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Five Tips to Simplify Your Small Kitchen

Posted on March 6, 2019June 26, 2019 by jennifer froese
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Does your kitchen stress you out? Mine did for a very long time until I finally decided to simplify it. A calm and clutter-free kitchen is more inviting and makes cooking more fun. You can simplify your kitchen and keep it clutter-free by following these five simple tips.

We live in a 1200 square foot ranch and our kitchen is small by today’s standards. We have very limited counter and storage space. Any surface or storage area is prime real estate. When you have a small kitchen, it’s important to decide what is deserving of the space it takes up and what isn’t. Below are some principles that I use to simplify my kitchen and keep it clutter-free.

Five tips to simplify your kitchen:

1. Clear your counters

Don’t leave anything on the counter that doesn’t need to be there. This is the number one thing that will help your kitchen feel calm and clutter free. Even if you’re not ready to do a full declutter of your whole kitchen, this is one simple thing that makes a huge impact!

Put away that crock pot that you use once every 2 weeks. Put your spices and oils in the cupboard. Find a home for those leftover containers that always seem to be floating around. Everything needs to have a home in order to keep your counters clutter-free. If you’re going to do one thing on this list, this is definitely it.

2. Avoid unitaskers

I only have one usable drawer in my kitchen. After we DIY’d our kitchen renovation, we realized that the only other drawer in the kitchen opens only about 3 inches because it runs into the side of the stove… (oops!). My kitchen, with its single kitchen drawer, does not have room for unitaskers.

I literally don’t have room in my kitchen for egg yolk separators, bagel slicing contraptions, meat shredding claws, or strawberry hullers. You can prevent accumulation of these unnecessary gadgets by using the basic multitasking tools that your kitchen is already stocked with (see tip #5).

“The only unitasker allowed in my kitchen is a fire extinguisher.” –Alton Brown

3. If it’s broken, repair it or get rid of it

Your kitchen space it too valuable to store broken, un-usable items. You know those things that come to mind right away – the panini press that won’t turn on, the spatula with the handle that comes off every time you try to use it, etc. You don’t even necessarily need to replace it right away with an identical item. Try to find something else that you already have that may do the same task just as well. Necessity is the mother of invention.

4. Move seldom-used items out of the kitchen

If you have items you don’t use that often but are not ready to part with, just store them elsewhere. I don’t use our Instant Pot that often, so I actually keep it out of the way in the buffet in our dining room. The same goes for my pie plates and tart pans that I do use once in a while, but not often enough to justify them taking up valuable cabinet space in my small kitchen. As a result, there is less clutter inside my cabinets. There is more space inside the cabinets (at least try) to keep all of my everyday essentials neatly organized.

5. Focus on durable, multipurpose pieces

At one point in my life, I finally realized that you can get higher quality, long-lasting items when you focus on quality instead of quantity. Most of the time these items even function better than their more cheaply made counterparts.

The “fewer, but better” mindset has made it easier for me to keep my kitchen simple and clutter free. For example, you could spend $30-40 on a whole set of kitchen knives from a big box store. The other (and in my opinion better) option is to spend $30-40 on one knife that actually keeps its edge, stays sharp, and makes dinner prep so much easier. It took me many years to really embrace this concept, but now it’s what guides all of my purchases has really transformed my life! I’m still a major work in progress, but I’ve come a long way with my shopping habits.

Hopefully these tips have inspired you to simplify your small kitchen. Share your own tips in the comments below!

  • kitchen
  • simlpifying
  • 2 thoughts on “Five Tips to Simplify Your Small Kitchen”

    1. Samuel says:
      April 7, 2019 at 10:43 pm

      Excellent post. I certainly appreciate this site. Keep writing!

    2. Abby says:
      April 11, 2019 at 12:22 am

      The panini press is now in the basement!

    Comments are closed.

    cedarandstonefarmhouse

    Jennifer Froese
    🌿Living a slow, simple life in our 1832 farmhouse | western ny | zone 6a | the secret to having it all is knowing that you already do✨

    Cedar & Stone Farmhouse
    Some things that I’ll always think of when I thi Some things that I’ll always think of when I think of you–
 
The birch tree out by the road, that low branch of the maple tree hanging down over the gravel driveway, the old potting shed with the red tin roof to match the house, all the birdhouses (but especially that one hanging on the silver maple next to the house), the glow of the lights in the windows at Christmastime, your beautiful gardens - the ferns and peonies, the hollyhocks and zinnias, the oakleaf hydrangea, the poppies, the tulip tree and the scraggly old apple trees, the tree swing under the giant maple in the backyard, the fall birthday parties in the big brown barn, football games in your back yard (especially that year when my dad pulled both of his hamstrings), the enamel-top table on your back porch where you and Papa would have lunch, the steep steep stairs and creaky old floors in your house, the gauzy tobacco cloth curtains pinned up at one corner, the paint colors Pearwood and Black Bean Soup, the bathroom door with no lock, your Bakelite silverware, the vintage Tinkertoys, the old gumball machine on the counter of your pantry with the jar of pennies right next to it (that gum was always so stale), the jar of extra-salty sourdough pretzels we could always find on your counter, your soft sugar cookies with frosting and a pecan on top, your famous potato salad, and your linen clothes. But more than all of these things, I’ll always remember how loved I always felt. Somehow you made everyone in your life feel like they were your favorite person in the world. I’ll never forget your smile and your hugs and your laugh and your sense of humor. And I’ll never forget watching you holding my babies for the very first time. You were incredible Grammie, I’m going to miss you so much.
    Definitely my favorite room in the house! If only Definitely my favorite room in the house! If only there was enough room for a cozy armchair in here 😅
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#pantry #oldfarmhouse #farmhouse #home #homedecor #homestyle #homeinterior #interiors #simple #simplicity #buffalohomes #homesweethome #instahome #oldhome #oldhomes #antique #reclaimed #reclaimedwood #patina #buffalo #bflo #716 #buffalove #linenduet #longaberger #longabergerstyle #myhyggehome #perfectlyimperfect
    4.18.23 ❄️ Last fire of the season? Time will 4.18.23 ❄️ Last fire of the season? Time will tell, but probably not 😂 @gregoryalanisakov @jotulstoves @jotulnorthamerica #jotul #jotulf400 #alwayswinter #buffalo #buffaloproblems
    This window takes the cake for my favorite one in This window takes the cake for my favorite one in the house! It overlooks a giant silver maple from the second story of our old farmhouse and gets the absolute best light throughout the day ✨
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#home #homedecor #homestyle #homeinterior #simpleinteriors #simpleinterior #minimal #cozyminimal #interiors #simplicity #doingneutralright #hygge #buffalo #buffalohomes #bflo #716 #thrifteddecor #instadesign #interiør #vintagedecor #farrowandball #oldfarmhouse #slowliving #linenduet #linen #benjaminmore #edgecombgray #whitedove
    The coziest place to be on a cold winter night # The coziest place to be on a cold winter night 

#cozy #hygge #hyggehome #hyggelife #jotul #jøtul #woodstovelife #woodstove #fireside
    Egg production for our hens has come to a screechi Egg production for our hens has come to a screeching halt lately with the exception of this white leghorn, who continues to faithfully lay one white egg each day! I don't blame them at all, these girls have endured quite the winter so far.
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This white leghorn is the newest addition to our flock, and she actually showed up randomly in the fall and would hang out near the run during the day and disappear towards the evening. This went on for a couple of weeks, and then one day she wandered in when I had the door open and I couldn't get her out. So in she stayed!
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One egg a day is not quite enough to keep up with the baking and cooking for us, so I did have to buy eggs at the store the other week. Talk about sticker shock! I'm curious what prices everyone has been paying for eggs these days.
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#chickencoop #chickenpalace #chickencoopsofinstagram #cluckinghampalace #homestead #homesteading #homesteadlife #farmhouse #weatheredcedar #cedar #chickens #chicken #farmfresh #farmfresheggs #country #countryliving #backyardchickens #growyourown #homegrown #countrywinter #winterwonderland #slowliving #simplelife #simpleliving #snowfall #winter #perfectlyimperfect #oldfarmhouse #whiteleghorn #dominique
    Ina Garten's old-fashioned apple crisp does not di Ina Garten's old-fashioned apple crisp does not disappoint! Normally I do a lot more fall baking, but I've been soaking up all the newborn snuggles every chance I get 🥰

#longaberger #longabergerlifestyle #barefootcontessa #inagarten #applecrisp #applecrumble #fallbaking #bakingtime #apples #applerecipes #appledessert #bakelite #vintagebakelite #feedfeed #feedfeedbaking #homebaker #homebaking #homemade #f52 #f52grams #autumn #foodgawker #fallfood #fallvibes
    Eloise Willow Froese 💕 Born 9.3.22 at 2:33am 8 Eloise Willow Froese 💕

Born 9.3.22 at 2:33am
8lbs 12oz, 21” long
    Our baby may be arriving any day now (hopefully so Our baby may be arriving any day now (hopefully sooner rather than later 😅), but we've been busy harvesting honey from our hives! We just restocked with our freshly harvested raw honey at @martins.mercantile on Friday last week, so if you live in WNY you can head over there for your honey fix #🍯 I think it's extra delicious this year!! 😋 Just check out that beautiful golden color in the second picture 😍
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By popular demand, we'll have a couple of new size jars available at @martins.mercantile soon!
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#rawhoney #honey #honeyharvest #honeybees #honeybee #beekeeper #beekeeping #backyardbeekeeping #backyardbees #smallbusiness #beehive #beehives #langstroth #savethebees #pollinators #honeycomb #cappedhoney #beautifulhoney #beeswax #apiary #beekeepersofwny #buffalobeekeeping #homestead #homesteading #selfsufficiency #growyourown #martinsmercantile
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