7 Small Kitchen Design Hacks to Maximize Your Tiny Space

Transform your petit kitchen into a functional and more spacious-feeling area.

Do you have a small kitchen? Sometimes it feels like you have to play Tetris in the pantry and cupboards or maybe you can't afford to fit an air fryer on your counter. Kitchens are often described as the heart of the home, but sometimes when your space is tiny, it really doesn't feel that way.

Tiny kitchens are very much a part of big city living these days, but it doesn’t mean you can’t make them work in your favour. Having a less-than-large kitchen just means you need to get more creative with your use of the space.

Often, it comes down to storage tricks and hacks, a few gadgets that will make your life easier, and letting the light in. Take cues from these seven hacks that will help you maximize your limited space.

1. Don’t forget the hidden storage potential

There are plenty of nooks, even in the tiniest of kitchens, that can be maximised. The top of your fridge is a great place for keeping alcohol and all your drinking essentials. An unused corner can be covered with hooks for hanging utensils. A little space between cabinets can be fitted with small shelves, which are perfect for storing spices. No matter how small, there’s always a way to use the space in a way that works for you.

2. Open shelves are your friend

Not enough space for cupboards or a pantry? No problem. Open shelving has become a major design trend in kitchens in the past few years, which is great because they’re a great way to maximise wall space and use it as storage. Often, open shelves are a way of getting something on a wall when there’s not enough room for a full cabinet, but they are also a chic way of keeping all your gorgeous kitchenware on hand and easily accessible. Use the lower shelves to keep all your most frequently used items and higher, more difficult-to-reach shelves for the special occasion pieces.

3. Use the wall space you have

There are plenty of gadgets that can help you maximise what you have when it comes to wall space. Magnetic strips can be affixed to the walls near your stove so you can store knives and other utensils, or you can hang hooks on a blank bit of wall so you can hang up bigger pots and pans – or even your tea towels and aprons.

4. Go high

Have you got space above your cupboards that you aren’t sure how to use? When in doubt, go for storage. This is a great place to keep everything you don’t use often. Think: Christmas decorations or party supplies, speciality baking materials or other bits and bobs that are infrequently employed. You can buy some inexpensive wicker baskets with lids, and label them so that you know where everything is, and store them up high above the cabinets. Empty space, no longer!

5. The chop

This is a trick for those of you who are struggling with bench space. A big chopping board, either cut to size to fit over your sink or large enough that it covers the space entirely, is a way to add more preparation area to your kitchen. Easily removable when you need to use the sink, it will give you just that extra bit of space when it comes to cooking and preparing and can be easily and inexpensively bought from a hardware store or kitchen supply shop.

6. Cut back on the clutter

Clutter is the enemy of small spaces. If your kitchen benches are crowded with things – and likewise your pantry or cupboards – it will make the space feel even smaller. Spend a weekend organising your kitchen, decanting pantry staples into matching labelled jars or containers to keep things neat behind closed doors. If you have to keep certain things out on the bench, try to go for a uniform look. In drawers, dividers will help keep everything in its place. The result will be a kitchen that feels functional and, crucially, a little larger than the small space it occupies.

7. Let the light in

Light is always going to be your friend when it comes to tiny homes. The more light you can get into a small room, the bigger and airier it will feel. Have you got a window that is currently curtained over in your kitchen? Take that curtain down. Is storage blocking the only light source? Find a new place to store those boxes or utensils. Get as much light into the space as you can and see how much bigger it feels.

Transform your petit kitchen into a functional and more spacious-feeling area.

7 Small Kitchen Design Hacks to Maximize Your Tiny Space

Transform your petit kitchen into a functional and more spacious-feeling area.

1. Don’t forget the hidden storage potential

2. Open shelves are your friend

3. Use the wall space you have

4. Go high

5. The chop

6. Cut back on the clutter

7. Let the light in

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