9 Kitchen Storage Tricks to Make Your Small Space Easier to Cook In

May 19, 2023

By Rachel Davies

The fight for kitchen storage space is never ending. Whether you’re stuck with a tiny apartment kitchen that barely has room for your minuscule spice jars or you’re in a sprawling suburban kitchen but happen to have an outsized gadget collection, you’ve almost certainly found yourself trying to somehow summon extra space out of thin air more times than you’d like to admit. Though we don't know any true magic spells to conjure extra square footage, we have figured out a few storage tricks with the help of our Clever home tours. Read on for only the best inspiration.

Sam Klemick knew that the lofted bed was going to be key to the apartment. "As soon as I knew I would be moving into this particular space, I wanted to do a lofted bed to utilize the additional space gifted by having such high ceilings," she says.

If your kitchen is underneath a lofted space, a staircase, or you just have low ceilings, put them to work with hooks. Otherside Objects founder Sam Klemick did just this in her 495-square-foot Los Angeles studio, expertly putting the ceiling beams to use and drawing the eye upward to expand the scale.

The burl-wood drop-down cabinet is an Etsy find.

When you’re short on cabinet space but have a little extra square footage to spare, go for a proper hutch or bookshelf to add storage. While many go for a wire shelving unit or something else that feels industrial-leaning, using a proper cabinet helps a space feel lived-in and mature; plus, it can offer closed storage that's useful for kitchen gadgets or food storage you may not want on display at all times. In the West Village apartment of Alex Bass, a burl cabinet deftly divides the kitchen from the breakfast nook.

"In terms of the spatial planning, the classic thing is to have a train track arrangement with your kitchen and an island and a dining table all parallel to the length of the house, which can often make it feel like this series of very narrow spaces, all running through to the garden," says Daniel Goodacre, cofounder of DGN Studio. "We wanted to create this U-shaped kitchen in the center of the plan, so it's a bit more like different episodes as you move through the space."

If you have an island or you’re planning out a reconfiguration of your kitchen, consider putting both sides of the island to use for storage rather than only offering drawers on one side. This London kitchen by DGN Studio does exactly that, with dishes on display on the far side of its peninsula.

Harry Josh stands in his European countryside-style kitchen.

By Erika Owen

By Rachel Davies

By Erika Owen

For the home cooks, a particularly charming (and useful addition) to any kitchen is a short and shallow ledge used exclusively for spices. This works particularly well if, like Harry Josh's apartment pictured above, your space leans toward a farmhouse-inspired style.

Paige Wassel painted the cherry cabinets matte black, installed open shelving, and added a new backsplash in the kitchen. "I removed the boob light on the ceiling and installed two round pendant lights above the counter. And of course, the new wood flooring. The old tile was depressing."

Is your mug collection taking up a little too much real estate in your kitchen cabinets? As you can see in Paige Wassel's Chicago home, mugs hung on under-the-cabinet hooks can create a homey vibe in your kitchen and add storage space. Bonus points if you’re especially proud of your unique mug collection.

"People can get kind of myopic about where they shop," says MoMA collection specialist Kayla Dalle Molle. "I’d maybe offer advice on being open to shopping in unexpected places." Case in point: the wooden pegboard hanging in the kitchen, found at Maisonette, a children's boutique.

By Erika Owen

By Rachel Davies

By Erika Owen

We’re not saying you have to be as minimal as Brooklyn apartment-dweller Kayla Dalle Molle with her kitchen pegboard, pictured above—but we are saying a pegboard is an airy, convenient, and inexpensive way of adding storage to your kitchen.

"It's small, but it has a really nice energy," Romilly Newman shares of her cozy, window-side kitchen. "I also love the open shelves because there's so much height, I can store my books, plates, and various [finds]."

In a space blessed with audaciously high ceilings, add shelves all the way up to accentuate it and store much more than in typical cupboards. Chef and food stylist Romilly Newman did just this in her Brooklyn apartment, making her tiny kitchen plenty functional, even in the midst of her many culinary adventures.

Jesse Hammer managed to squeeze in an eggplant-colored Fort Standard fruit bowl, a Felipe Lopez cutting board, and a Michael Graves Whistling Bird tea kettle in her tiny kitchen space.

By Erika Owen

By Rachel Davies

By Erika Owen

In architect Jesse Hammer's 183-square-foot home, every square inch counts. Jesse built out a drawer for the kitchen (they previously had nowhere to put cutlery!), and an added magnetic knife strip offers handy access when it comes time to meal prep.

"My colorful aesthetic was elevated when I moved to Australia because wearing colorful clothes looked so much better in bright sunlight," says Neel Morley.

This colorful kitchen flaunts the utility of a shelf that provides storage space up top and hanging space underneath. Especially for oddly shaped pieces like pots, pans, and pitchers, hanging storage can often be more convenient than interior storage.