I like my kitchen to be a clean and frictionless space so that I can enjoy the time I spend there. An organized kitchen truly makes a difference in your home and when you have limited space every little corner matters. These are simple ways I’ve organized my small kitchen to be both functional and beautiful.
Home hub and utensils
When you have a small kitchen, you usually have limited counter space to work with. I’ve allowed myself one section to lean more into being decorative and aesthetic to add some character to my kitchen.
In this corner right by my oven, I keep my echo show to play music, to ask Alexa to do measurement conversions and set timers while I cook. It’s perfectly handy.
I also keep my wooden utensils and some spatulas that I swap based on the seasons here. I use a planter to store them in as I find the size is more appropriate than actual kitchen utensil holders as the openings on planters tend to be much larger. Don’t be afraid to use items not meant for the kitchen. If it works, it works!
I’ve also added a couple other bits to make the space feel curated such as a candle, a marble spoon rest, a few cookbooks and a beautiful checkered cutting board I found at Homesense.
Products mentioned : Amazon Echo Show // H&M bubble planter. This is no longer available but if you want something similar just type in "bubble planter" and you are bound to find something!
Drinkware
Shelf risers are a complete must to keep cabinets organized in your kitchen. You’ll see I use them anywhere I can. I have limited cabinets and using up the vertical space has created so much additional storage for my glasses and mugs. Try to pick risers that span the entire cabinet length to maximize the space.
I also have taller glasses to store and in that case I use the under cabinet baskets. These allow me to still have tall vertical space available on one side while not losing the vertical space on the other.
I also only keep my current rotation of mugs on the lower shelves. The seasonal mugs I keep stored on the very top shelf of the cabinet (not pictured). I always keep the items that I use the most at arms reach so that I don’t have to pull out my step stool constantly. The rest can be stored on higher shelves or if you don’t have space, consider putting them into storage with your holiday decor.
Products mentioned : I got both the organizers from Homesense so I cannot link them. However, Ikea sells very similar ones as well
Everyday dishes
Similar to the mugs and glasses, shelf risers are a must here too. I like to keep only a couple sets of everyday dishes and bowls. My serveware and guest dishes are stored in my sideboard along with my wine glasses and other hosting essentials.
Cutlery
Cutlery organizers are a tried and true classic. I’ve put mine in horizontally because I wanted the back of the drawer available for more items.
In the back, I popped in some separate bins for reusable straws and knives. I don’t like knife blocks sitting on the counter, especially with limited space.
I also keep one of the organizer sections as a designated catch all. As I don’t have space for a full junk drawer, this little section at the front is perfect for my miscellaneous items such as box cutters, measuring spoons I reach for daily and my food thermometer.
Kitchen gadgets and misc. tools
I love a good kitchen gadget but often they are all different sizes and shapes. This makes them harder to organize.
For the mismatched gadgets and tools I keep them in a deep kitchen drawer in combination with deep organizers. The height of the bins allow the items to be stacked so you can store and pack more into the same bin.
The best way I’ve found to organize these is by sectioning the bins into broad groups. For instance, I have measuring cups and whisks in the back (baking), gadgets such as can openers and lemon squeezers in the middle (special tools) and silicone utensils and tongs at the front (classic utensils). I just don’t have enough space to have each one lying in its own section.
If you have deep drawers, pick organizers with height and corral your items by type.
Spice jars
I bought this organizer from Homesense and the little spice jars are from the dollar store. I labelled them and only keep my most used spices in here along with seasoning packets. This is stored in the skinny cabinet right above my oven. It’s easy to pull out the entire bin while I’m cooking and for my less commonly used spices I keep them in their original packaging in the back of the cabinet.
Tupperware and other food storage bits
I use this other deep drawer for my tupperware again because I can use the height of the drawer to stack items.
Try to get your tupperware in a set so that they can be organized more easily as they will match. I love the IKEA ones with the bamboo lids. I have those in a variety of shapes. Then I supplemented a couple more pieces like some glass containers with dividers for snacks and some berry bins. I remove the lids off of most the containers and keep them corralled in a separate bin. I also keep my Ziploc and Ello reusable bags in this drawer.
If I need to store food whether it be in the refrigerator or to pack a snack for work, it’s all in the same place.
Products mentioned : Ikea bamboo tupperware // ello reusable food storage bags
Pots, pans and small appliances
I have two of these deep and tall lower cabinets. I use one as a pantry (that’s a post for another day!) and I use this one for all my bulky but most used items.
Again, shelf risers really help here! I dislike having to move everything to grab something so this limits how much I have to do that.
I also try to limit as much as possible the appliances I keep around. My most used appliances are my panini press that has swappable plates so it’s multi-use and my blender. I keep the extra accessories for it that I barely use in the cabinets above my fridge. There’s also my air fryer but it’s so bulky that I keep that in the closet right by the kitchen. I also keep all my mixing bowls nested together. Again, when you have limited space picking items that nest really helps with space maximization. I also setup a cookware organizer in the back of the bottom shelf so that my pans are easy to grab and I’ve popped in some cutting boards as well in the sections.
Products mentioned : Joseph Joseph cookware organizer
These were a couple ways I’ve organized my small kitchen to work for me. Think about how you spend your time in your kitchen and through trial and error you’ll be able to create an organized space and system that fits best with your daily life.
