Simple ways to solve space problems in a small kitchen
Real Estate In Motion | For many, the kitchen is the heart of the home. This is where all the magic happens. Family time, dinner with friends, late ni...
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Simple ways to solve space problems in a small kitchen

For many, the kitchen is the heart of the home. This is where all the magic happens. Family time, dinner with friends, late night snacking and many conversations all revolve around the kitchen.

In an ideal world all homes would have large kitchens with enough space for multiple counters, storage, appliances and a few cooks. But even though we live in a big country, the larger cities of Australia are home to over 4 million people each, meaning home and kitchen space can be very limited. Fortunately, there are many easy and simple ways in which you can make the most of small kitchen designs. Some are quick and easy solutions, while others may require some planning or help from a professional, but even the smallest changes can make a big difference to your kitchen area. Here are our favourite space-saving tricks.

Clear up and throw out



The first step to utilising your kitchen space more effectively is by sorting the kitchen from top to bottom. Go through each shelf and cupboard, find a space for everything and stack items back neatly. Store the items you use frequently in areas that are easy to reach and place the rest of your kitchen items in areas that are higher up or in the back of a cupboard. Remove all of the items that you rarely or never use, or have doubles of. If you don’t need them, then you may want to give them away or donate to charity. Store the items you only use occasionally in other cabinets or storage areas in the house.

Shop with space saving in mind



Once you start looking you will realise that there are a wide variety of kitchen appliances and products available that can aid you in saving space in your kitchen. Instead of buying a juicer, pasta roller or ice cream maker separately, opt for one mixer with attachments that can do all of this and save tons of precious space. Also look out for bowls, mugs and pots that are stackable or fit neatly into each other.

Break down the walls


If you own the home you live in, then this may be the best long term solution for you. Many homes have their kitchens in a separate room and in many cases one or more of the walls can be removed to create an open plan kitchen, a much larger area for entertaining guests, and even an outdoor kitchen. This will make the kitchen feel roomier and allow more space for people to move around freely. If you’re not a professional builder, then you are best off working with a builder or interior designe who specialises in small kitchen renovations to find the best solution for your space.

Make better use of vertical space



If you’re having trouble creating more space around you, then look up. Vertical space is often underutilised in kitchens. There are many options available to optimise the use of wall space in your kitchen area. Here are our top three choices:


  1. Open shelves – These can easily be attached to a wall and are wonderful for storing and displaying some of your kitchen items. Open shelves are available in a variety of shapes and sizes - making it easy to find a shelf that will fit onto any wall or in that small, hidden corner.


  2. Hooks – Hooks are quick to install and very handy for storing items like strainers, towels and oven mitts in areas that are easy to reach, such as above kitchen sinks and ovens. They are available in many shapes and sizes, and you can choose to put them up permanently or to use hooks, like suction hooks, that can be removed later on. Also, look inside your kitchen cabinets to see if you can attach hooks to it – this is especially handy for hanging items like measuring spoons and cups.

  3. Pegboards and magnets – Pegboards and sheets of magnets are lightweight, affordable and easy to attach to walls or the sides of cabinets. You may want to install a large pegboard above the stove as a convenient and space-saving solution for storing pots, pans and cooking utensils. Magnets provide easy solutions in the form of magnetic containers and baskets, which you can stick to the fridge, or magnetic knife strips that can be added to the wall.



Get an island



A movable island instantly adds kitchen bench top and storage space, and once you’re done with the cooking you can move the island out of the way or into another room to store. Some islands have parts that can be folded away, making it easy to add more bench space according to your needs. Larger islands can be installed permanently to add a small seating and dining area to the kitchen.

Add a pantry


Small kitchen layouts mostly don’t have enough space to store all pantry items, but chances are that you will have room for a small cabinet or cupboard in a corner of your living room or dining area. This is the ideal area to store dry goods like pasta, rice and flour, as well as pots, pans and other kitchen accessories that you don’t use frequently.

Create the appearance of a larger kitchen


Once your small kitchen functions better, you can easily make some changes to the interior design to instantly make it look more spacious too. Firstly, declutter the fridge door and clear the bench area. If you feel like repainting the walls, then opt for bright, light colours (like white, grey or beige) to make the room look bigger. Appliances and kitchen furniture in white also create the appearance of bigger space in a room.