Is bigger always better when it comes to your home? It can be! But for many of today’s homeowners, having a small space makes their lives more cost effective and easier to manage.
Whether you’ve bought a tiny home or you’re simply looking to maximize your space, we’ve got some useful tips to help you organize kitchen appliances in your small kitchen. So let’s make the most of your space!
The F.E.D. Strategy
When it comes to making a smaller kitchen work for you, there are 3 main things to consider: Frequency, Ease of Use, and Design, also known as F.E.D. Using the F.E.D. approach, you can get a good idea about how to redesign your kitchen to best serve your day-to-day life.
Frequency
When establishing a new layout for your kitchen, consider how frequently you use each appliance. Though some arrangements may look more appealing, it’s better to give yourself easier access to the appliances you reach for first. You can achieve this by keeping the following in mind:
- Everyday items can go on the counter or in your line of vision, so your morning cup of coffee is a breeze, not a workout.
- Move other items to the back of the cupboard or an area near the kitchen (e.g., put the fondue pot in a hallway closet).
- Check out storage solutions, like tiered spice shelves and stylish bins and racks; if your cupboards have removable shelves, use them to make space for taller devices.
Ease of Use
Now that you’ve determined what you use the most, it’s time to establish a system that will make waiting for your food to cook the only difficult thing about being in your kitchen.
- Put items in locations that follow your natural flow in the kitchen. Keep things like oven mitts and cutting boards as close to where they are used as possible (so you don’t have to crisscross the kitchen frequently), and set up your kitchen so you can find and store devices without having to think about it.
- If counter space is more limited, consider slimmer options, such as immersion blenders and single-cup coffeemakers. Find appliances that are big enough to meet your needs, but small enough to avoid being cumbersome or imposing. You can also look into local or online markets to trade yours in for a different model.
Design
Once your favorite appliances and fittings are readily accessible, follow these steps so you can share your kitchen space without feeling like you’re in Grand Central Station.
- Ensure that appliances don’t bang against each other when multiple ones are in use, and use color-coding to group appliances for the same purpose (i.e., a red crockpot and serving utensils for functions).
- Keep your kitchen feeling fresh by adding easily swapped features for the season, and check out our list of tips for decorating for fall.
- Now is also a good time to deep clean and purge those devices that are more likely to interact with dust than food. If all you need is a battery or a readily available replacement part, take this time to pick some up and put those appliances to work.
Now that your kitchen feels new again, check in with yourself on a regular basis to ensure your kitchen's setup is still serving you as seasons change.
Which small appliance is a staple in your home? Let us know on Instagram or Facebook!