Space Saving Ideas for Family Kitchens
Time, money and space. Three things that we can all do with more of, most of the time. The heart of the home is said to be the kitchen, and as such, it tends to get overstuffed with the kids’ pictures, Tupperware, and all the other trappings of a busy family home. There are some simple ways to save space in the kitchen though.
Scale it down. You might think you need a big fridge, or a large cooker, in fact, you are probably adamant you need that size, but the chances are you would manage perfectly well with a more compact refrigerator. We tend to fill the space we have, and it doesn’t mean we are filling it well. If your burner is huge, but you’re mostly using 1 or 2 per dinner (save for large gatherings or festive holidays), then you are giving away excellent countertop space there.
Put it on the wall. If you have a lot of pots and pans, or even if you are in the middle of growing an herb garden, you can make the most of the wall space you have available by adding some racks and some S hooks. You might be surprised how much extra space you can create in cupboards and drawers by moving things around a bit. You can add multiple racks or magnetic strips and make it almost into some wall art.
Many cabinets stop short of the ceiling, by about a foot. Tempting to throw things up there but it probably looks relatively messy. Choosing to have cabinets that reach all the way to the top. This style of cabinets look neater too, plus they make use of space you maybe couldn’t fit anything in before.
Throw it out. Be utterly ruthless. If you haven’t used it in a while, or perhaps never, if the parts are missing, if it was a wedding gift 20 years ago, but still, it’s gathering dust – throw it out. We tend to become hoarders without even noticing, and kitchen appliances, cutlery sets, mismatched dining sets all have a part to play. The good china is probably something you want to keep and hand down to your kids but after that? Throw the clutter out.
Roll out pantry cabinets are the bee’s knees. They save you having to use one whole cabinet, and when you are done using it, it rolls away into tiny spaces that you likely couldn’t have used any other way.
Install some vertical shelves. If you have some cabinets that could be used a bit better, consider installing the shelves vertically. Ideal for chopping boards, muffin trays, and saucepans. You can probably double the space by doing it this way.
If you just want to add space without too much effort, shelf risers are the way to go. They are cheap and immediately give you more space in almost any cabinet size. You can also add storage to the inside of your cupboard doors. If the shelves are set back a little but you can store spices and so on without much effort.