How to Make a Small Kitchen More Functional: 8 Ideas to Inspire You

Plates, glasses, pots, jars, food, and more… When you consider that kitchens are one of the areas most in need of storage, you might wish your kitchen were larger. But there are great ideas you can use to make your small kitchen more functional. Let's get started.

1. Use Cabinet Shelf Inserts

Piled-up plates, glasses you can't find a place for… You can solve this common problem with the help of inside-cabinet shelves and racks. In addition to shelves for your plates and glasses, you can also use organizers made for pans and pot lids inside your cabinets. This way, you can make your cabinets, and therefore your kitchen, much more functional.

2. Utilize Over-the-Door Organizers

Even if you confidently say, "I don't have enough storage space in my kitchen," you might actually have more space than you think! One product that can meet your storage needs is the hanging shelf rack. You can place items like jars and spice containers on these racks that hang over the cabinet door.

3. Make Your Countertop More Functional

You may have noticed this when looking at small kitchen designs: countertops and the walls above them are used as effectively as possible. With multi-tiered racks you can place on the counter or hanging shelves you can mount on the wall, it's easy to save space and make your kitchen more functional!

4. Build a Mini-Cabinet with Shelves Above the Counter

If you can't find a suitable place for your spices and sauces and you need more than just a small shelf, the solution is to install shelves between your cabinet and countertop that act as a mini-cabinet!

5. Mount Shelves as a Continuation of Your Cabinets

If you like the idea of using shelves but don't have enough space between your cabinet and countertop, you can opt to mount shelves on suitable walls in your kitchen. For example, as in the photo above, mounting decorative shelves where the kitchen cabinets end but the wall continues is a great idea!

6. Turn a Suitable Nook into a Small Pantry

Sometimes the design of your kitchen may seem impractical, but if you know the tricks to make a kitchen functional, you'll realize that even such spaces can be used efficiently! For example, you can have thin shelves cut for a recessed wall (a nook) and paint them the same color as the wall to create a perfect storage area.

7. Get Help from Creative Solutions

Applying creative ideas can not only save you space but also help you maintain kitchen order. For instance, by attaching file holders inside a cabinet or placing them on the countertop as shown in the photo, you can store items like plastic wrap, parchment paper, and foil.

8. Choose Space-Saving Tables

Although many people want a space in their kitchen where they can sit and spend time, they often can't realize this wish due to small spaces. However, wall-mounted, fold-down kitchen tables are an excellent option for small kitchens!