so hard to keep track of,
especially if you have such a small space to work with.
Allow us to serve you a few tips
on decluttering a small kitchen
12. Commit and follow-through
Get the most difficult part over with.
Ultimately deciding to begin the decluttering process
is the most difficult part!
You'd really have to commit to following through
with the complete process
from planning to maintaining your organization protocol
each day for years to come.
Even if you have a small kitchen,
chances are that a lot of loose junk
such as mail, keys, purses, and newspapers
end up being piled in the kitchen.
You might have a lot of spare utensils and appliances
that haven't seen the light of day
since Barack Obama was president.
Set aside some time to remove all the unnecessary junk
and spare objects in your kitchen.
Start organizing all the items in your kitchen
into five categories:
trash, recycling, donation, belongs elsewhere, and to keep.
11. Think about how you use your space.
Get this part over with:
think hard about how you actually
use your kitchen space and equipment.
Now, think about where it would be
most efficient to place each item.
Designate specific areas for each category
and item based on their function.
Consider rearranging your kitchen
based on your most frequent kitchen habits and activities.
Frequently used items such as the microwave,
coffee pot, and chopping board
should be placed on countertops.
Place all the most used kitchen utensils
in a jar near the stove.
For easy access to the most used items,
choose to store these on an open shelf.
Designate specific cabinets and drawers for specific items,
prioritizing the most used items like plates and utensils,
where you usually do kitchen work.
If you think that the functional organization system
is not best for you,
try to come up with a plan that would work
best for your household.
Make sure you have a concrete system in mind
before haphazardly filling up your counter and cabinets again.
10. DIY Utensil Rack
A utensil rack is an extremely convenient tool
to organize and keep track of all your most-used utensils.
Now you wouldn't have to turn over every single drawer
just to find that rubber spatula.
Easy access to utensils can ultimately
streamline your cooking sessions,
making your time and work in the kitchen
much more efficient.
You can also step up your utensil rack organization
by adding labels to each hook.
To save a few bucks,
you can choose to make your own utensil rack
using sustainable materials.
Make sure that the materials you use are sturdy enough
to hold the weight of all the utensils.
9. Mount a Hanging Box
These hanging boxes are magic–
instantly make walls, windowsills,
and the space beneath drawers
into usable and convenient storage.
Make sure to place these boxes
where you'll need them the most.
You can choose to mount a hanging box
for your towels or soap near the sink,
or you might want to fill up a box
with spices near your stove.
Go with what works best with your kitchen activities.
If you plan to make a DIY hanging box,
these are extremely easy to make,
and you can even use scrap material.
8. Install a Microwave Shelf
If you're working with limited storage and counter space,
you need to make the most out of every inch available to you–
they should be functional and useful.
Consider installing a microwave shelf.
This can significantly make your food preparations
a whole lot easier with the extra counter space.
Make sure that the material of the shelf
you are installing is sturdy enough
to support the weight of the microwave
(and anything you plan on heating up).
It's also important to take note
of the available power outlets
before installing the microwave.
7. A Backsplash and Spice shelf
Keep your frequently used ingredients,
such as cooking oil and spices,
on an easy-to-access shelf.
With DIY projects,
you can easily customize the size of the shelves
to fit your containers and bottles.
Consider installing these backsplash shelves
right beside the stove;
it'll surely save you lots of time from clean-ups
and having to go back and forth between the pantry!
6. Ye Olde Jar Shelves
If you have an extremely small pantry
and limited storage space,
consider installing a jar shelf
for easy access to all your cooking supplies.
These jar shelves also add an old-fashioned yet
charming feel to the kitchen.
For a DIY shelf,
invest in some big and heavy-duty glass jars.
This will make it easier for you to line-up,
organize, and identify all your supplies.
As an additional safety measure,
consider adding raised edges (lip) around the shelves.
You can effectively make use of the scrap
trim material as the shelf lip.
5. Keep a Produce Stand near your Counter
Aside from showcasing your beautiful farmer's market buys,
a produce stand is a functional way
to organize your fruits and vegetables.
Keep your produce stand near your counter or kitchen island.
This will save you some valuable counter space
while also allowing easy access during your food preps.
If you'd like to make your own produce stand,
it's also extremely easy,
and you'll only be needing a few materials:
a power drill, some screws, and a saw.
If you don't have access to equipment to cut wooden boards,
pre-made wooden crates are a convenient option
that gives ample storage space.
4. Rolling Kitchen Appliance Storage
If you're low on storage,
make the most out of your kitchen's nooks and crannies
by making a rolling Kitchen appliance storage.
While it's best that you keep the most used appliances
like your microwave and coffee maker on the kitchen counter,
you might want some extra space
to store your food processor or your juicer.
These are extremely functional as extra storage–
imagine easily rolling out the whole shelf to your kitchen island!
Since you're working with limited space,
you can easily hide these shelves
in small corners of the kitchen–
between the wall, cabinets, or your fridge.
3. Pegboard Kitchen Storage
Another functional and sleek idea
would be to mount a pegboard.
This idea is the ultimate game changer
for kitchen organization!
Mount the pegboard where it would be
the most convenient for you to quickly grab
your most-used cooking equipment.
It might work well over your counters
or a free wall beside your stove.
Let yourself go crazy with customizing your pegboard–
the possibilities are endless
with just pegboard hooks and accessories in your arsenal!
Line up your pots and pans,
all your measuring instruments for easy access.
You can also use wire baskets with hooks
to stack small dishes and spices.
Don't stop there.
You can easily style your kitchen (minus all the clutter)
using your pegboard!
With a quick coat of paint over your pegboard,
hooks, and baskets, you can give instant vibrance
to your once dull kitchen.
You can also hang up some fun pictures,
flowers, and plants to give character to your kitchen.
2. More possibilities with Open Shelves
When styling a small space,
open shelves can instantly make a room
feel much bigger and lighter than it actually is.
When organized and styled properly,
open shelves also provide functionality
with easier access to all your kitchen equipment and utensils.
There's no more need to rummage around every cabinet,
causing an even bigger hassle in the process.
The only problem with open shelves and cabinets
is that your kitchen may appear cluttered
if you mindlessly fill them up.
The first thing to do when you decide to go
with open shelving is to designate an area
based on a particular function or aesthetic.
It would be better to place less used items on higher shelves.
Don't be afraid to play around with scale and shape.
Adding some variety will definitely
keep your kitchen style interesting.
This is also your chance to showcase your family's personality
or some of your precious collector's items!
When styling your shelves,
remember to keep your color palette to a minimum.
Between 3 to 4 colors are enough
to keep your kitchen interesting
while not looking too cluttered and overwhelming.
1. Invest in compartments, dividers, and organizers
To keep your counters, drawers, and cabinets organized,
consider investing in compartments and baskets,
then designate specific functions for each.
Clear containers make it extremely easy to organize
and access all your supplies.
Otherwise, you can also make things a lot easier
by adding a label.
Pull-out containers also make it easier
to access supplies from deep cabinets and drawers
while keeping these areas clutter-free.
A lazy Susan is a convenient and functional tool
that can also make it easier for you to find everything.
Most of these containers and organizers
are very affordable at a dollar or less.
Conclusion
Having a small kitchen doesn't mean
that you have to settle with the constant clutter,
a tiny counter, and lack of storage.
Maximize your tiny kitchen by making
the most out of every inch of your kitchen–
that includes all available vertical and horizontal space!
Train yourself to spot nooks and crannies
that you can fill up with rolling storage shelves
or by installing some non-obstructive shelving.
This is where your knack for DIY will really pay-off:
customizing all your storage units to work
the best for you and your limited space.
The key is ingenuity and adaptability!