Finding Space in a Small Kitchen

City apartments are notorious for their small kitchens, non-existent counter space and barely adequate cabinetry. Are your cabinets and counters overflowing with dishes, appliances and boxes of food that won’t seem to fit anywhere? The kitchen is where many people spend the bulk of their at-home time. If your kitchen feels crowded, messy or like an overall disaster, it can make you feel like you’ve outgrown your apartment. Before you start looking at apartment listings, you may be able to find new space in the kitchen you already have.

Start with the appliances

If you’re married, a cooking show aficionado or have eager, gift-giving relatives, you probably have cabinets full of appliances. You may use some of these, such as the coffee maker, on a regular basis. But when is the last time you used the egg poacher or juicing machine? If you never use it, you don’t need it. Consider selling it on EBay or craigslist to get some extra space and extra cash. As an alternative, kitchen appliances make great (re)gifts!

Overstocked Cabinets

Take a good look inside your cabinets, including the things that get shoved way in the back, out of sight. What is taking up most of your space? You may find that your cabinets are simply stuffed with food. Take a good look at what you have. Is the food in your cabinets in constant rotation, being eaten and replaced? Or are there cans of beans and boxes of pasta that have been in your kitchen for years? 2-for-1 sales on canned goods or overly ambitious culinary projects can result in our cabinets being full of things we never eat which simply take up space. Luckily, food banks will accept unopened, non-perishable food. Some will even pick up bags of food from your house.

Start Organizing

Now that you have pared down some of the things in your cabinets, you can reorganize what you have left to create more space. Look for things stored in boxes that are too big and items that can be stacked on top of one another. You may find that you have plenty of room once you eliminate wasted space. Instead of keeping pasta and cereal in their original containers, store tem in durable plastic containers of different sizes. You can save space and help prevent pests from getting into your food. Make a visit to a home appliance stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond or The Container Store to get additional space saving ideas. A few inexpensive organizers can make a big difference in your cabinets.

Creating More Counter Space

After you’ve reduced and reorganized your stuff and find that you still don’t have enough space, you may have to go out and get more. Stores like Ikea, Crate & Barrel and Home Depot sell movable kitchen islands. Most of these islands combine additional counter space, drawers, hooks or cabinets. They are a great place to store bulky pots and pans and appliances that won’t fit on the counters you already have. They also can be used to take advantage of dead space in your kitchen.

Finding Underutilized Space

Many kitchens have underutilized space. You may be so accustomed to your kitchen that you don’t notice it any more. Take another, more critical look, at areas of your kitchen that aren’t being used as storage or food preparation space. You can outfit blank walls with shelves that can be inserted directly into the wall. Look above your cabinets for additional empty space. You can store pots, pans and appliances you don’t use often but want to keep. If you have tall cabinets that aren’t being well utilized, a few well-placed shelves can multiply your functional space.

No matter how big or small your kitchen is, make it your own. Get rid of things you don’t need, and get what you do need. Somewhere along the way, you’ll find the kitchen space you wanted.