Home » Misc » Shelving for small kitchens

Shelving for small kitchens


25 Best Small Kitchen Storage & Design Ideas

Kitchen

Small Space Living

Storage

Surprising Ideas

by Alyssa Longobucco

updated Dec 2, 2021

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

No one ever has enough kitchen storage or counter space. Literally, no one. So if your kitchen is relegated to, say, just a few cabinets in the corner of a room, you likely really feel the stress of figuring out how to make everything work. Luckily, this is something we specialize in, here at Kitchn. So we’ve rounded up the 25 very best ideas of all time to help you make the most of the space you do have.

These ideas — including smart cabinet solutions and sneaky little tricks — just might help you feel like you’ve doubled your kitchen’s square footage.

1. Add hooks all over the place!

We’re hooked on hooks! They can turn your apron collection or all your cutting boards into a focal point! And free up other space.

2. Store stuff out in the open.

No pantry? No problem! Put your most-used ingredients on a pretty dessert stand or lazy Susan and show them off! This will free up cabinet space and also make it easier for you to grab what you need while you’re working. While you’re at it, consider leaving your Dutch oven or prettiest cookware out on the stovetop.

3. Put little corners to good use.

Keep a vintage wooden crate in the corner of the kitchen to store jars and display plants. The point? Even teeny tiny spaces can be turned into storage.

4. Use windowsills as storage.

If you’re lucky enough to have a window in your kitchen, think about how you can use the sill as storage. Maybe you can put some plants on it? Or your favorite cookbooks?

5. Hang a pegboard.

Your walls can hold more than you think they can. (Think: pots, pans, and even canisters that can hold utensils.) Instead of hanging a couple of more limiting shelves, try a pegboard, which adds very flexible storage space that can be adjusted over time as your needs change.

Read more: 8 Ways to Use a Pegboard to Make Your Kitchen Better

6. Use the tops of your cabinets.

The tops of your cabinets offer prime real estate for storage. Way up there, you can stash special-occasion serving platters and even extra pantry supplies that you don’t need just yet. If you’re worried about how it will all look, consider using some pretty baskets to hide your stash.

7. Consider a fold-down table.

Don’t think you have room for a table? Think again! A fold-down table (on a wall, in front of a window, or hanging off a bookshelf) almost always works. This way, you can use it when you need and get it up and out of the way when you don’t.

8. Get cute folding chairs and hang them up.

Whether you end up going with that fold-down table or not, you can free up some floor space by hanging your dining chairs when you’re not using them. (In case you haven’t noticed yet, we’re huge fans of hanging as many things as possible!)

9.

Turn your backsplash into storage.

10. Turn cabinet and pantry shelves into drawers.

We love a shelf when it’s on the wall but when it’s in a cabinet or a pantry, it can be really hard to see what’s buried deep in the back. That’s why, especially in small kitchens (where there’s not a lot of room to get in there), we prefer drawers. If you can’t renovate, simply add baskets to these shelves so that you can pull them out to access what’s in the back.

11. And use (little!) shelves wherever you can!

Again, we’re not anti-shelves. We just prefer narrow ones over deep ones so that nothing gets lost. How narrow? Really narrow! Like, just deep enough for one row of bottles or jars. Stick to narrow shelves and you can also put them nearly anywhere.

Related: Why Shallow Pantry Shelves Are the Best Shelves

12. Use your windows as storage.

You might never dream of blocking any of that precious natural light, but this Chicago apartment may get you thinking differently. The designer who lives there made the bold decision to hang her collection of pots and pans in front of her kitchen window. Thanks to a uniform collection and pop-y orange handles, it ends up turning into a fun focal point that is smart storage, too.

Tour this space: Lauren’s Bold Chicago Apartment Bursting With DIY Projects at Apartment Therapy

13. Put your dishes on display.

If you lack enough cabinet space to store all your dishes, steal a page from this food stylist in California and put them on display somewhere else. Get a freestanding shelf or bookcase (ideally one that’s tall so that you don’t need to give up a lot of floor space for it) and load it up. No room in your kitchen area? Steal space from the living area instead.

14. Steal space from neighboring rooms.

And that bring us to our next point. So your kitchen is only five square feet? Try stealing a few extra inches from an adjacent room.

Tour the rest of the space: Danielle’s Bright & Multi-Functional Top Floor Apartment at Apartment Therapy

15.

Turn the top of your fridge into a pantry.

We’ve seen the top of the fridge used to store all sorts of stuff. Sadly, it often looks messy or wasteful, but a curated selection of your most-used pantry ingredients will look nice. And it’ll make things easy to grab in a pinch.

16. Hang a magnetic knife rack.

When countertop space is at a premium, every square inch counts. Squeeze out a bit more room by taking your cutlery to the walls with a magnetic knife strip. You can even use it to hang things that aren’t knives.

17. Seriously, hang everything you possibly can.

Pots, spoons, mugs … anything that can be hung should be hung. Hanging things up frees up cabinet and counter space. And it turns your stuff into decorations!

18. Use the sides of your cabinets.

If you have cabinets that don’t butt up against a wall, you’ve got a few square feet of bonus storage space. It’s true! You can hang a pot rail, add shelves, and more.

19. And the bottoms.

Just when you think your cabinets are totally full and they can’t possibly hold another thing, consider the undersides of them! You can add hooks to the bottoms to hold mugs and small tools. Or use magnetic strips to make a floating spice rack.

See the rest of this kitchen: A Baker’s “Hip Grandma” Small Studio Apartment in Chicago at Apartment Therapy

20. And the inside of all your doors.

21. Add a mirror.

A mirror (even a small one) does a lot to make a space feel bigger (thanks to all that reflected light!). Plus, you can check it out see what sorts of funny faces you make while you stir or chop.

22. Add shelf risers wherever you can.

Put shelf risers in your cabinets and add attractive shelf risers to your counter to double up on storage space where you can.

Tour this space: Melissa and Sonny’s Countryside Sanctuary Among the Rolling Hills at Apartment Therapy

23.

Put a small utility cart to work.

We like either IKEA’s Raskog cart or this round one from Target, which is actually the perfect for Instant Pot home base. They have a small footprint, but still have plenty of room for storage. And because they’re on wheels, they can be pushed into a closet or the corner of a room and pulled out to meet you at your workspace when you need it.

24. Turn your stovetop into extra counter space.

25. Ditto for your sink.

These tiny house owners put a gorgeous cutting board over half of their sink to add more counter space. By only covering half, you can still access the sink if you need to rinse anything.

Do you have any other tips and tricks? Share them in the comments below.

21 Small Kitchen Storage Ideas That Actually Work

By

Grace Gallagher

Grace Gallagher

Grace Gallagher is a lifestyle expert and writer with five years of experience covering home furnishings, storage, and organization.  She has also written for Greatist, Veracity Selfcare, Brit + Co, and others. Grace also taught creative writing workshops in Portland, Oregon.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 01/07/22

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

A small kitchen can be frustrating, especially if you love to cook or entertain. But even the tiniest spaces can be functional (and even fun to be in), and these clever storage solutions for small kitchens will inspire you to take your kitchen from cramped and cluttered to organized and airy.

From behind-the-door storage to lazy Susans and stackable bins, here are small, easy tweaks you can make so your space feels bigger and more organized. When you have a space for everything, you can spend more time cooking and eating and less time looking for a spice or gadget you know you have crammed deep in a drawer elsewhere in your home.

The Best Kitchen Cabinet Organizers for Every Storage Woe

Small racks for the kitchen (70 photos)

1

kitchen IKEA KILE


2

Decorative regiments for the kitchen


3

ICEA kitchen
4

Country kitchen Ikea


5

rods for kitchen utensils


Small kitchen shelving


7

Kitchen shelving


8

Small kitchen shelving


9

Open shelves for dishes in the kitchen


10

Organization of space in the pantry


11

Shelves for the pantry


12

Rabers in the pantry


13,0002 racks for the kitchen pantry


Unusual rack on the kitchen


15,000 3,000,0003

Shelving in the kitchen


16

Shelving in the end of the kitchen


17

Pantry Ivar ikea


18

Fine stor


19

Storage for storage in the kitchen


Open shelves in the kitchen


21

Industrial Pantry Shelving


22

Kitchen with metal shelves


23

Open shelves for dishes


24

Open shelters on the kitchen 9000
25

Open shelving with shelves for the kitchen


26

Beautiful shelving for the kitchen


27

Shelves on the wall


28

How to decorate the shelves in the kitchen for the new year


29

Rabbage to the kitchen


30

kitchen in the village style


31

Organization of space in the kitchen


32

Rabers for the kitchen Wooden

33

ICILIS IKEA Roster in the interior

9000 34 9000

Kitchen hanging rack


36

Kitchen pantry


37

Kitchen dish rack


38

Kitchen decor with open shelves


39

Shelving in the kitchen with products


40

Household shelves


41

Kitchen with open shelves of cells


42

Pantry in the kitchen


43

Before Kitchen Storage
44

Horizontal openerworms in the kitchen

9000 45 9000 with shelves in the kitchen


46

Narrow pantry in the kitchen


47

Microwave cabinet for IKEA kitchen


48

White shelving for the kitchen


49

Manhattan


50

Shellput stands for plates in a cabinet


51

Book rack in the kitchen


52

Narrow shelves for the kitchen


53

Open regiments in the kitchen

9000 54

Wooden Roles in the Kuis 9000 9000

55

Interesting decor for the kitchen


56

Ikea open shelf for the kitchen


57

Ikea loft rack


58

KUNGSFORS KUNGSFORS


59

Shelves for the pantry


60

Shelves for tea


61

Loft Loft Interior


62

Open shelves

63

Open regiments in the kitchen

9000

65

Rustic shelving unit


66

Kitchen open shelving


67

Ikea kitchen shelves


68
69
70

Design of a very small kitchen (80+ real photos)

It's no secret that the most frequently visited place by the hostess is the kitchen. However, not all women are owners of a large kitchen. And so you want this room to be functional, comfortable, and most importantly, cozy.

Designers' advice will come to help in solving this problem, which you can use and turn the proposed ideas into reality.

Contents

Which layout to choose

Square kitchen

Corner sets are suitable for square kitchens. In them, you can conveniently distinguish between a working and dining area. With this solution, the refrigerator, sink and stove can be arranged in such a way that they form a working triangle. Everything you need will be within walking distance.

An oval dining table can be placed opposite the set. This table can accommodate a large number of people.

If the design of the kitchen is quite small, for example, 2*2 m, then a folding table will do.

Wide window can be used as a dining area.

Rectangular kitchen

Rectangular kitchens are best placed along the walls. Instead of a dining table, it is better to give preference to a bar counter.

To visually expand the room, you can hang a large mirror on the walls or install a mirror kitchen apron.

For this option, it is preferable to choose curtains with a large pattern.

Extra light needs to be considered as the work area needs to be well lit. If the window is small or located on one wall, lighting is indispensable.

Small kitchen doors can be sliding to save space.

Irregular kitchen

These rooms usually have niches, spaces or ledges. The built-in closet fits perfectly into the recesses of the walls. It can accommodate kitchen utensils, household appliances.

A refrigerator or an unusual built-in bar counter can also take a place in a niche. It is better to make a kitchen set for such a kitchen to order or choose an option in which the doors of the upper cabinets will rise vertically.

Rules for choosing furniture for a small kitchen

  1. You should be guided, first of all, by the issue of comfort and only then by your own taste preferences. For example, you should not buy a bulky sideboard made of solid wood that you like, which carries a minimum functional load, and at the same time clutters up an already small room.
  2. To begin with, it is necessary to consider all existing types of planning. A kitchen plan drawn on paper will help a lot with this. One of the options is sure to suit the arrangement of a small kitchen.
  3. Hanging cabinets, shelves and other pieces of furniture look much better in small spaces. And you should also choose the highest possible racks, literally resting on the ceiling - they will help save space in the room.
  4. It is recommended to rationally use all free corners by installing headset parts, household appliances and other important elements in them.

When choosing furniture for a small kitchen, one should take into account such parameters as volume and ergonomics. The headset should be as compact as possible externally, but at the same time roomy. You should not choose furniture that resembles a design of huge boxes. It should be quite light and pretty, and occupy all corners, niches and other useless spaces.

The visual perception of the kitchen set also plays a huge role. This means that the color of the furniture that will be installed in a small room is extremely important. Light glossy surfaces will help to visually increase the space.

However, it is not recommended to buy a set that matches the color of the walls exactly. It is also very important to correctly place bright accents that will enliven the room and give it a twist.

Some design tricks can help make your kitchen look bigger. Mirrored surfaces will add depth to the room, exactly the same function is performed by glass doors and shelves, chrome-plated metal handles, and so on. At the same time, it is important to maintain harmony so that the kitchen looks stylish and attractive.

Equally important is the arrangement of furniture in the kitchen. For small spaces, it is recommended to choose a linear or L-shaped layout, abandoning the island, U-shaped and two-line layout. And also for a very small kitchen, built-in furniture is ideal, helping to save space as much as possible.

Choice of household appliances

Every housewife wants to use household appliances that greatly facilitate the process of cooking, these include a food processor, blender, microwave oven, steamer, bread machine, multicooker. And there is also a coffee maker, electric kettle, ice cream maker, toaster. How to place all this in a room that has a very modest size?

Designers advise to use the highest cabinets with deep niches, in which you can easily hide some of these items, taking them out when needed. You can place an electric kettle and a coffee maker on the work surface, as the most commonly used devices.

Narrow cabinets with rolling doors, located between the lower and upper tiers of the headset, are also perfect for storing household appliances.

Narrow dishwashers and ovens save space in the bottom row. The cabinets themselves must be equipped with appropriate mechanisms that provide quick and free access to the necessary devices.

There is a wide choice of such mechanisms - zapachny, folding, with a rotating carousel, folding and so on. Properly organizing the space of a small kitchen is not as difficult as it seems at first glance.

Color and decor

Here are some basic recommendations:

How to save space in a small kitchen

There are many ways to save space in a small kitchen: .

  • Install additional shelves in cabinets, and then their capacity will increase significantly.
  • Use every available corner wisely to install appliances or corner cabinets.
  • Spacious boxes can be mounted on the top of the headset to store rarely used devices and items.
  • If the cabinet is not high enough, it is recommended to place an additional shelf above it, it will be an excellent place to store kitchen utensils.
  • All frying pans should be placed on the special railing mechanism, stacked on top of each other.
  • A special side rack attached to the door of the set can store baking paper, foil, cling film, garbage bags and other kitchen items.
  • Place a tension rod directly under the sink, placing the household chemicals used in cleaning on it.
  • Books and magazines with favorite recipes are recommended to be stored on a separate shelf attached to a free space on one of the walls. This shelf can also be installed directly on the refrigerator.
  • Use a wall-mounted dish rack to save space on worktops and cabinets.
  • Cutting boards are conveniently hidden in side "pockets" attached to the inside of the lower cabinets.
  • A metal cornice for storing kitchen utensils can be attached to the side panel of the headset.
  • To store knives and other small metal objects, use a special magnetic tape attached to the wall in the "apron" area. The same magnetic tape can be used to store small jars of spices.
  • All items with long handles should be collected and placed in one place.
  • Regular paper holders used in offices can be adapted to store thermoses and bottles.
  • Wall shelves help unload cabinets.
  • Additional shelves with high legs can be installed on the work surface.
  • The table can be folded down in a small kitchen by attaching the tabletop to a wide window sill.
  • A hanging structure can be placed above the work area, using it to store ladles, ladles, pans and other similar utensils.
  • The cutting board can be operated simply on the surface by turning off all the burners.
  • You can dry dishes not in a bulky dryer, but on a soft microfiber mat that quickly absorbs moisture and does not take up any space in the kitchen.

    • Mistakes often made when arranging a small kitchen

    The owners of small and cramped kitchens often make planning mistakes that prevent them from using the room as functionally as possible, while not littering it with unnecessary interior items. How to equip a small kitchen? You can understand this issue using the example of the most common mistakes.

    There is not enough space in the kitchen to store the necessary utensils.

    Learn more