Small Kitchen DIY Fixes: Submit Your Stories
Do you have a small kitchen that you tweaked to make work better? Did you come up with a creative solution that involved building something or adapting something for a new purpose? Tell us the problem that existed before and what you did to fix it -- and upload a photo that shows the final version. We may include your photo and description, credited to you, in an upcoming story on kitchen fixes on CHOW.
Here's an example of a submission (including the photo below):
Inspired by small apartment kitchens we saw on a trip to Italy, my husband and I sawed the inside out of a board, leaving only a frame. Then we dismantled a store-bought wooden dish drying rack, and inserted one side of the rack inside the sawed out board. We mounted this slatted shelf above the sink and put our wet dishes in it to dry. The water drips into the sink, and it saves precious counter space.
-- Jacquilynne, posting on behalf of CHOW
Jacquilynne
Mar 09, 2007 05:17PM
photo?
Permalink | Reply
Can you not see the photo I attached? It's just above my avatar.
Permalink | Reply
Back in the day when I had a smaller kitchen I noticed that my pots and pans and wine glasses were all taking up a lot of my space- there are tons of metal hanging racks around that can keep these things way off the counter and still reachable. Additionally, magnetic spice racks to attach to the fridge and magnetic knife racks keep things out of drawers.
I also did something recently that has seriously helped me out- I tagged everything with a piece of tape and a date. When I use it I remove the tape. Anything still tagged in 6 mo is going to the Goodwill.
Permalink | Reply
Someone else on these boards (I forgot who, sorry) had a great suggestion.
She packed all her kitchen stuff up in boxes and put them in a closet on the other side of the house. Whenever she needed to use something, she'd go to the closet, get it out of the box, use it, wash it and put it away in the kitchen. At the end of one year, whatever she hadn't used was already boxed up and ready to be donated!
Permalink | Reply
Amen to that. I am doing the same thing with the items in my basement. I swear, it's bed, bath and beyond down there
Permalink | Reply
I'd be in big trouble if I did that--I have lots of things I use exclusively during the holidays, and I bet lots of others do too ;)
Permalink | Reply
Just make yours 1 year. . .if it isn't used in a full year, it doesn't serve any purpose, including holidays, so free yourself of it! :-)
Permalink | Reply
I've often heard this theory - and I just don't buy it. Maybe it works for others, but not for me. Just because I don't use something often doesn't mean I'll never want to use it. I AM careful about what I buy - we don't have a large house so we do have to be careful about the amount of stuff that accumulates. But, for example, I am a baker and have some pans that may only get used every couple of years or so - that doesn't mean I should get rid of them. I've always heard this theory applied to clothes as well - again for every day stuff this might be true, but I have some gowns that i don't have a lot of call for - doesn't mean I'm packing them up & donating to the salvation army.
Permalink | Reply
I too, am blessed with a tiny kitchen. We are in the middle of a remodel. So I don't really have any suggestions for anyone that is just looking to make small adjustments but here are the things that we did to make the most of our limited space. I also admit that we have not yet lived with the kitchen so we don't know whether these fixes will actually translate into better kitchen usage.
1 - we decided to go with a narrow dishwasher (18") there's only two of us so we can just run it more often if need be.
2 - we went with a narrow but taller fridge. It's a liebherr and we liked the look of it but haven't actually tried it out. we are hoping that the smaller footprint makes the space more workable and are also hoping that the height makes up for the lost width.
3 - we had a little bit of leftover space in the lower cabinets so we made a slot for flat items like cookie sheets, shallow baking pans and trays. trying to fit those into the cabinets in the past was always a headache. i think it will be nice to have a space dedicated to them now.
I do like the idea of leaving things out of the kitchen and only bringing what you need to use.
Permalink | Reply
We also have a tiny galley kitchen and are in the middle of a spruce-up/minor redo right now, pending a complete gutting and redo in about five years. So far the things that have made the most difference:
For utlization of space:
A complete purge of every drawer, cabinet and countertop item in the kitchen. We were ruthless about it.
Instead of stacking my bakeware, I stood it all on its side. I know most people already do this, and I can't believe it took me 15 years of tiny kitchens to figure it out. Now, muffin tins, brownie pans, cake pans, springform pans, etc. are standing on their side in the cabinet. It's so much easier to get to everything - no more emptying out the entire cabinet to reach something stacked underneath everything else in the back.
Purchased Stainless Steel roller racks - Our house is old and the cabinets are just big empty spaces with a door. New cabinets are pending, but in the meantime, this has really helped make the back of the cabinets accessible and again, make it possible to reach items without having to unload the entire cabinet.
Aesthetics:
We ripped up two layers of horrible vinyl flooring to expose tongue-in-groove heart pine flooring underneath. Lucky us! When we finish the other cosmetic things, we'll refinish the floor.
We removed the horrible fillthy ceiling fan and are replacing it with a long track lighting piece that will allow us to point lights into different areas of the kitchen.
We are scraping and repainting the ceiling today (I'm posting while I'm waiting for the primer to dry.)
We are repainting the walls.
I am clearing off the countertops and storing items that have previously taken up counter space. It looks cleaner, and the lack of clutter really helps make cooking more efficient.
Permalink | Reply
Andie,
Please tell me how you get the bakeware items to stay on their sides? Do you just use a plate holder? Can't believe I never thought of this. I use one for the corning ware lids, and pot lids. I will have to try this for bakeware in my other cabinets.(I have separate sets of bakeware for dairy, meat, and parve. Major storage headache), Thanks!!!
I have a 4-5" wide lower cabinet next to my fridge, which is great for trays, cookie sheets, cooling racks, etc.
Thanks, p.j.
Permalink | Reply
Use a rack that looks like the file sorters you'd see in an office sitting on the desk and set them in between the "tines".
Permalink | Reply
I have a wire rack insert to my roasting pan that I only use every 2 or 3 years when I have to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving. I turned it upside down and use it to hold my baking pans upright.
Permalink | Reply
PJ, I don't have to use anything, because I have so much stuff that it completel fills the cabinet when it's on its side, but any of the below suggestions would work.
Permalink | Reply
Hah, Andie!
Well, I will try the wire-rack/file-folder holder methods and see what works best for our stuff.
Thanks, p.j.
Permalink | Reply
Where did you find the roller racks? (Wondering if they're online or at some chain store.)
Permalink | Reply
Whoops - missed this - sorry Cinnamon it's been a while, hope you still get this. I got the racks at a place in town called Space Savers, but it's a knock off of The Container Store, basically. Anyplace like that that specializes in storage should have something similar.
Permalink | Reply
don't forget to use the same trick for all your squirrely pot lids, organized by size, of course!
Permalink | Reply
What a beautiful feeling all thet must have given you. Thanks for sharing. I used a stapler to fix chopsticks to the shelves in the cabinet to keep the platters, piepans, and other bakeware from sliding. I've thought of using those steel bookends they sell at the stationery stores, but haven't yet put them to work.
Permalink | Reply
Oh my... your chopstick idea is truely brilliant!
Permalink | Reply
Finally finished the project and am posting some pictures of the finished kitchen refurb. The first two are the before in the kitchen. This thing has been a major project, but we're pleased with how it turned out. Things I'm most pleased with:
1. The removal of the vinyl and the refinished pine floor makes the biggest difference. Much cleaner, more classic look.
2. The new cabinet my husband built has made a huge difference in what I can store and the amount of junk out. I'm now able to store all the stuff that was on top of the fridge (bread, potatoes, onions) in baskets inside a cabinet, and the kitchen looks much cleaner and more streamlined now.
3. The new light fixture allows me to point light to different areas of the kitchen and gives good light for cooking as well as looking tons better than that horrible old fixture we had in there.
Permalink | Reply
We are on the last leg of a complete kitchen/dining gut and rebuild -- on a budget (though we have a great contractor.) Ikea cabinets. The main trick was punching a hole in the attached powder room to fit a microwave/convection oven 12" into the space, so it would fit into a 12" counter-depth wall space. The box that juts out is really more discreet than I imagined, and it's over the toilet, so not in the way. Architect friend thought of it! It means we can "build it in" without taking up a bigger footprint.
Permalink | Reply
Our apartment kitchen is truly tiny and it doesn't have a pantry or any decent space to keep stuff - I took over half the closet in the livingroom to be my pantry and have the cans all neatly sorted out on one shelf...
And I store my small collection of bakeware in the warming drawer under the oven. It's not ideal because the drawer is TINY, but at least it's out of the way.
Permalink | Reply
some great ideas here! just a reminder: if you can, please upload a photo so we can see the fix. Since this is for a story we're planning on CHOW, we'd love to see the results of your fix-it savvy.
Permalink | Reply
My Smurf-sized kitchen photos are enclosed. Please note that I rent, so all these solutions were concocted because remodling to add a different fridge or better cabinets wasn't possible.
Let me see what tips I might be able to offer:
- The biggest tip is KEEP IT CLEAN. I finally realized that, as much as I am remiss to throw them away, I simply can't be keeping all the plastic grocery bags I bring home from the store or every Whole Foods soup tub. I either bring a canvas bag to the store or ask for paper so that I can reuse the bags for taking out recycling, storing mushrooms, draining fried foods, etc. When in doubt, throw it out. I did a ruthless kitchen purge this weekend and actually got 3 black trashbags out of that space, believe it or not.
- I got the kitchen cart/table because I didn't have enough space to work- I thought it would just be an accessory/sometimes workspace when entertaining, but it is the ONLY counterspace I use. When I have big jobs to do, I also have a behemouth plastic cutting board that can go over two burners of the stove to serve as extra space. The kitchen cart also has a wire drawer that is perfect for produce, so it's served as really useful extra storage.
- Think up! I have high ceilings and a ledge above my cabinets, so I store everything I need for entertaining, as well as Costco items up top. Just put them in matching cloth bins (The Container Store) and they don't look out of place. Also, matching canisters are a joy! I keep all my Indian cooking herbs in one, my Italian herbs in another, etc... this way, I don't get Cardamom pod taste in my dried goods or other herbs as can happen with small cabinets. Also, not having the little baggies and canisters of herbs is a huge help and i don't have to dig when I want to make an Indian dish. I rarely keep things in the original packaging.
- I have an old ironing board nook built into the kitchen that someone turned into the perfect shelving for all my spices. I love it!
- I have a fold-away dishrack (Grundal by Ikea) that allows me to use the tin draining board for other things/counterspace. This also has hooks on it to store oft-used utensils like tongs.
- I put my most-used dried herbs in magnetic canisters on the side of the fridge- right next to the stove, convenient!
- Many of my cabinets are vintage glass-fronted (My place was built in 1906 and my apartment was originally the servant's quarters/house kitchen to an adjacent grand flat that was split into several apartments. It has the original concrete sink under the tin drainboard. Which is awesome, I suppose, if you ever find yourself on your back in the kitchen looking for vintage touches. Otherwise, it just takes up precious under-counter space.) At any rate, I was pretty insistent on being matchy-matchy with things like my small appliances (all red) and dishware, so that the storage doubles as decorative. Note the collection of vintage Taco Bell Smurfs glasses.
I, to, use other tricks like the file-storage-potlid-rack and over-the-sink drainer for prepping veggies (though my sink is not in any way standard, so it doesn't stay put. My sink, in fact, has a bathtub drain. How's that for a pain?)
I also have no Dishwasher but found that the Scotch Brite scrubby-sponge-on-a-stick-with-soap-filled-handle makes dishes totally bearable.
Edit! Another tip: I had printed out, scribble-on magazine clippings and random recipes coming out every nook and cranny of the kitchen. I finally bought an in-notebook three-hole punch and notebook to keep them in. Sure, they're not organized alphabetically in plastic sleves with colored dividers, but at least they are out of the way and accessible.
Permalink | Reply
Keep it clean, AMEN! One thing a tiny kitchen has taught me: do dishes while you work. If I have any idle moment during cooking, I use it to wash whatever dishes I've already used. The dishes pile up fast and just take up space.
We use plastic grocery bags for our trash, but we keep them in a handy pull-out rack under the sink. We also reuse other plastic bags and hang those on a hook inside the undersink door--and we also have three shelves under the sink, and various wire baskets to hold cleaning supplies.
And "think up" is definitely the way to go! That said, living in San Francisco, we had a tremor a few weeks ago while we stood in the kitchen, and I have nightmares about a glass jar of bulk couscous tumbling five feet onto my head. But being that it's a small kitchen, it's only a step to the living room. :)
Permalink | Reply
We not only have a galley kitchen, but we also live in an apartment--no chance of upgrading the stove or refrigerator unless they both break down miserably. So we've made do. Fortunately, my fiance is very handy around the house.
1. Shelves, shelves, shelves. We have shelves going up the side of our doorjamb (no photo of that yet); along the top of our doorjamb; he removed the doors on the cabinets so the shelves are exposed; and he recently added new shelves to the top of the refrigerator.
2. Hanging pot rack AND two hanging utensil racks near the stove.
3. Use the space near the stove for a rolling rack and toaster oven (not shown in this picture).
4. Pegboard!
5. Built a shelf between the refrigerator and sink to support some extra space and our dishrack.
6. And the piece de la resistance: He stained and cut a $10 piece of plywood to extend the length of our kitchen counter AND create a garbage hole. It's so incredibly convenient that I'll cry if our next home doesn't have a similar feature. Another feature: The trash can is on a shelf, so the recycling bin fits beneath it.
These photos show the left and right side of the kitchen; the linoleum meets in the middle. We have about 2 1/2 feet clearance between counters.
http://beanersprout.com/apttour/image9.jpg
http://beanersprout.com/apttour/image10.jpg
http://beanersprout.com/apttour/image...
If you need more recent photos (they really just include more shelves) let me know.
Permalink | Reply
I have a shotgun kitchen, but luckily I also have a pantry (a former coat closet the previous owner converted.) I keep only dishes and glassware in my cupboards. All food goes in the pantry, along with cookware and pots and pans. I hung a sturdy bar with S-hooks so I can slide the pots and pans around as I need them. There is also a rung near the floor where I keep a broom and dustpan and prop bottles of water.
Permalink | Reply
we converted our Coat Closet into a pantry as well, and we keep all of our dry goods in there, along with the Dog Food and all of our bags that we reuse...it really helped us make more space!
Permalink | Reply
That counter top with trash-hole is brilliant!! Must go in the article!!
Permalink | Reply
PPK MuppetGrrl!
Permalink | Reply
Our small kitchen in San Francisco seemed even smaller and oppressive before we changed a few key things (Photos 1, 2). A few years back we had it “refaced” and covered the hideous faux oak cabinets from 1987. We were then able to move the refrigerator 12” and eliminated a weird lower half cabinet that was orphaned next to the fridge. An above-fridge cabinet was built that was deep enough to accommodate our cookie trays and other items too long previously for other cabinets. In addition, we added a cabinet large enough to hold spices and oils. The spices are kept in small bins http://www.containerstore.com/browse/... that make it easy to slide out and access the spices instead of rooting to the back of a cabinet. It took me a few tries to find the right size bins for the cabinet.
One more built-in solution was to add ‘pantry slider’ units to a narrow lower cabinet next to the fridge.(Photo 3) Since we lack a real pantry (or any closet options), this was a great option. It’s surprising how many cans and jars can be stored in this cabinet.
In addition, there were some easier changes we made in this small kitchen that changed it into a convenient place to cook.
Hanging:
Moving the knives out of a drawer makes them not only handy but safer (Photo 4
)Installing a microwave-hood combo installation isn’t something that everyone with a small kitchen can do, but it freed up space on the countertop and created venting that we didn’t previously have (Photo 5)
I love vintage kitchen wares and kept this foil/wax paper/paper towel dispenser around until I had a place for it (Photo 6). In addition to being vintage-chic, it keeps these items off the counter and out of drawers and frees up space for other things.
Despite a few round of improper hanging, one round which dented my otherwise pristine solid chrome Ice-O-Matic vintage ice crusher, these shelves serve as the pantry that we’re otherwise missing. Both the selves and the glass canisters that contain the dry-good were both found at your local bargain Swedish high design retailer. (Photos 11,12)
Using other spaces:
Even though we didn’t have an extra closet or other space (or garage, ha!), we were able to use the dining room area for ‘decorative’ storage of glassware, serving pieces, and cookbooks. These pieces are still accessible, but the corners of the room are dressed up with cabinetry. The cookbook storage built-on serves a multiple purpose of providing seating for guests, cookbook storage, as well as a electronics charging station behind the cabinet doors. (Photos 7,8)
Mobility:
Making nearly everything movable allows one to reconfigure desirable spaces as needed. Putting all out cooking utensils in upright canisters (Photo 9) makes them visible and within arms reach while cooking as well as freeing up hard faugh drawer space. When more counter-prep space is needed, they can be shoved out of the way.
The stainless cart (which had previous lives as in a surgery suite and a home for a TV and VCR) is a perfect place for the recycling bin as well as an infrequent third station for food prep (Photo 10). It holds canisters when off-duty but is small enough to make a great, flexible chopping station when the rest of the counter is full. Casters are key!
We cook most nights of the week and have spent four years tweaking out kitchen setup. While these suggestions aren’t for everyone, we’ve found that they make our small kitchen cozy and utterly workable.
(dangit, the photos won't upload... this might take a while...)
Permalink | Reply
Photos! 1-4
Permalink | Reply
More Photos ... 5-8
Permalink | Reply
Final Photos ... 9-12
Permalink | Reply
This looks super - where did you fnd those nice-looking stainless shelves, if you don't mind my asking?
Permalink | Reply
Hi chitta chef - I just finished reading 5 and Dime's post - look's like the shelves were purchased at Ikea. I like them too - looks like i'm going to have to take a trip to my "local bargain Swedish high design retailer!"
Permalink | Reply
Oh yeah, me too!
Permalink | Reply
I LOVE your dispenser for foil, wax paper, paper towels, etc. Where did you find that?!
Permalink | Reply
They were quite common in the 50's and 60's and as a matter of fact a few weeks ago the local Thrift Store (used items) had 3. I let it slip to my sister and she got all of them. Her and her friends are into the retro items, big time.
Just keep on the lookout for them at other used item places.
Permalink | Reply
Oh... 5 and Dime, you give me such hope! I used to dream of a "huge" kitchen, but you've shown me that a beautiful and functional space can be had in a smaller space.
My not-very-helpful take on the small kitchen issue is... live with the smallest kitchen imaginable for a while (I call mine the Barbie Dream Kitchen, complete with tiny Babie Dream Stove!) and then anything will seem huge! The last photo is the entry to my pantry - which is literally half the size of my kitchen (and thank God for it, and for tall metal shelving found at the local hardware store!).
Permalink | Reply
Jacquilynne -
I'd like to suggest a change to the heading of this post, maybe something like, "Small Kitchen DIY Fixes: Request for Story Ideas" or something. You might get more responses. I've seen this topic for a while without opening it because I didn't realize it was an actual request, but if I come up with something I can share I'll bring in a photo.
Permalink | Reply
Thanks for the idea, I've changed it.
Permalink | Reply
We have no cupboards (rental), just a pantry with shelves, so I got a pegboard and put it above the stove for the pans. It's convenient and space-saving.
In case the photo attachment doesn't work: http://flickr.com/photos/fotolulu/100...
Permalink | Reply