GREAT NEWS! I just signed a lease on a one-bedroom apartment in my dream city! The only issue? It’s TINY (less than 400 square feet) and has a small kitchen. So I thought I’d share with you some small kitchen organization ideas I’ve found that I plan to use myself. Hope this helps!
1. Over-the-sink drying rack
What a genius way to instantly add vertical storage and save counter space! I’m thinking of putting this over-the-sink drying rack in my small kitchen. It has a dish drainer, hooks, cutting board holder, storage basket for fruits and veggies, and a holder for utensils.
2. Sink shelf
If I don’t go with the fancy over-the-sink drying rack shown above, I’ll go with this simpler sink shelf. It’s much less distracting and cluttered, and won’t block the kitchen window like the other one would. I could put soap, plants, spices, oils, and other items on it without taking up counter space.
3. Under-the-sink expandable rack
This genius small kitchen organization idea helps you make the most of under-the-sink space. See, the problem is, we often waste the space at the top of a cabinet because we can’t stack things. This solves that problem.
This rack expands horizontally, and the shelves are customizable so you can slide them around depending on where your pipes are. The only thing I don’t like about this organization option is that it’s hard to reach items in the very back of the shelf because the shelf does not slide out toward you (like a drawer would).
4. Metal two-tier stackable sliding drawer for countertop
When you don’t have much counter space, you need to build UPWARD. This classy stackable sliding drawer set helps you do just that. I saw a lot of Amazon reviewers using this to store potatoes and fruits. You can also fill it with canned goods, or any item you want within easy reach.
These sturdy, stylish sliding drawers are PERFECT for adding vertical space to your countertops, under your sink, or even on top of your fridge. You could put fruits and veggies, spices and oils, and so much more in these.
And the BEST part? If you choose to use these under the sink, because the drawers slide out, it’s easy to reach items in the back! 🙌ðŸ¼
5. Plastic two-tier slide-out baskets for under the sink
These two-tier slide-out baskets are less stylish than the ones above, but for optimizing under-the-sink space, they’re just fine. No one’s gonna see them anyway!
These are a slightly cheaper (but less sturdy) alternative to the above. They come in a stacked two-tier item. So if you want one on either side of the pipes beneath your sink, you only need to buy two. I think that would fill the space well.
6. No-drill 35 lb magnet hooks
Need to hang something slightly heavy, but don’t want to drill a hole? Get these powerful magnet hooks that hold up to 35 lbs! Useful for any place you have a metal surface. You can use these hooks to hang potted plants, tools, towels, mugs, and more.
The side of my fridge is right against my counter, meaning there’s some space on the side of the fridge near my cooktop. I think I’m going to put some of these magnets on the fridge and hang my favorite mugs on them. 🙂
7. No-drill wall adhesive hooks
For less heavy items and places where magnets won’t work, these wall adhesive hooks that hold up to 16 lbs are perfect! I think I’m going to place some on the wall to the right of my sink, and use it to hang spatulas, cooking spoons, hand towels, measuring cups, or other small items.
8. Slim rolling storage cart for narrow spaces
When you’ve got a tiny kitchen, every. space. counts. This is one of the best small kitchen organization ideas because every kitchen has that TEENY space that’s just too small to do anything with…or is it? This slim rolling storage cart squeezes into tiny spaces and turns them into storage!
So, my apartment has this tiny little gap between the wall and the fridge where this 5.1-inch-wide rolling cart will fit PERFECTLY. It’s a great way to utilize every nook and cranny. You can keep bottles of oil, beverages, snacks, and more in this cart, and tuck it away in a gap somewhere in your kitchen.
Plus, it has hooks on the end! You can hang spatulas or hand towels there.
9. Portable rolling island
Need more countertop space in your small kitchen? Create it with this portable rolling island! It has a granite top, a drawer, a wine rack, a slide-out basket, and and a shelf beneath it to instantly add tons more storage and organization for your kitchen.
10. Baker’s rack
Here’s a (better?) alternative to a rolling kitchen island: The baker’s rack! I love that it expands organization vertically with the tall shelf and hooks—without drilling holes in the wall! You can just back this up against a wall in your small kitchen and instantly add counter space and organization. I might do this instead of the kitchen island, but I will need to take measurements first as my kitchen is really tiny and this might take up too much space.
11. Wall-mounted 3-tier fruit and vegetable basket
This is a genius way to organize and make space for all your fruits and vegetables (and make sure you eat more them!).
12. Ceiling hook hanging fruit and vegetable basket
This one was chosen as the most sturdy hanging fruit basket on Amazon! You can hang it from the ceiling with a hook, or you can get creative and install an L bracket in the wall and hang it from there. I even saw one Amazon reviewer place a long wooden stick on the top of their kitchen cabinet, weight one end of the stick down with a heavy box, and then hang the fruit basket from the other end of the stick that jutted out from over the cabinet.
13. Magnetic top-of-stove shelf
This easy-to-install item instantly creates a shelf on top of your stove! You can place your cooking oils and favorite spices here for easy access while cooking.
14. Suction cup window shelf for plants or other items
Have you ever thought about using your window as an organizer? This suction cup window shelf sticks onto your window, giving you a place to display small potted plants, picture frames,
15. Over-the-door 3-tiered wire basket
If you have a door in your kitchen, you can put this wire basket organizer over it and add more storage for fruits and veggies.
16. Fabric storage bins with rope handles
My apartment’s fridge is just short enough for me to reach on the top of it pretty easily. There’s a large gap between the top of the fridge and the bottom of the small cabinets up top, so I’m going to use storage bins like these to organize items on top of the fridge.
17. Magnetic spice jars for fridge
How cute are these?? Organize your spices in style with these glass magnetic spice holders. They’re like functional art for your fridge!
18. Magnetic fridge organizing rack with paper towel holder
There’s a lot of wasted space on the outside of your fridge, why not stick this magnetic organizing rack on it? It has a paper towel holder and two shelves.
19. Magnetic paper towel holder
I plan to stick this on the side of my fridge. I want a paper towel holder, but don’t want to use my countertop, so this is perfect! It has excellent reviews on Amazon as well.
20. Over-the-cabinet towel bar
I have one of these in the Airbnb I’m staying in right now, and I love it! Typically, I just put a kitchen towel on the handle of my oven…but the apartment I’m moving into doesn’t have a full stove/oven! It just has a cooktop. So, this solves my problem.
21. Fridge pull-out drawer organizers
Organize the inside of your fridge with these pull-out drawer organizers. They hang beneath your fridge shelves to help you optimize space.
22. Fridge plastic bins
These solve the problem of not being able to easily access items at the back of a fridge or freezer. Instead of reaching over and knocking items down, you can simply pull the bin out and access what’s at the back of it.
As you can see, there are TONS of clever small kitchen organization ideas that can make small apartment living tidy and fun. Did I miss anything? Feel free to share your tips in the comments below!