Small Space Kitchen Ideas for Storage and Counter Space

The first time I saw my apartment, I fell in love with the hardwood floors, the large windowsills, and the old-school feel of the building. What I did not fall in love with, however, was the cramped kitchen with minimal counter space and few storage cabinets. You’d have to see it to believe it. One of my friends remarked skeptically, “Oh, what a…cozy...kitchen. Umm…good luck.” But I like to swim upstream, so I figured could employ some small space kitchen ideas to maximize storage and counter space. Even for someone like me, who cooks less frequently than the average American, the small kitchens in some studio apartments can be challenging. With planning and creativity, though, the obstacle of small space can be overcome.

Here are my top 10 small space kitchen ideas:

Identify your least-used appliances or gadgets and store them outside of your kitchen. If you seriously think you’re going to use that turkey roaster on a daily basis, then I’m concerned about you. All of us keep things in our kitchen that we rarely use. My “bimonthly” crockpot is the perfect example. Since I have plenty of other storage space in my studio, my crock pot found a different home, next to some linens in my bathroom closet. Is it a little weird? Yes. Does it free up space in the small kitchen with minimal daily impact? You bet.

Use your fridge for more than just perishables. One day I realized that I had nearly no cupboard space while my fridge was somewhat empty. I decided it might be worth keeping some otherwise nonperishable items in the fridge. While it looks a little odd at first, an unopened box of cereal or rice-a-roni in the fridge frees more of my limited cabinet space. [This small space kitchen idea will not work if you already maintain a full fridge, of course.]

Kitchen storage ideas can be functional AND fun. Read about my homemade silverware caddy and how it eliminated the need for plastic trays like this one.

Credit: Martin Zager

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