When searching for a new home, you probably have certain parameters that in your mind equate to the perfect home. However, we all know how hard it is to actually find a home that has everything you had on your wish list. So what happens when you’ve found the perfect home and it has everything you ever hoped for except for one thing, the kitchen is too small. Well, that’s when you need to get a little creative. And if you want the house bad enough, you are probably willing to do anything to make it work, right? Here are some small kitchen ideas that will make your almost perfect house perfect.
1. How can you use your kitchen’s vertical space?
If you have a small kitchen, you need to look at your available kitchen space in a whole new light. You might have a small kitchen, but you probably have a few kitchen walls that don’t have anything on them. If so, that’s great and all you need to do now is go vertical.
Kitchen walls, no matter how small, allow you to use their space vertically, which means you simply add what you need upwards instead of sideways like most traditional kitchens. On a vertical wall, you can add shelving or corner shelving if you have an empty corner. You could also add a pegboard to that wall to hang all your pots, pans and utensils, etc. What about that useless space on either side of your refrigerator? Install a small narrow shelving unit on wheels, similar to an over the door rack, but small enough to fit into that space. Instead of using a cabinet to store all your cleaning supplies, why not add a hanging shoe rack to hold all your cleaning supplies vertically on the wall. Broom and mop wall holders are great for storing your spice jars on the wall. An old window shutter makes the perfect message center where you can put your important reminders and things prominently displayed where you can see them. Additionally, you can install some hooks on it and use those as key hangers.
2. How can you make your kitchen space work inside out?
Even if you find the need for some small kitchen ideas to make your kitchen work, if you have a pantry and some cabinets, you have hidden storage space available to you. The back of your pantry door is perfect for an over the door shelf to store your cans, dry goods, cereal, plastic wrap, spices, etc. And the backs of your cabinet doors can be used to install a mop and broom holder clip to store your spices or to put a small, thin wall bin where you can keep your plastic wrap and wax paper boxes. The backs of your cabinet doors are also a great place to install some hooks to hang your kitchen utensils on or to hang your measuring cups and spoons, etc. You can also use the backs of your cabinet doors as a storage spot for your pot lids as well by just adding a few small clips. Another inside out technique is to cut out the sheetrock on your empty wall just wide enough that you only expose the space between the studs. Then you can add some shelves all the way up to the ceiling and down to the floor. You can finish that project by installing a tall, narrow cabinet door on hinges to the sheetrock. This makes a great mini pantry.
3. Have you considered the up, over and under spaces?
Look up, what you will probably see is a blank ceiling just waiting to be utilized.  You can hang just about anything from the ceiling even though that’s not the traditional way to store things in your kitchen, but sometimes you have to. Install some hanging baskets for your fresh fruits and vegetables, a pot and pan holder or a shelving system on pulleys.
What about over? Well, over any door or cabinet is space that is generally not used in traditional kitchens, but you don’t have a traditional kitchen. So why not use that space to your advantage. Install a small shelf or shelving, depending on how much space you have, and use that space to store the items you purchased in bulk. You know, all those BOGO items you just couldn’t resist.
What about under? There is so much you can do with an “under” space in your kitchen. Everyone of your cabinets probably doesn’t have anything under them, right? This is the perfect spot to add some hanging wire baskets, hanging shelves or some iron rods with hooks to hang your coffee mugs, etc. You can also add a tension rod under your kitchen sink where you can hang all your cleaning supplies or anything else on them.
4. Unique storage ideas you wish you’d thought of
Mason Jars – buy some mason jars and firmly attach the lids to the undersides of your cabinets. You can then use those jars to store your dry goods such as pasta, popcorn, flour, sugar, creamer, coffee or really anything you want and need quick access to.
Trash Bags – you can install rollers to the inside of your under the sink cabinet to hang your trash bags on for easy dispensing without taking up valuable real estate in your kitchen.
Book Racks – install small book racks to the inside of your under the sink cabinet door to hold your cookbooks.
Cork Boards – hang a cork board on your kitchen wall where you can then easily use thumbtacks to tack up your baggie boxes by their punch-out flap. Or add some hooks to hang up cereal boxes or just about anything for that matter.
The Bottom Line
There are so many great places you can find small kitchen ideas. Our favorite place to get ideas is on Pinterest.com. All you have to do is go to the website and put “small kitchen ideas” into the search bar and it will bring back literally thousands of unique ideas to help you make the best use of your small kitchen space.
Don’t let a small kitchen ruin your otherwise perfect home. Get creative and have fun while doing it. You might be surprised at what you can come up with when you think outside the box and ultimately you will probably be amazed at how much space you really do have.
2 Point Highlight
1. Â What happens when you’ve found the perfect home and it has everything you ever hoped for except for one thing, the kitchen is too small.
2. Â Here are some small kitchen ideas that will make your almost perfect house perfect.
