Budget Creative Storage Solutions for Small Kitchens

One of the worst experiences for even a mediocre cook is having to work in a kitchen that is far too small for all of your cookware and kitchen supplies. However, there are some ways in which you can stretch the space in your kitchen to make even the smallest kitchen efficient in its storage of everything you need.

Small Kitchen Storage Solution: Countertops

One of the first things to consider when your kitchen cabinets won't hold everything is whether you can store some items on the countertops. For example, many people keep their cooking and stirring utensils in a crock next to the stove rather than keeping them in a drawer. Or instead of keeping your silverware in a drawer, find a silverware chest and keep it on the counter. Small appliances that you use often can be stored on counters instead of in the depths of cabinets, as can cookbooks. Just make sure to leave yourself space on the counters to actually cook.

Small Kitchen Storage Solution: Walls

Many things you use regularly in your kitchen can be hung from hooks on your walls. From pots and pans to your potholders and towels (paper and cloth), walls will hold a lot of items. This has the added benefit over the countertops of not using a surface that could otherwise be used for prep space when cooking.

Small Kitchen Storage Solution: Under-Bar Shelving

If your kitchen is designed so it has a bar, instead of lining up barstools there, you could put shelves under it and keep things there. When my kitchen didn't have a pantry, we set up very inexpensive metal shelves under the bar to store our dry and canned foods, along with some serving bowls. It is very handy, hidden fairly well, and provides us with the extra storage space we needed.

Small Kitchen Storage Solution: Efficient Use of Lower Cabinets

If your lower cabinets are very tall, and you aren't using the full height, you could buy some inexpensive shelves to put in there and create twice as much shelf space. With a couple pieces of wood nailed into the sides of your cabinets as support, and a large plank of wood resting on them, you can turn your messy pots and pans area into a large area for pots and a smaller shelf on top for pans.

Small Kitchen Storage Solution: Dining Room

When your dishes just aren't fitting in your kitchen, consider whether you could keep them in your dining room instead. It makes perfect sense because that is where you use them, and getting rid of all those plates and cups will free up a lot of cabinet space for your other items. You can also keep serving bowls and silverware in your dining room if you need to.

Small Kitchen Storage Solution: Pack them Away

If you have place settings for 16 people, but you rarely have use for more than 8 at a time, one way to free up kitchen space is to store the other place settings in a different room. That way you can pull them out when you need them, but meanwhile, they aren't getting in the way. You can also think about other things in your kitchen that you rarely use and move them to another room so they don't take up valuable storage space in your small kitchen.