I’m excited to share a few of my favorite ideas that make our tiny kitchen work for our family. These ideas are brought to you by Sears Home Appliances and Services.
For many of us, the holidays mean quality time in the kitchen. And even though we live in a small space, we’re cooking and baking and prepping for holiday meals at the barn, too.
Our entire apartment (at 320 square feet) is less than the size of some of those beautiful magazine kitchens. But our kitchen allows us to do everything we need – even though the space may be smaller than most are used to.
I get a lot of questions about how we like living in such a small space, and I’ve covered some of our thoughts here and here. But I’ve never talked specifically about the heart of most homes (including ours) – the kitchen.
Here are a few tricks and tips for making the most of a small kitchen – our own tiny kitchen and appliance hacks, if you will. (And most of these tips are great for any size kitchen, too.)
1. Find a place for everything.
This is more of a tip and less of a hack, but when you don’t have a lot of space, everything MUST have a home. If there’s lots of space, you don’t have to worry about it. But in a tiny kitchen, every spoon, plate and small appliance must have a place to be stored.
After you choose the best appliances and layout the space, there’s only so much space left.
In our case, anything new we bring into the space means something has to go away. The only thing that is allowed on the countertop is our coffeemaker. (Because, priorities.) Otherwise, items are stored away when not in use.
2. Use that vertical space.
In a similar way, every inch counts in a small space. Get the most of your kitchen by using those walls.
We only had space for one long shelf, but by installing a hanging rail underneath, we can store mugs, utensils, and dishwashing supplies.
On the side of the cabinet near our microwave, I also mounted our spice rack. This is a great way to keep these items close-at-hand, and out of the way.
3. Keep a list going.
A grocery list is important for any family and kitchen. But if you don’t start making the list until you are on the way to the store, you will miss plenty of important things you need.
Our solution is a magnetic list that we keep on the side of our fridge with a pen. The rule is that if you use the last of an item, you write it on the list. If you don’t write it, it’s not going to be purchased.
This is a great habit to start – we rarely miss the items we really need. And by sticking to the list, we keep our food budget low and waste less food.
4. Keep your freezer organized.
There are other ways to use lists to stay organized. For the past three years, we’ve purchased a part of a beef cow in the fall. It means we have a freezer full of ground beef, roasts and steaks. But it can also be easy to lose track of what we have.
Our solution isn’t fancy, but I write the quantity of each cut of beef we have on the top of the freezer using a dry erase marker. When I pull out a pound of ground beef, I just erase the number and rewrite the current amount.
This is a very low-tech way to keep track of what we have and need to use.
5. Think twice about cleaning supplies.
In a kitchen, cleaning supplies can take up an entire cabinet. But when there are only a few cabinets, cutting back on cleaning supplies can be a great way to free up space.
I limit my cleaning supplies to just a few things – Clorox wipes, Swiffer floor cleaners and EnviroCloths (from Norwex). The cloths and a dusting mitt are always hanging above my sink where they are easy to grab and use.
6. Make the most of the oven.
In larger kitchens, there is plenty of storage space for larger items – like roasters and deep crocks. But in our kitchen – that’s a luxury we don’t have. Many of the one-time-use items are stored away, but some things get used more often. Almost all of our pots and pans fit in the drawer under the oven. But some things are just too large.
My solution? Storage inside the oven. (Safety note: Please be sure that anything you have inside wouldn’t cause a fire if the oven is turned on. And to avoid preheating the oven with items inside, I put a magnet next to the display to remind me to take the pot out of the oven.)
7. Use crates and baskets.
Just like organizing other rooms, the kitchen can benefit from crates and baskets. I like to corral oversized items like bags of chips in a large crate on top of the fridge. (The top of the fridge can also be a great place to store small appliances and other rarely-used items.)
8. Skip the one-use items.
I am a sucker for gimmicks. If you tell me I need a mini pie maker, I will add it to my Christmas list. But then, I will never use it. (Ask me if this actually happened.)
Because I don’t really need to make mini-pies. Sorry, mini pie-maker.
When we moved into a smaller space, all those one-trick ponies got the boot. Instead, I’ve invested in small appliances, cooking utensils, and pots and pans that really get used! That means I spend a little more on quality pots and pans or a better quality coffee-maker, because they are used almost every day.
And then I don’t have to find space to store things I’ll never use.
9. Make your kitchen kid-friendly.
My three-year-old loves to be self-sufficient. And I love when I don’t have to get everything for him.
That’s why we store all of his snacks in a bottom drawer where he can reach. And that’s also why we have a bottom drawer in the fridge that’s perfect for items he eats. I also like to store cleaned and chopped fruits and vegetables in that drawer for Henry.
10. Choose appliances that make sense for your home – and your family.
It may be pretty easy to convince a tiny home dweller to purchase smaller appliances to save space.
But in our case, a full size fridge and oven were non-negotiables. Had we purchased a tiny fridge or oven, it wouldn’t have suited our family and our needs. Instead, we chose a 30 inch fridge (considered “small” to today’s standards, but still plenty large for our family). And a counter-depth fridge would also be an amazing choice for small spaces.
We eat at home every day – many days, all three meals are made at home. That means that we need the space to store and cook food. By making the most of space we do have, following a few of the above hacks, and being honest about our needs, we have a space (and appliances) that works well for our family.
11. Get expert help.
You don’t have to choose appliances on your own. While the wealth of knowledge on the Internet can be tempting, there are experts at Sears Home Appliances and Services who can help.
Your job? Live in your home and love it. Their job? Help you find the appliances that will make you love your home even more. Turn to them for expert advice about appliances, repair, parts, warranties and home improvement.
And now, I want your best tips …
What are your favorite kitchen hacks?
Thank you to Sears Home Appliances and Services for sponsoring this post. And thanks to each of you for supporting NewlyWoodwards sponsors.
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Victoria Frazier says
I too can see every room in our cabin by standing in the kitchen. Ours being only 624 sq. feet. I feel so blessed that the kitchen is a decent size consiring how small the place is. I and my husband created an island that I store all my teas (hundreds of them) and my heavy cast iron pans on. It was originally a drp leaf old-fashioned table that we added 3 shelves to and that is one of my favorite pieces of furniture now. I am in the midst of deciding whether to take the upper cabinet doors off next year or not. I plan on attaching bead board to the fronts of the cabinet doors to reduce the frustration of trying to paint cabinet doors. It’s so much eaiser to paint the bead board. With the cupboards all a creamy white it will make the cabin seem larger. I LOVE my smal home. I feel blessed to have such a gorgeous mountain view put my front windows and only have to work two days a week. It’s all a matter of how we look at it. Big home, stressed out with two people having to work full-time or a smaller home with more time to enjoy the lifestyle that comes with it. I will take the small home hands down any time!
Kim Woodward says
I totally agree! It sounds like you have the perfect space for you. Having this smaller space has been a really wonderful opportunity for our family – and it’s taught me a lot about what we actually “need” to live with. 90 percent of our stuff has been in storage for over a year. And I haven’t even noticed. (Which the exception of our Christmas stuff, I do miss that.) I do look forward to a little more space (and a BEDROOM and a COUCH), but we have a beautiful space in the barn and a gorgeous property. We’re pretty lucky.
Ashlee Michelle says
Great Tips! Thanks for sharing!
We recently (within the last month) moved into a smaller house and it’s been an adjustment for me. Our kitchen is pretty small as well and it doesn’t have a lot of storage, actually this house in general lacks storage. I find myself looking up different ways to create storage and utilize the space that I do have for each room in the house..which in full is: 2 Bedrooms, 1 bath, a living room, and a kitchen. I can stand in the middle of the house and turn in a full circle and see each room. That’s how small it is.
We placed a rack on the back of the door that leads to our backyard and we keep all of the cleaning supplies on that. It has definitely helped a lot. I have a bakers rack that I keep our Kerig Pods, Sugar, and napkins on. And the bottom shelf has our potatos and onions. I love our little kitchen, I put a lot of thought into it..I had too, it’s the smallest kitchen I’ve ever been in.
-Ashlee Michelle
http://www.makeupandmodifieds.blogspot.com
Kim Woodward says
Sounds like great ideas and space-savers, Ashlee! It definitely takes a little (or a lot) of creativity, but it’s doable. We have about 15 percent of the total cabinet space of our last house, and it’s completely doable with some workarounds.
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says
Such great tips. All I use is windex and stiffer pads in my kitchen 😉
Tiffany says
Thanks for the tips!!! Where did you get the spice rack? It’s so cute.
Kim Woodward says
It was actually a wedding gift (8 years ago). I think it was from Bed Bath and Beyond. I’ve just refilled the jars and painted the lids with chalkboard paint.
Rachel says
Great ideas! Especially on getting rid of the one-trick pony items. We had an electric sandwich maker for like 4 years before I finally tossed it. Guess how many hot sandwiches we made in it.