Finding room in your kitchen feels like an ongoing problem. Didn’t you move in here thinking about all the space you could use, and now it feels like you never had any to begin with? Don’t we all? If you’re looking for more room in your kitchen, follow our handy guide. There are loads of tips and tricks to make sure you can find everything easily, with room to spare.
Have a clear out
See that broken waffle iron? Why are you hanging onto that? Do you even like waffles? A kitchen is a good place to get ruthless. Not a lot in there has sentimental value, so when you’re going through your drawers, and you see the mountain of chopsticks you don’t know how to use, you won’t see any harm in tossing them out. The same can be said about all those takeout containers you’re using as Tupperware. You don’t need to drown in them. Keep a few and toss the rest. Have a look under the sink, while you’re at it. There are probably a lot of “almost” empty bottles that will never get used. You have no obligation to use that last dribble. And the rest are probably variations of the same item. You only need one washing up liquid, one comforter, one descaling solution, one bleach etc.
Decant the bulk
If you’re a baker, you’re going to be aware of the big bags of flour, sugar, and every variation of those two taking up space in your cupboards, usually spilling out all over your ketchup and honey nearby. Solve two problems in one by decanting your bulky items. Your baking ingredients will be safely contained where they can’t escape, can take up less space and will have your cupboards looking nicely organized.
Rethink your drawers
Along the same lines, all those spices sure like to spread out in your cupboard. If you group them all together, you have to get into the middle of them to find the turmeric and, if you stack them, you risk a house of cards collapse when reaching for the cinnamon. A good solution is to move your spices to a drawer. You’ve already emptied one of Tupperware and chopsticks, right? Then you have the room to install a spice rack. A lot are very simple and affordable and they’ll all slot neatly into any drawer, showcasing your many spices and eclectic taste.
Gadgets, gadgets, gadgets!
There are a lot of space-saving items on the market that can make navigating your kitchen a lot easier. They can range from tiered dish racks that sit over your sink, thereby saving space and letting your dishes drip directly into the sink, to chopping boards that sit neatly over the sink or cooker. If you’re someone who is proud of their culinary skills enough to display their tools, you can mount a magnetic knife block to hold that chef’s knife or hang your pots from hooks to save cupboard space. And it’s not necessarily space-saving, but it will avoid you gaining a bad back: install sliding shelves so your pots come to you, rather than climbing into Narnia to reach the one you want.
