4 Space Saving Kitchen Hacks

Between the stylish decor that you want to display and the assorted mix of food and crockery that you would rather hide away, kitchen storage just never seems to be sufficient.

Many clients who visit our showroom complain of being starved for both cupboard and counter space.

We turned to FCI senior interior designer, Cristina Chilira and asked her to share some ideas to increase space that she has picked up in her many years of designing luxury interiors. These space-saving kitchen hacks will help you maximise every inch of your kitchen.

Vertical Storage

One of the most efficient ways to increase storage is to think up, up, up! “The best way to save space in the kitchen is by using vertical storage,” Cristina says.

When you have limited room, going up is economical and practical. Look around your room, and identify empty walls or narrow places where you can squeeze in tall shallow shelves for spices and condiments.

Deeper spaces will be ideal for organising large jars, tins and dinnerware. A broom closet is an absolute must-have, in these all your mops, brooms and cleaning supplies are very efficiently housed in a narrow pull-out cabinet. 

Additionally, think about built-in corner shelves. Any unused corners can be fitted with cabinets that extend upwards. “It’s best to install cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling for maximum storage capacity,” Cristina advises.

“Not only will these cabinets be out of the way, but they will add a considerable amount of storage for occasional items like massive pots or bulky blenders and mixers.”

2. Kitchen Peninsula 

It may seem like the kitchen island emerged and pushed peninsulas right into oblivion but, these breakfast bars are still as fashionable as ever. 

Different from a freestanding island, peninsulas offer three sides of workspace with the fourth being attached to a wall or counter space. 

Neither is superior to the other, so when it comes to choosing what’s better for your kitchen, let space dictate what is best.

Installing an island in a small kitchen would make it look cluttered and you will likely constantly bump into it. “If you’re short on space, consider a peninsula or breakfast bar instead of a full-sized island,” Christina adds.

These clever architectural builds are chic space savers with a multipurpose advantage of additional storage and ample counter space for food prep, dining or carrying out some work.

When it comes to choosing one or the other, let your space dictate what is best.

3. Rotating Shelves & Lazy Susans

Don’t let the name fool you, the Lazy Susan is anything but lazy. On the contrary, it is a storage workhorse that lets you easily see the content of your cabinets, so that nothing gets lost or ignored in the recesses.

Rotating shelves are a genius hack that has been used for decades to effortlessly store multiple items within easy reach. As Christina remarks, “use Lazy Susans and other rotating shelves to make use of every inch of cabinet space.”

As you may have experienced, spice jars, tins, extracts and such, can easily become unmanageable clutter in your cabinets. Oftentimes only the front row of the stacked supplies ever gets used with the rest left to gather dust. 

Tiered Lazy Susans or built-in rotating shelves will do away with this mess and make it easy to find the less commonly used items in your cupboard. 

Consider also adding this type of shelving to the under-sink drawer so you can pick through your detergents without difficulty.

4. Get Creative

Figuring out storage hacks usually calls for some creativity. As Chistina alludes, “think outside the box when it comes to storage solutions – use hooks, baskets, and racks to store pots, pans, and utensils.”

Interior designers have to be prepared to find solutions for some of the most awkward of spaces.

Any additional kitchen items that do not stack up well can be hung on hooks. These includes, pans, utensils, linen and even decorative elements. Hooks are great because you can add them to just about any sturdy surface – walls, cabinets, windows.

Baskets are an easy go-to storage solution, not only are they stylish, they add texture and visual interest to the room. Choose lined versions to neatly hide away your clutter.

Pots can occupy a large chunk of your cupboard space, so alternatively you can invest in rails that are specially made to hang pots of all sizes and weights.

Homeowners usually ignore unused spaces under or above large appliances. “Don’t forget about your refrigerator – buy an over-the-fridge shelf or install door organisers to maximise storage capacity,” suggests Cristina. 

In Conclusion

In an ideal world, all kitchens would have expansive storage where everything is neatly organised like in a gallery. However, in the real world, space is a luxury, so we need to find clever ways to make the most of it.

These space-saving hacks will help you make better efficient use of your room. But, great kitchen design is about more than just storage. As experienced interior designers, we are always ready to help you plan your ideal kitchen. Chat with Christina and our team of designers about your dream kitchen.