Whether you live in a small apartment or a large house, chances are you’re still struggling for space in your kitchen. Cramped kitchens aren’t only difficult to move about and often reduce the pleasure you should derive from cooking at home – they’re also dangerous. More accidents occur in cramped kitchens than any other, plus food gets spilled and goes to waste, and then there’s the issue of hygiene. Organisation is the key to kitchen fluidity, though there are also many easy and inexpensive alterations you can rely upon to create a comfortable kitchen space, one that’s inherently enjoyable to cook in.
- Replace lower shelves with drawers
Replacing lower shelves with space-efficient drawers is one of the most effective and affordable means of maximising space in the kitchen. A combination of deep drawers (cooking pans, pots, etc.) and shallow drawers (cooking utensils, cutlery, etc.) are your best option, moreover having a professional in to take care of a job like this won’t set you back much either.
- Install shelving racks
In many kitchens, a significant amount of space under the overhead kitchen cabinets goes to waste that could be used for a variety of purposes, like hanging coffee cups and wine glasses. Space also goes to waste inside the doors of cabinets and cupboards, and this space could also be maximised by installing sauce and spice racks. This not only provides more shelving and storage space, but also removes the need to store spices and sauce bottles on the countertop, further maximising space.
- Maximise shelving
You can also maximise space in the kitchen by altering shelving layouts in cabinets and cupboards. As you’re probably aware from personal experience, much of the internal space of cabinets and cupboards goes to waste because there’s often a significant gap between the top of cans and containers and the shelf above. Whilst it mightn’t always be feasible to add an extra shelf in between, it is however, often possible to take a cabinet with three shelves, remove all three and refit it with four, thus providing you with an extra shelf and far more storage options.
- Create a kitchen island
This is a larger job and one that would only be suitable for a large kitchen with space going to waste in the centre of it. Whilst you don’t want to box yourself in, provided that you have ample space in the kitchen it’s remarkable just how much more bench and storage space a kitchen island can create.
- Put the microwave on a lower shelf
If you’re running low on countertop space and you have space to spare in the cupboards or shelves below, you might find it feasible to take your microwave and place it in a cupboard or on a shelf so it’s out of the way and you have greater countertop space to work with. If you don’t want to spend a penny you don’t have to, though it won’t cost all that much to have the cupboard or shelf modified to accommodate the microwave, plus doing so gives the kitchen that fitted, modern look that many find inherently appealing.
- Opt for fitted appliances
Following on from the preceding point, kitchens with fitted appliances not only look more aesthetically pleasing because there aren’t gaps everywhere – they’re also the most space maximised kitchens you’re likely to come across. Cameo Kitchens and other prominent retailers of kitchen appliances offer a wide range of fitted kitchen appliances including dishwashers, fridges, cookers and ovens, so take this option into account when looking at cost-effective ways to maximise your kitchen space.
Author: Luis McMullen is writing for an unusual blend of online appliance retailer and kitchen specialist. Cameo Kitchens is one of the leading providers of quality Neff showroom products in the UK.
