I am an expert on small kitchens. It has not been my choice but it is just the way it is. Only once did I have a home that had my dream kitchen, it was large enough that we could make over 100 donuts at a time and have them rising on the counter top without them being in the way of food preparation or anything else. This was nice when the 4-H cooking club came over to cook.
If you are 'hungry' for more space in your kitchen first take a good look it objectively. Organizing small spaces take some thought and perhaps ingenuity. If you can't see the forest for the trees ask a friend, family member or professional organizer to take a look at your space and see if they can find more room and cupboard space in ways that you haven't seen.
My one daughter had been out of our home for over six years. She bought a beautiful armoire which is in a room just off the dining area of our kitchen. She had stored some of her things in it like quilts, candles and dishes. One day another daughter said to me, "Why don't you box up those items and move them to the storage shed in the back yard". That was the best idea ever. Being so close to the kitchen this is premium space. I wondered why I had never thought of this.
I immediately started to use this space for my kitchen items that I use fairly often but don't have space for in my kitchen. Over sized items fit nicely like my Kitchen Aid mixer, waffle iron, hand mixer, steamer, and indoor grill to name a few. I can also store food that I have purchased in bulk like gummy snacks, and cake mixes. I keep table runners on one of the shelves and muffin tins and specialty cake pans. The ideas are endless.
Even with a whole 'cupboard' I hadn't had before I wanted extra room in this space and I wanted to utilize the space better. I purchased removable selves and this increased the space even more.
Another place to store large appliances that are used once in awhile is the garage, if it is right off the kitchen. Metal shelves can be assembled and used for things like a bread maker, large stock pot, canning supplies, meat grinder, wheat grinder and other appliances that need to be close to the kitchen but not in the kitchen.
If you have a small space where a rolling cart with a shelf under it could hold a mixer or some other appliance this could be an option for more storage space. There are a lot of places that sell cupboards readymade or ones you can put together yourself which are inexpensive yet could be just the extra cupboard you need to make your kitchen bigger without tearing out walls or tearing out your hair. Perhaps a corner shelf could hold extra dishes, glasses or mixes used in cooking.
Take a look around your kitchen and evaluate how you can make your small spaces work for you.
Marilyn's bio
Marilyn is a creative organizer who helps women, seniors and their families create space and end clutter in their homes and offices by setting up custom made systems. Marilyn invites you to visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find solutions to your organizing needs. She offers free tips in her blogs, articles and videos for your home and office organizing solutions. |
