Space-Saving Tools and Tricks That Made My Tiny Kitchen Functional.
Last year, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to declutter my apartment and transform it into a cleaner, more comfortable, organized, and efficient space. Knowing that clutter can negatively impact productivity and overall mental health, I figured it would actually help me become a more efficient and calmer person, so I took it seriously. One of the main problems quickly became apparent: my kitchen is tiny, which meant it was disorganized and practically useless for its primary function—cooking. It took some creativity (and money), but I figured out what to do—and now I’m learning to cook and bake better, which is one of my New Year’s resolutions.
Improvements I made to the kitchen.
My kitchen is just over a meter wide and 16 feet long. (I live in New York City, where that’s the norm.) There’s practically no countertop; just the sink and oven line one side. The first thing I did was create extra countertop space, which I did by adding cube shelving . (I did this a few years ago, but only really organized it last year. We’ll get to that.) It looks like this:
Besides organizing the cubic storage shelves, I was primarily thinking about how to best utilize the available space. That’s why everything I could now hang vertically on wine racks under the cabinets, cutlery holders , or towel rails , as well as on hooks throughout. I’m most looking forward to the imminent delivery of this large pegboard , which will allow me to hang more cutlery and kitchen utensils on the wall.
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Other, smaller improvements became more apparent to me as I worked on organizing larger items. After clearing out space and finding a suitable place for my Nespresso machine, I realized I needed a vertical adhesive capsule holder , as there wasn’t enough room for them in the boxes. Finally, I bought a large ladder so I could finally use my cabinets. Then I started organizing the cabinets with acrylic stands, just like I used to organize my perfume and cosmetics . For the space under the sink, I bought a pull-out shelf for easy access to cleaning products. Boxes of various cereals and oatmeal were too bulky to store in the cabinets, which led me to use a rotating rice dispenser . This went on for a while, with me paying homage to the Amazon gods every few days, but it was all because I had a larger plan.
The organizational rules that I followed (and that may help you too):
Maybe you don’t need a huge pegboard or the need to hang all your shovels upside down. Maybe you have a lot of drawers. That’s okay. But you still need a plan for organizing what you have and a plan for figuring out exactly what you need.
While organizing, I always kept one key principle in mind. It’s called the ” Organization Triangle,” and it’s a set of three rules: everything should have a place, like items should be stored together, and for every new item that comes in, one should be removed. I mostly ignored the last rule because what I was bringing in was meant to more conveniently store the things I already had, but the first two were crucial. Before using the “Organization Triangle,” not everything had a place. Some bowls and mugs were stored in the sink. Not everything was stored together, which made meal prep difficult. By grouping like items and assigning each one a place, I could assess the volume of each category, get rid of unnecessary items, and better organize everything. By organizing things into small batches that fit into a single cube or on a single hanging shelf, I ultimately organized everything holistically, across the entire system.
Other cleaning and organizing methods, such as SIMPLE and Core 4 , also played a significant role. Both of these methods recommend using storage containers. This helps you assess your actual space and make more informed decluttering choices, while also maintaining order. I went a bit further into the abstraction, treating my hanging organizers as “containers,” but I also used boxes and the aforementioned grain dispenser to meet these requirements.
By following strict, predetermined cleaning and organizing rules, I was able to more effectively transform the space into something usable. These rules helped me create a plan, even if I had to rework and adjust it along the way, so I didn’t find myself in a bind. Now, when I need a spatula or other specialized mincing tool, I know where it is, it’s easy to reach, and I’m happy with how everything looks before, during, and after cooking.