How To Organize A Tiny Kitchen (6 Steps!)

Small Kitchen Organization Ideas To Make Cooking More Enjoyable!

I know it’s not everyone’s favorite thing to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen, but it’s something I personally enjoy a lot. I get to be creative with food, listen to some music or a podcast I like, maybe even dance a little and I get to eat delicious food by the end of it.

In this scenario, the only thing that can drive me insane is a messy kitchen. You know, when you’re not really sure: Are you cooking or are you actually cleaning and looking for stuff 90% of the time?

When our baby was small we moved into an apartment with the tiniest kitchen in the world. I mean, even that mouse from Ratatouille wouldn’t fit in there to make its dishes. Pizza rat? No way. 2 people? Not even a chance. But we got organized and it worked out. Many of the meals I share here were made in that small kitchen, when this blog was just an idea in my head. Here are some secrets that really helped me organize my tiny kitchen.

How To Organize A Tiny Kitchen

Secret #1: Use The Walls

Obviously, you can’t grow horizontally, but you can fit a lot into that little kitchen if you decide to grow taller (or vertically). You can add some wall shelves, pegboards or racks. You can hang your kitchen utensils or pans, and you can organize your spices on a wall shelf next to the stove to use when you’re cooking.

Secret #2: Get Real And Declutter

Be honest with yourself and sell or give away the equipment you will not be using. I gave my blender away, many of the plates and wine glasses, but I kept the dishwasher as I knew, I don’t want to be doing the dishes 10 times a day. You have limited space and limited time, so like with everything else, you need to set clear priorities.

For example, if you’re not going to bake every week and won’t be making a lot of smoothies then you don’t really need an oven or blender. Instead, you can get a countertop burner and an immersion blender.

Secret #3: Use additional shelving

Adding some shelves inside your cabinets or that under-sink storage area will save you a lot of time. Why? Because you’ll be able to find things so much faster and easier. You’ll also be able to fit in more things, without piling them on top of one another.

My favorite example for this are mugs or plates. I have so many and didn’t want to give them all away, so I added an additional shelf inside my cabinet. Now I can have double as much. And I don’t need to lift everything when I want a particular piece.

Secret #4: Use adhesive hooks

Adhesive hooks are very handy to use in the kitchen, you can hang anything you want on a smooth surface without using nails or hammer. You can use adhesive hooks them to hang pans, coffee mugs, measuring spoons, mittens, colanders – pretty much anything.

I’ve even seen people organize their pot lids using 3 command hooks on the inside of the cabinet door, that actually sounds genius and a little too organized.

Not only do you save space, you also see at first sight what you’ve got inside that kitchen. Then you stop buying things you already have, but have forgotten about.

Secret #5: Use jars to organize everything

Whenever I get something in a glass jar, I remove the original label, clean the inside like a cinderella, dry it and use it to store things in my kitchen.

I use different sized jars for my spices, for my pantry staples, for my coffees, to hold kitchen utensils, they’re so versatile.

And they look so good, even if you don’t do anything to them. Well a little label here and there didn’t hurt anyone, right?

Secret #6: Keep it tidy

Take a little time and make it a habit to always clean up while you’re cooking and after you’re done eating.

Don’t let the dishes pile up and the countertop get nasty and overloaded with clutter. Clean up and bring everything where it belongs. No matter how big your kitchen is, if you don’t clean up, you’ll never have enough space.