How to love small space family kitchen
In this blog I share tips on how to love your small space family kitchen. Read along as I share how I made our small kitchen more functional but also keep it as minimal as possible.
Assess your kitchen
Before you make any changes, take time to really assess your tiny kitchen. This step is important because it helps you understand what works and what doesn’t. When you know what’s in your kitchen and how you use it, you can make better choices for your space. In a smaller home, this kind of planning makes a big difference.
Start by looking for things that don’t belong in the kitchen. In my case, I had cleaning products taking up valuable cabinet space. You might find other household items that could live elsewhere. Moving them out can free up room for things you use every day.
Next, think about what’s missing. Are there tools or items you often need but don’t have nearby? Make a list. This helps you figure out what to bring in and where to put it. Smart storage solutions can make it all fit, even in a small kitchen.
Also, take note of how much space each item uses. I realized my pans were taking up too much room. Since I’m working with limited space, I decided to keep only the ones I truly need. Only assessing my space and decide what I could move elsewhere helped me a ton. Read along as I share small kitchen ideas that helped me make better use of every inch.
How to declutter
IBefore we dive into optimizing your space, I’d like to take a closer look at the decluttering process. Even if you’ve already removed everything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen, there might still be some kitchen items you can let go of—without sacrificing the functionality of your cozy space. To create enough space in my little kitchen, I went through every drawer and cleared my kitchen counter. I asked myself three simple questions for each item:
- Is this item in the right space?
- Have I used it in the last two months?
- Do I have two or more of these?
These questions helped me think clearly about what I really needed in my small home. In my small space family kitchen, I found I owned too many pans, garlic presses, and oven dishes. Two or three big pans were just too much for a small room with limited storage. I also gave away two bowls I rarely used. Then, I reordered my bowls and pans so they fit better in the cabinets. This gave me more work space for cooking.
When decluttering I always keep a trash bag nearby for anything broken or no longer needed as well as a donation bag.
If you find items you don’t use often but still want to keep, move them outside the kitchen. A storage space in another room can be useful. I did this with my big soup pan and our tabletop grill.
Simple things like asking the right questions and letting go of extras can make your little kitchen feel much bigger and much more functional.
Sometimes minimalism feels like it’s all about owning less. But for me, it’s more about making life easier. If you live in small houses or have a smaller kitchen, this idea becomes even more important. Especially in a family home, where the kitchen gets used a lot, it helps to keep only what you really need. But even if you minimized what you have you still need to fit a few things into the kitchen right?
But how can you make even better use of little space?
Optimize your small space family kitchen
A few months ago, I noticed my kitchen cabinets were overflowing. I had to use a special system just to make everything fit. The doors were hard to close, and nothing was easy to reach. I had enough counter space, but very little cabinet space. So everything was piling up at my counter. That made my kitchen look messy, even when it was clean.
After I decluttered everything, I looked at how to optimize the space I had. To make a small kitchen work, finding extra space is key. Here are some great ideas that worked for me:
- DIY an extra shelf to use as an open pantry or for open shelving
- Use hooks on empty walls to hang pans or tools
- Add little wooden crates to store dry goods or snacks
- Keep wooden spoons and ladles in a nice utensil holder (haha or in my case just a pitcher I don’t use often)
- Use fruit racks for veggies, fruit, and eggs
- Buy stackable items, like glasses, cups, or food containers
Open shelves and clever storage made my space easier to use. In small kitchens, this is often a great option to make more use of an empty wall. Adding these little things helped me create the perfect place to cook and enjoy time in the kitchen. Plus, having less clutter made it easier to enjoy doing the work I needed to do for my family.
Read along as I share every item and appliance I kept in my kitchen and which items I let go off.
Small space family kitchen essentials
We all need pans and plates in our kitchen. But there is also for almost anything you want to cook an appliance. When In every kitchen, we need basic things like pans, plates, and kitchen tools. But for almost every type of meal, there’s also a small appliance. In a small space family kitchen, it’s just not possible to keep them all. Tight spaces and limited kitchen counters mean we need space-saving solutions that work for us.
After thinking carefully, I chose five appliances I use the most in my own home:
- Food processor – This is my go-to for chopping, blending, and even making dough. It saves time and space by replacing a lot of other kitchen tools. My food processor can both be used to chop foods but also to cook soups and sauces. That way it almost replaces a slow cooker.
- Oven – A must-have for baking, roasting, or heating food. It takes up space, but it’s worth it. I use it daily and it replaces things like a toaster or microwave.
- 4-burner cooktop – Having four burners means I can cook full meals without feeling cramped. It’s built-in, so it doesn’t take up extra counter space.
- Dishwasher – In a family home, dishes pile up fast. A small dishwasher saves me hours of cleaning and keeps the kitchen looking tidy.
- Pressure cooker – This is perfect for quick, healthy meals. I mostly use it to cook dried legumes and full grains that otherwise take an eternity to cook.
These five appliances are all I need in my smaller kitchen. They’re reliable, space-saving, and cover every type of cooking I do.
Because of lack of space, I had to skip a few popular small appliances:
- Toaster
- Instant Pot
- Microwave
- Rice cooker
- Coffee machine
- Slow cooker
- Sandwich maker
I’d love to use them now and then, but there’s simply no room. Plus, I realized I could often use my oven or pressure cooker instead. In tight spaces, every item has to earn its spot.
When you live in a small home or have a little kitchen, it’s important to pick what works best for you. Not every kitchen needs every gadget. The best option is to choose appliances that do more and take up less space. With the right tools, even a small kitchen can be the perfect place to cook and enjoy food.
Loving your small space family kitchen
Living in a small space comes with its challenges, but I honestly love it. I got inspired when my in-laws moved. For a month, they had two houses while moving. As their old apartment got emptier, their kitchen felt lighter and easier to use! It made me realize: I’d rather have fewer appliances than a messy kitchen.
My kitchen is still small, but it works better for my family now. Everything has easy access, so I find what I need quickly. Cleaning takes less time, and when friends help me, they don’t need a manual to empty the dishwasher. It’s a great place to cook and spend time together.
One of the best ways to love your small kitchen is to make it beautiful. Use a small pantry or open shelving to store food and pretty items. Choose kitchen appliances in matching colors for a fresh, joyful look. White walls can help the space feel larger and lighter while bright colours add vibrance and a personal touch. Good lighting and using the natural light you have also makes a big difference — it can make your kitchen cozy and welcoming.
Even though it’s smaller than large kitchens, your small space family kitchen can be the heart of the home. Take time to appreciate the little details, and you’ll really fall in love with it!
Adding a dinner table?
Sometimes, your kitchen has limited floor space, and adding a dining table can make it feel crowded and hard to move around. In this case, the best option might be to use another room, like the living room or a nearby dining area, for meals. This keeps your kitchen open and easy to work in.
However, if your kitchen is small but lacks enough prep space, a dining table can be a great solution. It can serve double duty as extra prep space while you cook. You can chop vegetables, mix ingredients, or set out utensils there. This helps you make the most of your kitchen’s square footage without needing a large kitchen island.
Using your dining table as both a place to eat and a work surface is a smart, space-saving idea for small kitchens. Whether you use it mainly for meals or cooking prep, it can be a very useful and flexible part of your kitchen.
Do you have tips that helped in your kitchen? Leave a reply, I love hearing all about it!
Toll und inspirierend, vielen Dank ❤️🥰