If you have a bijou kitchen how do you maximise space without it feeling cramped and cluttered? There are several tricks to maximise and adding storage to a small kitchen…

Add a shelf between the wall cabinet and the ceiling

If you have a large enough space between the top of the wall cabinets and the ceiling, adding an extra shelf can be useful for storing various items, especially those you don’t use very often like cake stands and roasting pans.

Use wall space

If you have an expanse of wall why not add a few hooks to you can hang things like chopping boards and breadboards? You could also add a plate rack or even opt for open shelving. It also makes a great spot for a drop away table. Foldaway tables have a dual purpose – as well as eating, you could use it for food prep and other activities.

Magnetic strips for knives…

… and pot lids and anything metallic that need storing neatly away. They can be fixed on the wall above worktops so when you need to grab them you just reach out and everything you need is within reach. These also make great spice racks. Simply opt for small metal canisters and place on the strip, perfect for the next time you are cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Add extra shelving IN your kitchen cabinets

Most cabinets come with one shelf, two at most which can leave a huge amount of cupboard space unused. It can be simple to add another shelf to a space as in some cabinets there are pre-drilled holes into which you can insert small metal pins – you can buy these from most kitchen suppliers – along with laminated shelving. You’ll be amazed the difference an extra shelf or two can make in kitchen cabinets.

Consider back-of-cabinet-door racks

There are all kinds of racks and shelving for use on the back of cabinet doors. These work great for lightweight items such as spices and packets but don’t add anything heavy as it will place stress on the hinges.

Use the ceiling

Hanging racks are great for pots and pans especially if you have the head height to pull the rack up out of the way when you don’t need the pans. As well as buying them, you can also repurpose one – just take a look around secondhand stores and furniture reclaim outlets.

Store tins in the oven

If you are missing a drawer or space for tins, keep them in the oven instead. This way, you utilising the empty space when the oven is not in use.

When you’ve done all you can to maximise space in the small kitchen…

… the time has come to take a long hard look at kitchen re-design and whether you have the budget to knock down walls to create a bigger space. Even a re-design of the kitchen with the space you have available now will yield far more storage solutions and space.