11 Small Kitchen Storage Tips to Make the Most of Your Space

Working in a small kitchen can be frustrating, especially when you can't find space for everything you need. However, there are storage solutions you can use to open up even the smallest of kitchens and make room where there wasn't before. Follow our top 10 small kitchen organization tips and make prep, cooking, and dining more enjoyable.

1. Get Rid of Anything You Don't Need

Toss, recycle, or donate items you don't need or use. When possible, limit yourself to one of each type of cooking utensil and cookware. Decide how many of each dish, glass, mug, and eating utensil you need for your family and the number of guests you routinely host. 

Once you've removed unnecessary items and found a place for every item you have left, make a rule that you won’t acquire new items unless you have a place for them.

2. Fully Utilize Every Shelf and Drawer

No matter the size of your space, kitchen drawers and shelves can easily become crowded, making it difficult to find what you need. Organizing these spaces and ensuring everything has its place can create more room and make existing storage feel more functional. To do so, try the following:

• Put basket drawers on stationary shelves or replace them with sliding shelves

• Add drawer organizers to sort utensils

• Place risers on shallow shelves to avoid stacking unlike items

• Place a turntable in a corner cabinet to make use of the tight space

3. Hang as Many Items as Possible

You can hang cookware, utensils, towels, mugs, plants, pantry essentials, knives, décor, and many other items using a variety of DIY solutions:

• Mount a pot rack on the wall or ceiling

• Place hooks and towel rods on walls and the sides of your refrigerator

• Utilize the sides, bottoms, and doors of cabinets

• Hang a magnetic knife rack on your fridge or backsplash

• Install a pegboard or peg rails on tall or long walls

• Hang an over-the-door plastic shoe organizer on a pantry door to hold spices or utensils

• Hang baskets from the ceiling for fruit or other items

If you're a renter or concerned about fasteners in your walls or ceiling, consider hanging solutions held up by adhesive strips.

4. Add Shelving Where You Can

Additional shelves can make unused wall space functional or enhance your pantry organization. Shelving can take many forms in a kitchen:

• Open shelving lets your most attractive items double as décor.

• A wire shelving unit that sits on the floor can store small appliances and bulk goods.

• Shelving units under your sink can store cleaning products more efficiently.

• Narrow shelves, corner shelves, and photo ledges can make the most of tight spaces.

• A freestanding shelf or bookcase can sit along a wall or in the back of a pantry.

• Place shelf risers on the countertop to create another layer of countertop storage.

• Magnetic shelves can hang from the fridge to hold small items.

5. Utilize Small Nooks and Tight Corners

Small kitchens tend to have nooks and crannies that are difficult to use. Creative solutions for these areas include:

• Placing lesser-used items in the spaces above your cabinets

• Using windowsills to display plants or store items, taking care not to block all natural light

• Purchasing a narrow sliding cart to store spices and other small items

6. Maximize Available Food Prep Surfaces

Every square inch of counter space is crucial in a small kitchen, and you may need some of your limited countertop surfaces for storage. To create additional space for food prep, lay out a large wooden cutting board over your sink or on part of your stovetop when it’s not in use.

7. Invest in Space-Saving or Mobile Items

Many common kitchen items are available in space-saving forms. These include collapsible colanders and graters or nested storage containers, bowls, measuring cups, and pans. You can also purchase mobile items, such as rolling utility carts for storage or wheeled storage bins. These can move around the room and are easily stowable.

8. Choose a Minimalist Dining Set

Folding tables and chairs can help open up your kitchen immensely. Some homes and apartments utilize a folding table that hangs from a wall or shelf, often with a collapsible leg for support. You can store stylish folding chairs in a closet or hung from a wall when not in use.

9. Steal Space From Other Parts of the Home

Not every kitchen item needs to live in the kitchen. Make use of space in other parts of your home to free up prep space. For example, you can use a closet for less frequently used appliances, a dresser drawer for kitchen linens, or a hutch in your living or dining room to store dishware.

10. Create the Illusion of a Larger Space

While it won't necessarily help with kitchen storage, designing your kitchen to look larger can make your storage solutions seem less cluttered. The best ways to make a small space look bigger are to utilize bright lighting and light paint colors. You can also hang a mirror to create the illusion of more space.

11. Hire a Professional Organizer

Sometimes it’s best to leave a tough job in the hands of a seasoned professional. Whether you’re struggling to envision the right solution for your kitchen or you don’t have the time to handle every aspect of the job solo, a local home organizer can come in and provide the help you need.