What can I do for space in a very small kitchen?

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/organize/kitchen/how-to-organize-a-small-kitchen-and-get-more-space-2948572

Go vertical. Think of your walls as you would countertops, dressers adn other horizontal spaces.

Dear Janet,

I went from a tiny cottage where I had enough space to turn around which we shared with my first dog an Irish wolf hound. Then we moved to an enormous old French farm house 15 years ago, before that we had a big old house still in the far North West coast on the Highlands of Scotland. We renovated both the first two, and I finally did have my fitted kitchen 2 weeks before we left the U.K. I could have weptI have been with my husband since 1976, and I am still waiting for a proper kitchen. :(

Downstairs the room is huge the size of a small apartment , but there is only one horrid old sink with an old cupboard underneath, and a table looking lonely on the other side! I was furious, he had spent his time buried in his computer. Liliana is right go up. Luckily there are huge old beams in the room with sort of hooks where they used to hang the hams I suppose. Well I marched up the road (We have 5 hectares with wood too, but we are right next to a huge broad wood forest) and found 3 long branches that were sort of straightest and quite pretty.

Back I came and struggled with some nylon brownish string to put the big thicker one to the right of the window I put lots of hooks on the underside of the branch There hangs all the pots and pans and heavy cast iron casserole. Later I put a lovely very realistic silk vine. It did not have too many leaves or grapes. It just looked perfect. Underneath I put a cheap top sitting on two bathroom cupboards. Opposite against the wall to the left of the sink and window I put up the two other branches, also with lots of hooks. The top one held all my coffee mugs and a couple of jugs, and the bottom one has all the things like utensils.

My biggest problem was storage containers, or rather storing them. I would find the bottoms, but not the right tops.I think we have all been there :) To put them together was the only way to stop the frustration, but took up too much space. So what I did was to make sure they were stackable then wrote with indelible ink a number on the bottom and did the same with the correct lid. The lids I put upright together in order in a container that had no top.

luckily under the sink I had a pipe that I could hang the cleaning products that had handles . Those that did not were put in to cheap plant sprays and all marked as to what they were on their sides. If you have not got a pipe a piece dowel or branch :) will do just as well. Here is a hard water and lime scale is awful, but there is no need to buy these expensive products. Cheap white vinegar will clean just about everything.

To get my husband to make a fitted kitchen is something that will never happen, and alas we will have to sell, as we are too old, and it is too expensive. Sad. We have to get rid of many things and move into somewhere 'sensible' :) Retirement is not a word that fits us at all. If you like horses there are a few videos on you tube, Rosmear Nuage, for sale, One of the old rogue coming to join us for lunch in the garden.Then another with the still rare Caspian horses. When we got Siyroun (the theif) there were only 60 in the world, now there are still not many more than 1000. Our sit is haras de Rosmear it usually comes up first if you are interested.

Oh I invested 10 euros on one of these plastic upright containers on wheel with lots of little draws. That went under the top below the pots and pans held cutlery and things like yeast, soup packets e.t.c. Also a wire veg. rack on wheels. I would have liked a magnet for kitchen knives, but keep them with wooden spoons and salad servers. I used an old bookshelf to put the appliances in, like the Kenwood and bread maker e.t.c..

My useless oven gets used as a safe place to keep food, the microwave too. This is because my old (24 yrs) cat still manages to open the back door which has a latch that quite a few people can't work out! My old Caspian stallion 25 yrs. knows if he follows Ruridh (gaelic for red) he can get into the kitchen Once in he has a wonderful time. He knows exactly where the flour is kept, eats just about everything, and can open the fridge. He will even eat the cheese, and his very favourite is 'carrotte rappé au vinegrette' You can imagine the mess when I come in. If he is caught in the act he can exit the kitchen that belies his age !

I hope I have been of some help, and that you will achieve your dream kitchen :)

Fran galeeny@aol in case you want to ask something. Take care and hopefully you are enjoying the sun today

I just saw a white pegboard loaded with pots,pans,utensils & thought what a great spacer. Perhaps you can get a peg board going?

can you show us a pic

Yes, a picture and floor plan would help a lot. Personally, I like slide out drawers behind the doors in bottom cabinets. That way you can fill them completely and still find things. If your cabinets do not go all the way to the ceiling, you might add cabinets above them for additional storage. Or, move your current cabinets up to touch the ceiling and add open shelves below them for frequently used items such as cereal bowls and mugs. Also, if your shelves are not adjustable, remove them. Drill holes inside the cabinet to allow you to position the shelves more efficiently. I have found that often you can add an additional shelf to give more storage.

In a small kitchen, organization is critical. Think of Granny's old saying, "A place for everything and everything in its place." You might search out photos of kitchens in yachts. They really know how to pack a lot of function into a small space.

Smiles from Carol

My house was built in 1947 so I know what you mean about a small kitchen. There are lots of ideas for storage. My suggestion is to start by carefully considering what you really need and eliminate duplicates and rarely used items.