I’m not gonna lie…getting used to small space living has been tough (have I mentioned that before?) but we are adjusting. I’ve shared tips for the bedroom, living room and bathroom before and now it’s time to turn to the kitchen. In my opinion a small kitchen is probably the hardest room to adapt to because it’s where you spend a lot of time doing a lot of things and you need a lot of stuff to do it. We have a galley kitchen in this house and it is probably the smallest one we’ve ever had, we don’t even have room for a microwave…gasp…I know. 😉 So in my quest to try to make good use of the small amount of space that we have, I’ve found some great storage and space-saving ideas.
Not enough storage space for your pots and pans? No problem…just hang them on a wall using some cool, industrial looking pot hangers.
If you’re like me and you don’t have a pantry, this is a great way to store canned goods using space that you wouldn’t normally use.
How about using simple tension rods in a cabinet to keep cutting boards and large platters neat and organized.
Installing slide out metal baskets or drawers are a great solution to use all the space under the kitchen sink that is often wasted.
Because we have very little wall space in the kitchen and no home office I use the inside of our cabinet doors for calendars, cork boards, etc. I also post my lists of things to do for Mr. C², because we are big list makers don’t ya know.
Now we’ve hit on all the rooms. I’m sure as we move forward and learn how to use our space wisely, I’ll pass on some other tips.
Care to share any small space living tips I didn’t mention? I’m always ready to learn something new.
MaryJean Zajac
There is this little wooden cart, I guess you would call it, that is to hold 2 liter pop bottles, but it holds plastic wrap, and sandwich bag boxes perfectly. We have it next to a cabinet and is kind of hidden, but it sure comes in handy. It frees up other space in my kitchen cabinets too.
I like the roll out cabinet for canned goods, Kristi. I think we could fit it in the space next to our fridge. I like the roller idea and that you don’t have to bend down and dig around for a maybe the right soup can in the under cabinets.
Great post!
Kristi
Your soda crate sounds like a great idea MJ. I guess you just learn what works and what doesn’t by trial and error. I’ve tried to figure a way to do that rolling can storage but there is no way in my kitchen with my giant fridge. 😉 Thanks so much for visiting today…much appreciated.
K.
Helen
In my small kitchen I don’t have room to store my stainless baking items like measuring cups and spoons so I hung them on the wall under the upper cabinets within easy reach. I also hung my glass pot lids on the only wall as ‘art’.
Kristi
Great ideas Helen! It sounds like you have been very creative with your small kitchen.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing. I’ll remember your ideas when I am redoing my kitchen.
K.
Shirlee
I have to say that for a small, older home, our kitchen has a pretty decent layout. We don’t have a dining room but we’re able to fit our 1950’s kitchen set into the space and still have room to move around. And we have more cabinets than I can fill (which is why it’s taking me so darn long to paint them all LOL). At some point a previous owner added a set of drawers and three upper cabinets above/beside the fridge. Our microwave fits perfectly on the little counter above the drawers.
There is a broom closet next to the stove that I converted to a pantry. I just used the wire shelving and brackets for closets as you can easily cut them (the shelves) to size. Plus I was able to customize it to fit my Kitchen Aide Mixer and large bags of pet foot to sit on the bottom with 3 shelves above. I still need to organize things better, but waiting to get all the painting done.
I love the idea of using tension rods inside of cupboards to organize baking sheets and platters. I’ve never seen such small rods but I’m going to look around!
There was a chalkboard attached to the broom closet turned pantry but I’m thinking of changing it out to cork board as I know I’ll use it more that way. I’m a fanatical list maker! I make lists for everything I do. So glad to see I’m not alone!
Kristi
Wow Shirlee it does sound like you have a great kitchen layout. We have tried to figure ways to reconfigure but unless we put an addition on, it can’t be done. My husband would never do an addition, we tend to move after a few years so…
I can see why you are still painting your cabinets. LOL At least mine shouldn’t take too long so I guess that is one good thing.;) I like the tension rod idea too. I haven’t looked for them in a while, but I know I’ve seen them before. Let me know if your able to find them and do it.
List makers unite! You are not alone. Nothing feels better than having a list and methodically crossing things off.
Hope you have a great week Shirlee. So nice to hear from you and many thanks for stopping by.
K.
itsjusttoni
Love your space saving ideas! I have a really tiny kitchen too. I hung my pots and pans on the wall too. I have great sharp knives that I inherited from my Mother and no room on my tiny counters for a knife block so I bought a magnetic strip and attached it to my wall to hold all of my good knives. It is the handiest thing!
Kristi
The magnetic strip for your knives is a great idea. I’ll have to remember that when we redo the kitchen.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your idea! 🙂
K.
Sue Silva
Fantastic ideas, Kristi. Thanks for sharing!
Kristi
Thanks so much Sue.
K.
Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow
I have a little galley kitchen / you are using your space to great advantage…takes a lot of ingenuity! 🙂
Kristi
Thanks Deb. It’s really a challenge getting everything you can out of a small kitchen, isn’t it?
Appreciate you stopping by today. 🙂
K.
Nancy
Hi Kristi. I saw your link on Cozy Little House and thought I’d drop in. Nice post. I had to smile when you mentioned you live in a small house. It would seem very large to us, as it’s over 2x larger than our last home. 🙂 We lived in 640 Sq Ft and are getting ready to build a cottage that may be even smaller. Although we remodeled our last home, we maintained its original footprint. I had a very small galley kitchen, but it was highly functional. Very well organized and I loved cooking in it. We installed a wall pot rack that held all my cookware, and a magnetic strip under it that held all my knives. The area above the refrigerator was open, so I was able to place a very large basket on top of the fridge which I used for stock up items (overflow from my pantry). If you’re interested, you can see the house with before and after here:http://www.ajoyfulcottage.com/2014/10/living-large-in-small-spaces-our.html
You’ll see other things we did to maximize the space. Good luck with your own space saving projects. ~ Nancy
Kristi
Hi Nancy. So glad you stopped by. Wow..you do live in a small space. 😉 I don’t know why it’s been so hard to adjust to our kitchen (and bathroom). I’m thinking that it’s just poor space planning from the builders. Our other small rooms are very livable.
It sounds like you have some great ideas for using your small space. I’m always looking for ideas so I will definitely check out your blog. Thanks so much for dropping in and for sharing your small space tips and good luck with your cottage build. 🙂
K.
Meredith
These are great ideas. I hadn’t seen the one about the tension rods, but that’s brilliant. Great roundup! (Found you on the Weekend Re-treat)
Kristi
Thank you Meredith! I really liked the tension rod one too…I may have to copy it.;)
So glad you found me on the Weekend Re-treat. Thanks so much for stopping in.
K.
Katherine
terrific post! Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop . Watch for your feature on Monday xo
Kristi
That’s so great Katherine. Thanks so much and thanks for hosting such a great party every week! 🙂
K.
Natasha In Oz
Thanks for sharing your great ideas at the Say G’Day linky party. I’ve just pinned this to the Say G’Day Saturday board.
Hope you are having a great week.
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
Kristi
That’s great. Thanks so much Natasha. I love being a part of Say G’day every week.
K.
Gail Shafer
My husband and I down sized to a 1200sq home! I love small spaces! I have a small bath off of my bedroom, a sink but no counter. I used a roller cart that hairdressers use, it has about 4 pull out drawers in it that I use for makeup and I put a round piece of wood on top and a round skirt! I use it as an end table in my bedroom, and when I need to use it I just roll it to the bathroom door! The cart really works !
Kristi
Wow Gail, it sounds like you’ve adjusted quite well to living in a small space. Your cart idea is brilliant. Thanks so much for sharing.
K.