So, you finally moved into a tiny apartment. Congrats! But you found that the cozy little kitchen is feeling less cozy and more microscopic every single day. Do you pack up and head back to Connecticut? No, of course not. You follow these seven no-brainer tips that will help you save space in your tiny kitchen:
1. Use the top of your refrigerator for storage.
Alongside organizing your fridge intelligently and making sure it never gets overfilled with food you don’t plan to eat but bought because you were hungry at the grocery store, use the top of your fridge as a spot for storage.
That’s right, those precious few inches between the fridge and your ceiling is now a home for your pots, pants, cereal boxes, skillets, tin cans, Mason jars, blender, coffee maker, and anything else that will fit.
Be wary of dust, though, as it’s a spot that most people overlook. But then again, that’s what feather dusters are for.
2. Ditch chairs for stools.
High-backed chairs are out, small stools are way, way in. Not only are they cheap, but they can easily fit underneath your kitchen table for when nobody’s in the house. And then come out to play when you have people over. People who will feel like they’re in a swanky underground bar in Europe.
Alternatively, you can opt for some tasteful folding chairs. They (obviously) fold up and can be hidden, or hung, in a closet.
3. Think outside the cabinet.
If you’re anything like me and need at least three mugs of coffee before the break of dawn, you probably spend a good amount of time opening and closing your cabinets and scrounging around for a clean mug that’s devoid of brown stains.
Instead of storing coffee mugs in your cabinet, proudly hang them on hooks for all to see. Warning: this may give your caffeine addiction away.
4. DIY a shelf.
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times: install a shelf on your wall and store anything that can fit on it. Just make sure that it’s sturdy and doesn’t jut too far out into your kitchen.
In fact, try putting a shelf near the refrigerator or anywhere the wall dips in. It’s yet another way to use every inch of space without spending the time or money on a hefty butcher’s block.
5. Install wire racks in cabinets.
Installing wire racks in your cabinets may seem unnecessary. Until you see that they actually let you use the storage space more efficiently. Plus, wire racks will help you remember what goes where. Because you wouldn’t want to be caught dead putting a bowl in a plate area.
6. Use smaller appliances.
Let’s face it, we all want the fancy chrome espresso maker that costs more than a new car doused in gold. But it’s just not a practical move to have an appliance of that girth in such a small kitchen.
Consider downsizing your espresso maker to a French press, stovetop espresso maker, or small percolator. Sure, espresso from a machine that’s worth a small country is divine, but so is only spending $10 on a stovetop espresso maker that gets the job done.
7. Mount storage solutions to walls.
If you have more pots and pans than you have space to hold them, try hanging them on the wall with S-shaped hooks. The constant sight of the pans might even inspire you to order less fast food and cook more. Or you’ll bump into them every day and swear off cooking forever. It’s up to you.
This article was written by Charles Adams, a Connecticut-born writer who currently resides in Brooklyn and has written for a multitude of men’s interests sites under a number of pseudonyms.
