How to save space in a small kitchen

Think about space on top of your cabinets

The space on top of the kitchen cabinets — awkward, hard to reach, dusty...surely monsters, sorry, spiders, are lurking there. This space is usually overlooked, but it’s actually a usable space: it just takes some planning and organisation to make it work. Invest in some attractive storage containers that are light in weight so that you can lift them down easily. Old picnic hampers (such as the classic Fortnum & Mason one) or wicker baskets look good and keep items dust free. 

Create your own stations for organised clutter

Clutter can be necessary — sometimes you need all the things! The trick is to organise the clutter, especially in a small kitchen. There are so many ideas, from cocktail/bar stations for entertaining to breakfast cereal stations for the family to help themselves in the morning. Here are some other ideas:

A washing-up station — a stainless steel over-sink drying-up rack with compartments for soap, sponges and washing up liquid is a satisfying way to organise your sink area neatly, while creating more space. The water simply drains from the plates straight into the sink. 

A coffee/tea/hot chocolate station — if you have a pod coffee machine there are some stylish pod holders. You can also set up a tray with canisters and shakers filled with chocolate and cinnamon. The hot chocolate station can include toppings such as marshmallows. Locate it near your steaming hot water tap on a countertop or in a deep drawer near the sink — you’ll be the envy of your guests.

A toaster station — install under-cupboard hanging racks on your wall units so that you can store bread and toastable items above the toaster area on the countertop. 

Modernised pull-out pantry

A small kitchen might not have room for a walk-in pantry or even a free-standing pantry. But you can have a narrow pull-out pantry on wheels instead, especially if you have a long thin gap between appliances or units. 

Utilise the ceiling space where possible

When maximising space in a small kitchen, don’t forget that you can utilise the ceiling space. Racks for pots and pans hung from the ceiling, hanging wine racks for bottles plus wine glasses, and even a hanging plant and herb shelf, will free up cupboards and countertops. 

FAQ:

Are there any other areas I could exploit for space-saving ideas?

Breakfast bars are ideal for space saving. If you don’t have room for a permanent bar in a small kitchen then you can install one which pulls up and down from the wall. This creates a handy space for eating or working. 

How do you organise a small kitchen without a pantry?

Labelling clear food containers is currently all the rage and it looks like the trend is set to stay as it’s so useful. If you don’t have space for a pantry you can create a colourful display on a countertop or floating shelf, decanting dry foods such as pasta, lentils and rice into stylish containers. 

What more can you do with your shelf space to help with space saving?

There is so much you can do to organise your shelves to gain more usable space:

• Add tiered cupboard organisers to the shelves. Some shelf organisers come with additional drawers so that you can pack in so much more 
• Add pan lid holders to the cupboard doors so that the pan lids can come off the shelves
• Add racks on the shelves for storing pans, baking trays, lids and cake tins
• Use your kitchen radiator for shelf space by adding a cover or a radiator shelf
• Install shelves along the perimeter of your kitchen walls
• Put up corner shelves — forget about the twee ornate corner shelves last seen in 90s kitchens — you can get some really stylish rustic designs on Etsy
• Put up an Umbra Conceal Bookshelf for your cookbooks, which is almost invisible, so it makes the books look like they’re levitating on the kitchen wall 
• Install a shelf above your kitchen door