Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Give us your best space saving tips for the kitchen !

I would love to hear about your personal tips for storage and/or making your kitchen feel bigger. For me, I use a two tiered plate rack on my counter, right by the stove. It frees up a lot of cabinet space and is so handy to serve food right off the stove. Also I replaced big wooden kitchen chairs for low modern ones. It makes the space feel much roomier. How about you !?!?

17 comments:

Linda@ Lime in the Coconut said...

Drawers drawers drawers...instead of cabinets. For pots and pans, for plates and bowls...and glasses.

Also a sink deep enough and wide enough to hide a number of unwashed dishes...and maybe even a kid or two.

LsL said...

1. If you have cabinets that don't quite reach the ceiling, like mine, see if you can find attractive storage containers to reclaim that space. I found some banana-leaf crates at Target that fit my space perfectly, and I store rarely-used china up there.

2. Minimize/eliminate stuff on the front of the frig. I actually keep tons of pics and magnets on the frig...but noticed when I had to put them away for a painting project what a huge difference it makes to have that space clear. Makes the whole kitchen feel less cluttered. However I will be putting the pics back soon because I love them. :)

3. I bought a very compact spice rack from the Container Store; and I keep it inside the cupboard next to the stove. Again, this is mostly to minimize clutter; but it has the additional benefit of conserving the spices because they are not exposed to direct sunlight/heat.

4. Minimize the number of appliances that sit out on the countertops.

5. Above-the-stove microwave!!!!

Anonymous said...

Keep it light - paint color, cabinets, etc - pale blues, greens, and yellows make a room feel bigger. Cherry cabinets are beautiful, but they darken a room and make it look smaller.

Minimize counter clutter. I saw on Kitchen Renovations on DIY once a man built his coffee maker into the wall so he could save the counter space for something else. It was genius.

Jeannine | The Small and Chic Home said...

I actually went dark with my paint color and I'm really happy with how my little kitchen feels.

My three favorite changes:

1. I found a knife block that attaches to the underside of the cabinet. It swings out so you can have access to the knives. I considered a magnetic strip for the knives, but really wanted the blades concealed.

2. I put all of my spices in tins and mounted them on magnetic strips. At the time, the strips were on sale at Ikea for something like 75 cents each.

3. I invested a little bit into an Elfa bar and bins that attach to the back of a door (there's a laundry closet in the kitchen). It keeps my cabinets pretty tidy.

Unknown said...

nice boxes placed at the top of a very high fridge :)

Olivia said...

I used little magnetic containers for spices and put them on the fridge since it is so close to the oven. It frees up space for my sugar bowl that I use way more often. :o)

Elizabeth said...

I agree with using light colors. Also, everything must have it's place. Awesome tip about keeping magnets, papers off the fridge. I don't like seeing a bunch of things on the counters. It actually makes me anxious.

pve design said...

Making my kitchen feel bigger is keeping as little as possible off my counters.
pve

Lisa said...

Love all of these...!! Keep them coming !!

(A kid or two in the sink...Linda ! I use to wash my kids in the sink when they were babies...does that count ? :)

escapade said...

Storage in unexpected spaces - maybe lesser used appliances inside a bench banquette.
Definitely keeping the counters clear!

Anonymous said...

I think the best trick for small kitchens is to use open shelving - it makes you keep everything clean and organized, and totally opens up the space!

Also, Ikea's kitchen solutions are so helpful -- they have a storage solution for every kitchen item you can imagine!

Unknown said...

I love that sink! So beautiful!

prashant said...

I had to put them away for a painting project what a huge difference it makes to have that space clear.
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Sara Walker said...

I like my magnetic knife strip. I don't have kids yet though. I'm sure one day I'll change to something more kid friendly.

I buy things like mixing bowls & tupperware in a set...so that they stack inside one another for easy storage.

Since we don't have one built-in, we put our microwave on top of our refrigerator. It's a little different at first...but it's so great to have it off our countertops.

Cabinets that go to the ceiling!

paula said...

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