How to Downsize your Kitchen for Simplified Living

Entry #1426, July 31, 2012

Kitchen downsizing is a matter of sorting items but also using less space to avoid clutter. Minimalistic all-in-one kitchens are beginning to take on a new trend as they save space and look great. Whether you like it or not, kitchen arrangement is one of the most difficult tasks to perform at home. This is primarily because the majority of daily tasks and chores are performed in the kitchen. If you have a small home, studio apartment or want a solution convenient to your home office – a mini all-in-one kitchen idea may be for you!

Downsize your kitchen down to the essentials

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Downsizing doesn’t mean you will have to remove all of your kitchen items, but rather focus on the appropriate arrangement to maximize your space. With proper arrangement techniques, and minimal cabinetry that is functional in a small space, you will be able to get the best of what your kitchen can offer.

Here are some tips on getting your mini kitchen started:

Sort kitchen items by size and type

This is placing kitchen utensils together by the group. For example, let’s say you have a dozen of cups with your dish set like having your favorite mugs with nice fat handles, several souvenir mugs, and cups acquired as gifts. Try pairing these mugs according to sizes. Usually the bigger mugs are placed at the bottom so that smaller ones can be placed on top. If you have several dishes, pair  accordingly with those huge and heavy at the farthest area.

Create a kitchen that is compact but efficient

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Make efficient use of your countertops.

You will need every inch of space especially in a small kitchen. To do this, you may customize storage for your small kitchen utensils like spoons, forks, knives, ladles and other kitchen essentials. You may also use this space for your lighting fixtures. Other notable consideration is to place your decorative pieces near the edges and preserve the rest of the counter space only for essentials.

Use innovative kitchen furniture

A lot of kitchen countertops are now designed to have several storage closets and drawers. Also, there are popular dining sets that are designed to fit with the area allotted for them with chairs that are fitting at the bottom of the table when not in use. Consider installing kitchen cabinetry that have drawers, compartments and built-in features to help save space.

Use innovative kitchen furniture to help streamline your kitchen

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Storage cabinets and open shelving

Storing kitchen items in upper cabinets and open shelving proves to be very effective. Storage cabinets that are attached to the ceiling area can definitely save space in your kitchen. Since this may not be that convenient to reach, place your seldom used kitchen materials and utensils inside this storage. To stream line your kitchen get rid of items you don’t use anymore!

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