Small Kitchen Space-Saving Tips

Make your small kitchen work and feel bigger with these space-saving ideas

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Beautiful, new kitchen in luxury home.
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Remove a Wall

Removing a wall visually opens up the kitchen, making it feel much larger. You’ll be able to chat with family members and guests without having them underfoot while you work in the kitchen. If you’re also remodeling the kitchen, think about installing peninsula cabinets with a wide countertop and an overhang for seating. It’ll become the kids’ favorite spot to do homework, provide extra seating for party guests, or just accommodate those big cooking projects. Plus, get out of your own way by not falling for these kitchen remodeling mistakes.

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farmhouse sink
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Add a Single-Bowl Sink

If you’re remodeling your kitchen, consider installing a single-bowl sink instead of a standard-size double-bowl. Instead of two small bowls, you’ll have one large one. The sink shown here is one example. It’ll also allow you to buy a smaller sink base and save 6 in. of cabinet and counter space that could be put to better use. If you team up a 25-in. single-bowl sink in a 30-in. base cabinet with an extra-narrow (18-in.) dishwasher, you’ll gain a foot of extra cabinet space.

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small kitchen ideas pull our drawers
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Make a Blind-Corner Cabinet More Accessible

Blind-corner cabinets are cabinets on inside corners that are accessible from only one door. If you have a blind-corner cabinet in your kitchen, you know how hard it is to reach anything that gets shoved to the back. Most kitchen designers will try to plan space for a lazy Susan base cabinet instead of a blind corner. If you have a blind-corner cabinet, try any one of these kitchen cabinet organizers that will change your life.

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small kitchen ideas store dishes
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Store Dishes in the Eating Area

Why not store your dishes where you use them? Sure, it’ll mean a little extra work when you put them away, but they’ll be convenient to use, and you can save kitchen space for cooking items. For example, a pair of custom-built cabinets could look perfect in a dining room setting. The dishes are stored a few steps from the dishwasher and within easy reach of the dining room table. You don’t have to build a custom cabinet. Bankers’ bookcases or other glass-front cases work well too. You can find these at antiques stores.

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Consider a Cabinet-Depth Refrigerator

Cabinet-depth refrigerators stick out about 6 to 8 in. in front of your cabinets, robbing you of valuable floor space and crowding passageways. If you’re designing a new kitchen, consider buying a shallow-depth refrigerator. It’ll make your kitchen seem much more spacious, and depending on the floor plan, may even allow you to gain cabinet space across from the refrigerator. Cabinet-depth refrigerators cost a little more, about $1,500 for the least expensive versions, but the extra cost is easy to justify if you need the space.

Recessing a standard-depth refrigerator into the stud wall is another way to increase space (you’ll gain about 4 in.). You’ll have to cut out one or two studs and add a header over the opening for support. You’ll also have to relocate the outlet if it’s located directly behind the refrigerator.

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Make the Most of Every Inch With Roll-Outs

Base cabinets have tons of room, but you have to get down on your knees to reach the back. And even then it’s hard to see what’s back there. Roll-out shelves are a great solution. You can order new cabinets with roll-outs already installed. Or you can easily add them to existing cabinets. There are many options. Factory-made units that you install yourself cost $30 to $400. Or you can make your own.

Tall, narrow roll-outs are perfect for those skinny cabinets that are normally relegated to cookie sheet storage. If you have an extra cookie-sheet cabinet, install one of these roll-outs. They’re great for soda, canned goods or spices. You can also buy stock roll-out hardware that supports a wide selection of wire baskets.

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small kitchen ideas build in your microwave
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Build in Your Microwave

Counter space is a valuable commodity in any kitchen, but even more so in small kitchens. Moving the microwave off the counter is a great way to free up a few extra feet of counter. In existing kitchens, you may be able to convert the lower half of a wall cabinet to hold a microwave, but this means making a smaller set of matching cabinet doors for the top—a challenging job. If you’re remodeling, you can easily design in a location for a space-saving microwave.

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No Room for an Island? Try a Cart Instead

Kitchen islands are more popular than ever, but because you need at least 36 in. all around an island for walking space, they just don’t fit in most small kitchens. A rolling kitchen cart will give you many of the benefits of an island and is more versatile. You can move it into the center of the kitchen for food prep or use it as a buffet table when guests arrive. Then just roll it out of the way when you don’t need it. In new kitchens you can leave a spot under the countertop for the cart.

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small kitchen ideas
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Pantry Cabinet in a Closet

Moving some of your bulkier or seldom-used items out of the kitchen and into a nearby pantry can free up a lot of space. Look around. You may have extra space in a nearby closet or hallway where pantry shelves would fit. A pantry could be as simple as adjustable shelves on wall standards or a more elaborate built-in cabinet. You can order closet parts like those shown here online at easyclosets.

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Small kitchen cabinets
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Add Under Cabinet Lights

Good lighting helps by allowing you to make the best use of the space you have. Dimly lit or shadowy countertops are hard to work at. Adding under cabinet lights is a great way to make the countertops more useful while making a small kitchen feel larger.

It’s easy to wire for under cabinet lights with the rest of the wiring during a kitchen remodel. But adding them to an existing kitchen requires a little more ingenuity. You can fish them through the basement, crawlspace or attic and pull them through the stud spaces to each light fixture. Another option is to, buy plug-in type under cabinet lights.