Wondering how to make a small kitchen more efficient? Our top kitchen design tips will help you along the way! The key to creating an efficient small kitchen is to make the very best use of all the available space. By combining a functional kitchen layout with optimum storage solutions and careful planning, you can make your small kitchen work best for your needs and lifestyle.
Kitchen Layout
Creating the perfect kitchen layout that will work well for you is the best place to start when looking to make a small kitchen more efficient. Whether you are in the kitchen design process or working at refreshing your existing kitchen the steps are pretty much the same.
Break down the tasks you perform in the kitchen into categories: Preparation, Cooking, Cleaning and Storage (storage of food items as well as pots, pans, glasses, etc.). Examine how you use your kitchen, how you cook and what items you need nearby when performing these different tasks and based on this information, you can effectively map out what needs to go where which will lead us to the next step where we plan the best organisational systems that will suit the way you use the space.
Working with a scaled floorplan of your space, specify which kitchen cabinet will house what items, from ingredients to cleaning products, crockery, pots and pans, glassware and everything else we need to find space for in the kitchen! Using a scaled floorplan of your kitchen design is a crucial step as this way, you are aware of exactly how much space is available which will ultimately dictate what items can be stored where. If you are still in the design process rather than working with an existing space, this crucial step will allow you to make adjustments where needed to ensure all of your kitchen necessities are accommodated in the locations you prefer.
Planning your Kitchen Storage
The next step is to properly plan your storage space. Using your findings from the step above, consider how you can best optimise your kitchen storage solutions in their new locations. For example, if you would like to include space to store your herbs and spices near your oven or cooktop, find the best location for them and then consider how best they can be accommodated. Narrow pull-out spice racks (as shown in the example below) can be installed in cupboards as narrow as 150mm, allowing you to keep these cooking essentials within arm’s reach while cooking. Ensuring the items you need are close-by while performing different tasks in the kitchen will ensure you are minimising the amount of movement in the space and in turn, decreasing the risk involved when moving about a busy kitchen, helping you create a wonderfully efficient small kitchen design.
Use Vertical Space
An excellent way of making the most of a small kitchen design is to take advantage of any available vertical space. Spice racks, utensil storage, towel rails and more can all be installed on any available wall space which will keep these handy items raised up from your kitchen benchtop while still being within arm’s reach when needed. Keeping your kitchen counters clutter-free will not only allow you more workable space but will also make the room appear larger, a definite plus for smaller kitchens!
How to Make a Small Kitchen More Efficient: Quick Tips:
Planning out your storage space to better work for your own unique cooking style is the best way to ensure an efficient kitchen design. Aside from this crucial step, there are of course many other techniques that will help you create the perfect kitchen layout – Our small kitchen design ideas and organisation tips below will help you keep a well organised space!
- Keep Clutter Away: Make your kitchen layout feel lighter and more open by keeping clutter neatly tucked away in your kitchen storage zones and removing as many benchtop accessories as possible. If you don’t use a dish drainer on the regular for example, keep this item tucked away rather than out on the benchtop to ensure you have as much open bench space as possible. This will not only make your kitchen look bigger but will also allow you more open space to work in.
- Cull your Small Appliances & Kitchen Gadgets: In a small kitchen design, holding onto only the necessities is a must in ensuring an efficient space. Too many small appliances and too many single-purpose gadgets can often chew up precious storage and working space so cull these items down to what is most often used in your home. Selecting only small appliances that you will get the most use of is a must in a small kitchen – for example if you don’t make a lot of bread, a bread maker obviously won’t be the best fit for your kitchen. The same goes for single-function utensils and gadgets – Items such as potato mashers or egg slicers don’t serve a lot of functions other than the obvious! If you find you only use items like these on the odd occasion then its best to remove them from your kitchen altogether.
- Keep your Fridge & Pantry Organised: A cluttered, messy pantry or fridge will make your kitchen significantly less efficient! You don’t have to keep all your ingredients in expensive canisters (!) but as long as everything is kept tidy and in a logical order then you will always find that the space will work more efficiently for you. Keep tabs on what’s stored in the fridge or freezer and always make sure to use what you have before buying new – reducing waste, reducing your grocery bills and making sure you’ve used up all your stored ingredients before they spoil!
Making a small kitchen design more efficient can seem like a challenge at first however, the most creative design solutions are often born out of necessity. Working in a smaller space has a range of benefits as everything is close at hand and there is less moving about the space to collect all the items you need when cooking so taking a few steps to keep the area organised will go a long way in making the space more efficient.