A small kitchen can feel crowded if overcrowded, so decluttering is an essential first step in any small kitchen remodel. Keep the best nutcrackers and cheese graters, and toss the rest.
Boost storage with shelves beside closed cabinets, giving you the easy-to-reach functionality of open shelving while maintaining a clean, streamlined look.
5 Space-Saving Tips For A Small Kitchen Remodel
1. Open Shelving
The kitchen is a busy room with many items to store, from fresh ingredients to food prep tools and dishes. But upper cabinets can make a space feel closed in and boxy, so it’s often best to minimize or remove them in favor of open shelving.
While open shelves add visual appeal and make it easier to see items, they also require more maintenance than cabinetry. Since everything on the shelves is on display, homeowners must diligently dust and keep the shelves clean.
A great alternative to entire walls of open shelving is installing a buffet or a set of glass front cabinets that will give you the look of available storage without completely boxing in the kitchen. This way, you can still reach everyday items like glasses and plates while displaying your favorite decorative pieces.
2. Open Upper Shelves
One of the most popular kitchen trends, like in small kitchen remodel Tacoma, is to skip upper cabinetry, giving your small kitchen a clean and airy look. If your roofline prevents this option, opt for well-placed open shelves to store a curated collection of items you’re happy to show off, like canisters and mugs.
This storage strategy also forces you to review and edit your belongings. Keep only the best-looking or most-used pieces and toss the rest. This minimalist approach can make your room more prominent by welcoming light and visual space into the area instead of closing it off with crowded cabinetry.
If you want the convenience of cabinets but love the look of open shelving, combine the two with intelligent solutions like drawer organizers that morph into open shelves. Or run cabinets to the ceiling, another great way to draw the eye upward and create the illusion of a bigger room.
3. Drawer Organizers
In a small kitchen, items can quickly turn into a jumbled mess. Organizers help to streamline access and eliminate clutter, says Saltman. Look for drawer organizers that are trimable to fit a specific space (like this wood-trimable pegboard) and have multiple compartments to hold utensils, cookware, and more.
Shelving can also become cluttered without proper organizing, so opt for shelves with open backs that let the contents breathe. Use labeled containers to avoid over-stuffing, and consider adding dowel rods to cabinets or shelves to hang kitchen utensils or other small items, like pot lids.
For example, hanging adhesive hooks on the side of a cabinet can corral aprons and brooms and free up counter space. You can also place a cutlery tray in a small drawer to keep it from getting crowded.
4. Pull-Out Shelves
Unlike simple shelves, pull-out shelves glide forward on rails and often have a shallow lip that prevents items from sliding off as they move. Custom-designed to suit various kitchen styles and needs, they’re an efficient storage option that can be incorporated into base cabinets or even an island.
End your search for that elusive saucepan lid with a customized two-tiered pull-out that maximizes space and accessibility. This intelligent kitchen storage idea also keeps bulky pots and pans off the counter and in a more stable position that reduces scuffing.
Add more storage to your kitchen without reducing counter or sink work areas by utilizing open shelving for cookbooks, pantry ingredients, and dishes. Consider adding hooks along a shelf to hang mugs and utensils, too.
5. Pull-Out Cabinets
Whether using them to store dishes, mugs, or food jars, kitchen cabinets with pull-out shelves make items easy to see and access. They also let you quickly put them back in place.
These shelving solutions are called by various names, including slide-out shelves, sliding drawers, and roll-out shelf inserts. Their primary function is to increase usable storage space by making items accessible in cabinetry.
They’re great for taller base cabinets where a door may interfere with reaching the top shelves. You can even add them in a corner for more storage without compromising floor space. They’re instrumental in the narrow space around a kitchen sink, enabling you to reach items stored above the plumbing. They’re also suitable for storing items like spices or bulk pantry staples.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.