I used to hate my kitchen.
I felt trapped in the uninspiring space, or lack thereof.
The little counter space we did have was always taken up by dishes that either needed to be washed or put away or both.
I knew something needed to change, and I wasn’t willing to keep waiting until the elusive “someday” when I could finally move to a better kitchen.
The most impactful shift I made was to begin using a lens of gratitude and abundance. That completely opened up my perspective to discover better solutions for how to make the most of a small kitchen, and now I truly feel like I’m in a completely new kitchen!
One of the most important things to keep in mind with small kitchen organization is that you really don’t need as much stuff as you have probably been conditioned to think you need.
Everyone has their own value scale that includes some combination of convenience/efficiency, budget, comfort, and style. You just have to weigh each aspect of your kitchen to decide what’s most important to you and what you don’t mind compromising.
Here are the methods and principles I implemented that have helped us make the most of our small kitchen and actually enjoy using it, finally!
- 1 plate, bowl, and cup per person, and everyone knows whose is whose (either slightly different complementary items, or color or pattern coded/marked) <— huge simplifier and space-saver!
- Everyone is in charge of washing and keeping track of their personal items (I really love this one 😉 )
- Only keep things we actually use on a regular basis (we got rid of our rolling pin, for example)
- Try out secondhand equipment to see if it’s something that really enhances your kitchen experience (I don’t know how many times I’ve thought I wanted a kitchen tool only to realize I was wrong, and I didn’t feel bad getting rid of it since I hadn’t spent much on it to begin with)
- Utilize multifunctional kitchen tools and appliances as much as possible
- There’s a basket, bin, or tray for that 😉 (you might be surprised how effective corralling can be)
- Layer your organization (think up and multi-level)
- Re-evaluate every month or two until your systems are honed in (It’s SO easy to get stuck with kitchen organization ideas and end up for years storing things in ways that aren’t serving you at all!)
If you’re not convinced about cutting down on dishes, maybe this relatable TikTok will help 😀
What’s missing from this list?