If you cook in a small kitchen, you know that keeping things organized and accessible is absolutely essential. If you've conquered the small kitchen conundrums, we applaud you! But we know many of you still struggle with finding cheap, easy-to-implement ways to maximize your space constraints and reduce your stress levels. Well, these five products are the place to start - and they're completely DIY and renter-friendly!
1. IKEA's Grundtal Series, particularly the rail ($9.99) and the wall shelf ($14.99): this system from IKEA clearly takes the cake when it comes to budget-friendly kitchen wall organization. We've seen the Grundtal system show up everywhere, in both traditional and ultra-modern kitchens. Yiming's kitchen, shown above, is one of our favorite examples.
Read More About Grundtal:
• Classic Storage: GRUNDTAL Stainless Steel Kitchen Wall Shelf from IKEA
• 10 Examples of IKEA Shelving in the Kitchen
• Jose's Sheer Smallness (another example of the Grundtal rail system in action!)
2. Under-Shelf Hooks, $4.46/packet from Home Depot: small cooking tools, including mixer attachments and measuring spoons and cups, can be a pain to store in a small kitchen. Make the most of your under-shelf space with a few hooks.
Read More About Under-Shelf Hooks:
• Clever Storage: Undershelf Hooks for KitchenAid Attachments and More
• A Pretty Storage Idea: Hang Mugs and Tea Cups on Hooks
3. Pegboard, $35-$45 from Wall Control: pegboards (first made famous by none other than Julia Child) can hold and organize everything from pots and pans to dishes, tools, even your iPad. They come in a variety of colors, or you can go cheap and spray paint one yourself.
Read More about Pegboards:
• 5 Tips for Hanging a Kitchen Pegboard
• Pegboards in the Kitchen
• A Light-Filled Brooklyn Kitchen, Perfect for Food Photo Shoots!
• Project Runway Star's Excellent Tiny Kitchen
4. Magnetic Knife Strip, $28 from Amazon: Magnetic knife strips are a great way to keep your knives within easy reach and out of your drawers. Plus, we like the look!
Read More about Knife Strips:
• Reader Gallery: Knife Storage Solutions
• Knife Storage: 5 Ways to Store Your Knives Safely
• Smart Storage: Hide the Knife Rack Under the Cabinet!
• Handmade Storage: 5 Magnetic Knife Strips from Etsy
5. Wall Mounted Kitchen Roll Organizer, $49 from Pottery Barn: this all-in-one organizer will keep paper towels, foil, and parchment paper off the counter and within easy reach.
More Wall Mounted Kitchen Ideas
• How to Make a Wall-Mounted Magnetic Spice Rack
• Looking for a Wall-Mounted Dish Rack
• Hot or Not? Wall-Mounted Food Dispensers
What are your small kitchen space-saving essentials?
Related: Best Sources for Small Kitchen Organization
(Images: 1. Jim Franco; 2. Miss Treats via The Kitchn; 3. Adrienne Breaux; 4. Better Homes & Gardens; 5. Pottery Barn)
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AMEN to Grundtal! We've lived in 4 small aparments in 2.5 years of marriage and we've ALWAYS found a spot for them! They are amazing space-savers!
Vertical storage is awesome unless you're 5'3", like me. I wouldn't even be able to reach that microwave, let alone the bulk storage above!
Stepstools are a wonderful thing :)
Any idea where those hanging wire baskets are from in Yiming's kitchen? They're a great addition to the Grundtal system!
RT Linsay May - I believe that's a Bygel basket from Ikea:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90072648/
These are great ideas for maximising space, and customising a rental. Easy and not costly to install and take with you when you move on.
I have the ikea rail...I also have a mounted dishrack above the sink which is a true life saver!
Nice ideas! Obviously, if you are short, you use the bottom shelves for stuff you use all the time and you use the top for stuff you use occasionally. I'm not short and I still have to use a stepstool to get things on the top shelf in the kitchen.
I'm not sure my landlord would like me screwing hooks into the bottoms of his cheap plastic-laminated cabinets. Too bad, though. Even holes left behind couldn't possibly make them look worse.