Making the most of a small kitchen : my workspace

The kitchen is the heart of your home - it is where family gathers to share their day, to enjoy good food together, and to feel at home. I have always felt at home in the kitchen, so when I moved into my current house with its rather small kitchen, I knew that I had to do some magic to make it work for me.

I had rather specific needs when renovating my kitchen, as I am a professional chef by day, so I like my space to be functional and cater to my needs. Given the lack of space, everything that went into the space needed to have at least 2 or 3 functions. Also, I have a lot of tools and gadget(all carefully chosen) so there had to be plenty of storage space.

This is the result of the renovation. There are no doors on the cabinets yet, but they are coming, and having left them open for several year has encourage me to install glass doors on the center cabinets, to show off my dishes.

sway says: Dec 2, 2012. 9:00 PM

My compliments on your very creative use of space. You have more room than I do, but I came away with some great ideas. I LOVE Ikea and I've taken a great many tips from Intructables and ikeahackers (a site I recommend BTW)
And now, as suggested by drbill, I will check out tinyhousetalk.com

zurd0 says: Oct 6, 2011. 2:11 PM

Nice Ideas... The butcher block counter top is my favorite idea for saving space.. thank you so much skyisblu!

acil says: Jun 22, 2011. 9:12 PM

Nice work,
I have a small kitchen too.
Now I can maximize the space in my kitchen.
Thanks for the article.

sibuadvancetech says: Jun 1, 2011. 11:29 PM

very interesting stuff!!! great work!!

webtelles says: Mar 6, 2011. 8:16 PM

Amazing space saver.... WOW!!!
My Kitchen is 3 times bigger but I cannot fix half of things you have... OMG!!!
GREAT IDEA!!!

omicronomicron says: Feb 17, 2011. 9:26 AM

I rushed to this INSTRUCTABLE as my kitchen is tiny. Good use of spaces but you could fit 6 of my kitchens into the space you have! I kid you not! Mine is in a small cottage and is just a little bigger than some caravan kitchens, although not as practical as caravan kitchens have cever shelves and cupboards designed for a tiny space... A very tiny kitchen is a shocking challenge; your table alone would cover half my kitchen footprint. Does anyone have any ideas for a teeny teeny space like that? BUT I enjoyed your Instructable anyhow.

Poabear in reply to omicronomicronFeb 17, 2011. 7:43 PM

my kitchen is just like yours, it's ultra tiny. I use small stackable drawers for spices and small utensils, as well as lots of wall shelving on what little wall space there is. I put my appliances like my toaster and such on the shelves. also, those as-seen-on-TV rotating tupperware sets are a lifesaver for getting rid of clutter in both my cabinets and my fridge.

omicronomicron in reply to PoabearFeb 18, 2011. 4:08 PM

thanks Poabear... I had to look up the tupperware thing - UK here so maybe not the same things on sale? Looks good. I want to find lots of Ibles which will help me make the most out of my rented space, as I can't put loads of shelves up... where do you get your stackable drawers from please? I have 3 small cupboards, one of which is almost impossible to get into!!! Best thing I ever did was to buy a REMOSKA - a small table-top round oven-pan which roasts, bakes, makes heavenly chicken soup etc... this helps me a lot but it is easy and cheap storage solutions I need OR I WILL GO SLOWLY MAD!!!!
Thanks for your suggestions... that was my first comment!

Poabear in reply to omicronomicronFeb 23, 2011. 9:15 PM

I don't know what stores there are in the UK but i got my stackable drawers at a large department store. I have found them at crafts stores and dollar stores as well. Generally i've never payed over $3-$4 for a single unit (the ones i use have 3 drawers per unit, and are about 25cm tall, and 18cm in length and width). I can fit about 6-9 spice bottles in each drawer and with a very minimal amount of counter space i can stack them as high as i like to hold all my spices and small utensils, even small snacks or candy if you like, hehe

omicronomicron in reply to PoabearFeb 24, 2011. 7:13 AM

Thanks POABEAR for this, I will look out for some stackable drawers - or make some ... good idea about keeping bottles in them, they take up lots of cupboard space and the space above them can be wasted ... boy, by the time i have finished, EVERY INCH of wall space will be lined with tottering towers of small drawer-units; a plethora of drawers in which there will be snacks galore - as you said ; heh heh!

artcobain says: Feb 16, 2011. 8:30 AM

nice!

Rian Sye says: Feb 13, 2011. 7:05 PM

That's a great use of space! Ikea is a total life saver, aint it?

skyisblu (author) in reply to Rian SyeFeb 14, 2011. 8:04 AM

I can't actually go to Ikea without buying something, so I have to make sure I plan my trips there. Otherwise, I think I would have an awesome-looking house, but would be flat broke!

vinced2 says: Feb 14, 2011. 7:00 AM

Great ideas for saving space.

ElvenChild says: Feb 14, 2011. 2:31 AM

I was just wondering does anybody here no any good pizza recipies?

hishealer says: Feb 13, 2011. 6:30 AM

Great ideas! Makes me wish I don't rent. I think my kitchen is almost exactly the same size. We did get a smaller gas stove. (I must have a gas stove!) And a bit of a smaller fridge. We also put shelves in the next room, our living room, so we keep them a little neater. I think I'll use the idea of hanging more things on the walls. Like my stainless steel pans ^^

Fir Firence says: Feb 13, 2011. 1:21 AM

My kitchen is half as big...

Emsaid says: Feb 12, 2011. 4:03 PM

Wow, you did good putting a lot into a little! =)

audioworm31 says: Feb 12, 2011. 2:27 PM

I thought my kitchen was small but you got me beat. Way 2 go utilizing all available space though. Good job.

idarakeldar says: Feb 12, 2011. 11:30 AM

I'll be moving soon to a house with a much smaller kitchen, so these ideas are great! One question though: How do you keep your three cats out of your stuff with no cabinet doors? And off the bottom of your kitchen cart? :) I have 3 cats too, and I think I'd have a lot of trouble with them and this kind of set up. Thanks!

skyisblu (author) in reply to idarakeldarFeb 12, 2011. 12:24 PM

Once they realized there was nothing interesting in the cabinets, the cats stopped snooping. However, they do like going in the cabinets when I remove a pot or bowl, leaving and empty space. It's a new thing, so the cats are curious. I do wash out all my cookware before using them, though, since there is always fur flying around the house - I am looking forward to having cabinets doors before the end of this year!

starshipminivan says: Feb 12, 2011. 11:32 AM

What a great use of space in your kitchen! It's very cute as well as efficient. My favorite space solution was the butcher block piece made to fit over the sink. What a fantastic way to use your butcher block leftovers!

foobear says: Feb 12, 2011. 10:28 AM

nice use of a small space. I love ikea! Small spaces force you to keep clean and organized. Everyone should live in one at least once to learn good habits.

Dr.Bill says: Feb 12, 2011. 1:06 AM

You might live as tight as we do. Does you place go beyond the bath?

Your kitchen is is the size of my whole apartment! I do have one advantage though.
I built a double loft bed that gave me a whole 29 more square feet ! I did this to have a living area for the flat screen t.v., a place to eat, and a place for Amateur Radio.
Over all we have around 178 sq. ft. of home.

Have you seen; tinyhousetalk.com ?

Aloha

skyisblu (author) in reply to Dr.BillFeb 12, 2011. 8:09 AM

Yes, the house does extend beyond the bath - in fact, the whole house is approx 600 sq ft - but with only 2 people and 3 cats, we live relatively comfortably.
I would love to see this double loft bed of yours - you must have high ceilings!
I will definitely be checking out that website, though, thanks for the info!

Glad you like the space!