Small and mighty kitchen storage ideas

Small kitchens can be stylish and practical, you just need to make sure that you’re making the most out of the space that is available.

There are lots of clever storage ideas for small kitchens and we’ve picked out some of the best. Everything from design elements of a kitchen to easy and affordable hacks you can do that’ll make all the difference.

How to create storage in a small kitchen

1. Moveable storage

One of the best hacks for a small kitchen is incorporating a kitchen trolley or any type of portable storage. Sometimes known as a ‘butchers block’ these handy pieces of furniture are like a mini kitchen island that offer more surface and storage space that can be stored away when needed.

Use the shelves to store access food such as fruit and veg and use the top as a designated chopping area.

2. Corner cabinets

If you’re designing or redesigning your kitchen and have limited cabinet space, incorporate a corner cupboard.

This way you’re not wasting any vital storage space and instead can have a clever pull out shelving system that will allow you to store a lot more stuff.

3. Open shelves

A popular design feature for small kitchens is open shelving. This will keep your kitchen feeling light and airy as well as being a handy storage space to store some of your kitchen goods.

Make sure to display different items to mix up the height and texture of your open shelves. Add a plant or two for some greenery.

4. Stylish storage

We love the idea of taking the doors off kitchen cupboards and displaying your kitchen goods in stylish jars and containers.

Take inspiration from the kitchen pictured above and invest in Scandi-inspired jars to store your dried food and display stylish kitchenware such as a marble pestle and mortar.

5. Add hooks

A fantastic storage hack for small kitchens is to add a peg rail or a row of hooks to the wall.

You can hang all sorts from these including utensils, pot, pans and even a string bag full of potatoes.

If you’re a fan of industrial-style interiors, source a black cast iron rail that looks effortlessly stylish.

6. Use height to your advantage

We can often focus too much on floor space and forget to look up. If you’re designing a kitchen and are limited on square footage, make sure you take your cabinets right up to the ceiling, this means you won’t be wasting any wall space.

If your kitchen is already in place, use the space above your wall cabinets to store access items in attractive containers and baskets.

7. Utilise windowsills

Make sure to use every inch of space in a small kitchen, even the windowsills. Treat them as another shelf to store your favourite bits and bobs. A great idea is using a windowsill as a resting spot for a mini herb garden. It’s not just the perfect place for sunlight but it will look lovely, too.

8. Install a rack to the inside of cupboard doors

Tiny kitchen storage ideas must be innovative and this one definitely ticks that box.

Install a rack on the back of your kitchen cupboard doors to store more items that can ordinarily fit in the cupboard. The image above shows how the homeowners have stored access glasses in the rack – what a great idea!

9. Open kitchen island

If you’re fortunate enough to have enough space for a kitchen island. Make the most out of this extra storage space by incorporating shelves into your island design.

This will allow you to store lots of pots and pans and extra bits that you want stored away and not on display on the top of your kitchen counter.

10. Glass front cabinets

A clever storage hack that tricks the eye is to have glass fronts on a couple of your kitchen cupboards. This means the light can travel through and will make your kitchen appear bigger than it is.

Use these cupboards to store pretty glassware and crockery or anything that you’d be happy to be on show.

11. Quirky baskets

Get creative with your choice of storage for a small kitchen.

Pick up unique baskets and containers from boot sales, charity shops and vintage stores. Small palettes work really well to store fruit and veg and a rattan style basket is great for storing tea towels.

12. Ladder storage

Incorporate a ladder into your kitchen for handy storage. Utilising the height of your kitchen rather than taking up vital countertop space, a ladder will let you store lots of different kitchen accessories.

Take inspiration from the kitchen above and use a ladder to store glasses, crockery and a pair of chopping boards.

13. Additional furniture

Modify your current kitchen design to incorporate more storage space by adding in a shelving unit.

A black slimline shelving unit can act as extra countertop space and can allow you to store things neatly underneath it.

14. Display accessories on countertops

Struggling to store all of your pretty accessories? Use these to decorate your countertops.

Avoid making your worktop look cluttered by being conscious about what you choose to display and don’t go too far with it. Lean a chopping board up against a backsplash and display your condiments in stylish jars.

15. Pull out pantry

As part of your kitchen design, try and include a pull out pantry. For a small kitchen, this doesn’t have to be big, it can be a tall skinny pull-out drawer that is perfect for storing sauces and condiments.

This saves you from having ugly bottles and jars on show and they can be stored away.

16. Hang chopping boards on the wall

We love the idea of using nails to hang chopping boards on the wall.

This doesn’t just create a stylish rustic display, it also gives you somewhere to store them and means they are easily accessible.

Create your own small and mighty kitchen storage

Work with a carpenter to weigh up your space and build you some custom shelving in your existing space.

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