Small Kitchen? Make the Most of Your Counter Space

If you have limited counter space in your kitchen you may find yourself frustrated each time you try to cook. Not having enough room to adequately prepare food for your family can be quite annoying. Even kitchens with only a very small amount of counter space can be sufficient for meal preparation, if you utilize your kitchen counter space wisely. Here are some tips for making the most out of the counter space you have in your kitchen.

Remove appliances. There are some appliances, such as coffee makers and can openers, which many families use on a daily basis. If there are other appliances on your countertops such as blenders, mixers, etc, that are not used daily, send them to a cabinet. While you’ll be using up more cabinet space, you’ll be thrilled to have the extra counter space (and one less thing to clean around!). If you have a countertop microwave, consider making the switch to an over-the-range model which will really open up some counter space.

Mount items. Some items can be removed from your counter top by choosing under the cabinet mounting options. Can openers and radios are popular items that come in under the cabinet mounting styles. You can also hang commonly used kitchen utensils, which sometimes sit in a canister taking up counter space. This really opens up space on your kitchen counter and also looks more attractive.

Clear the clutter. Kitchen counters are a popular gathering spot for junk such as mail, purses and backpacks, and other items. Have a place for all of these items and make the kitchen countertops “off limits” for such things. Making sure that there aren’t any non-kitchen items blocking your precious counter space will really keep frustrations at bay when it’s time to cook.

Magnetize. Another way to clear kitchen counter clutter is to consider magnetized items that can hang on the wall. Items such as cooking utensils, spices, manual can openers, and towel holders all come in magnetic styles which can be attached to a simple piece of metal, mounted to the wall. Getting some of these smaller items up and away from the counter space will really open it up.

Get a double sink. If you really want to make a change to get more counter space, considering replacing a single sink with a double one if you don’t already have a double. Some double sinks come with a smaller drainer side and will fit into an existing single sink slot. Getting the dish drying rack off of your counter will really give you more counter space.

There are plenty of things you can do to really utilize the counter space you have, no matter how little your kitchen has to offer.