Tiny, tiny kitchen ideas

[Lilboots]

I'm hoping to renovate my kitchen this year so have been hoovering up all of the advice here from people who have been there, done that.

My kitchen, though, is SERIOUSLY tiny. A joke of a kitchen. 4qm with a sloped ceiling. Lots of the recommendations (larders, American fridge freezers, double ovens...) come from people with actual adult sized kitchens and just don't apply to my tiny wee space.

Are there any other micro kitchen veterans out there with smart ideas for wringing every bit of function from my little slice of kitchen?

@EvilPea

Sorry hijacking. That ikea dishwasher is brilliant with the cutlery tray. Brilliant. Utterly brilliant.

Lots of dishwashers have cutlery trays like this now 👌

I'm reading with interest and debating a sink cover now in my head as I also have a very small kitchen.

Mine is a single sided galley but I have been able to squeeze a foot of space out the other side for open shelving units and the house next door has a set of wall cupboards as base units on the other side of their kitchen.

My top tip is to use those cupboard caddy things (I've just bought a load from Wilko for 2.25 each) which has freed masses of space up in the kitchen itself.

I also accept storing various things elsewhere: I have a sideboard in the dining room which stores things I don't use all the time but do want (icing sets, quiche tins, cake tins etc etc) and which also provides some extra space for things like my Kenwood.

My last house had a tiny kitchen.
One thing we had, not by choice but it worked, was no drawers. We had a large sideboard in the next room with all the crockery and cutlery in it.

pygottandcrone.briefyourmarket.com/Newsletters/Pygott-Crone-Newsletter-Latest-Property-Market-Updates158306/How-to-make-the-most-of-a-small-kitchen756.aspx?brandId=32

Sink lids/chopping boards, wall storage that isn't cupboards (like rails, shelves etc). My sister has a tiny kitchen and has a rather fantastic oven/dishwasher hybrid machine!

Think about things that can go somewhere else – so if you have a different room that you eat in, put the glasses and plates in there; if your bathroom is big enough put the washing machine there.

We have a long hanging rail with all the shiny implements hanging from it – much easier than finding things from rummaging in drawers too. We're also about to move our boiler into the attic. All integrated is a great idea for less visual clutter. We've found all our appliances secondhand. One thing I am interested in is a linear hob with four burners in a row instead of a square– Might be worth thinking about?

I also lived for a decade with a combination microwave and convection oven but no main oven – I don't bake much and you can fit a chicken in the microwave sized one.

@loloballlolo

Not so much planning but the Tefal ingenio pans are great because you can remove the handles to put in the cupboard (and stack easily), so space saving - and they come with lids so double up as storage pans and can go in the fridge etc.

I did see somewhere you can get a counter top that flips down over the stove to make extra chopping space etc when the stove top not in use.

I'm obsessed with these Tefal pans now. Do the handles feel secure when they're on?

Thanks for all the great ideas! There's a lovely sideboard I've had my eye on and I guess I have to buy it now that multiple Mumsnetters have recommended I get one!

Luckily my boiler and washing machine are already elsewhere, which gives me a bit more space!

Our last kitchen was 9ft by 6.3ft.
We didn’t have a dishwasher and it worked for us. Most days you will use much of the same stuff, a couple of bowls and spoons for breakfast, side plates for lunch etc. when we washed up we left everything to drain on the side. Then it was ready for the morning.

I’ve got the Tefal pans and the handle is really secure even when carrying a big saucepan full of liquid.

So many good tips already but I’d suggest moving your washing machine to another room (bathroom, under the stairs).

Also buy the kitchen shelf dividers as they double the space you have as not many food stuffs apart from tins stack well

www.johnlewis.com/joseph-joseph-cupboardstore-expandable-shelf-organiser-grey/p5131305?sku=238982853&s_ppc=2dx92700065443823058&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gbraid=0AAAAAD2el1wPpargZs9nTWRRMSe-6A9as&gbraid=0AAAAAD2el1wPpargZs9nTWRRMSe-6A9as&gclid=Cj0KCQiAi9mPBhCJARIsAHchl1xBORuLn8Q5joMM1T5H5Xukf3quvvymSE6NZnklzwV5dR7HsE6L5RIaAnhoEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

We moved from a house with a big open-plan kitchen/diner/living room to one with a much smaller set-up, although still open-ish-plan.

The main thing we did was put loads of stuff in the attic in storage! It's amazing what you actually don't need in your kitchen, I reckon. We prioritised a dishwasher and tall combo fridge/freezer over more worktop and cupboard space and I think that was right for us. We've made every inch of available storage work though (my husband is a joiner, which helps!) - we have cupboards or drawers squeezed into every corner. My other tip is to consider a tiny movable island - we have a marble-topped one from Robert Dyas that gives more storage and worktop space and fits in a space that would have been too small for much else.

Finally, I do wish we'd prioritised a sink with a separate bit for draining stuff etc, even if it were tiny - that's the only thing I miss.

@Laquila

We moved from a house with a big open-plan kitchen/diner/living room to one with a much smaller set-up, although still open-ish-plan.

The main thing we did was put loads of stuff in the attic in storage! It's amazing what you actually don't need in your kitchen, I reckon. We prioritised a dishwasher and tall combo fridge/freezer over more worktop and cupboard space and I think that was right for us. We've made every inch of available storage work though (my husband is a joiner, which helps!) - we have cupboards or drawers squeezed into every corner. My other tip is to consider a tiny movable island - we have a marble-topped one from Robert Dyas that gives more storage and worktop space and fits in a space that would have been too small for much else.

Finally, I do wish we'd prioritised a sink with a separate bit for draining stuff etc, even if it were tiny - that's the only thing I miss.

Yes, the 1.5 bowl sink is non-negotiable! I'm stupidly excited about it!

op how big is your bathroom? On the continent some countries put the washing machine in the bathroom

I had a small kitchen in France and it had a table/workspace that slid out from underneath the actual work surface that gave a lot more space when chopping ingredients.

IKEA must have loads of space saver ideas for the small kitchens, surely?

Slimline dishwashers are not unique to IKEA.

Induction hob.
We’re in a holiday cottage with very little counter space and being able to use the hob as counter space for food prep, unpacking shopping, even putting a parcel down for a while is very handy.
It made me realise how impractical a gas hob is - taking up counter space when it’s not actually being used for cooking is wasteful in a small area.

I would recommend getting a local company that can custom build your cabinets as then you can use every tiny bit of space. In my last house I had a full hight shallow larder cupboard against 1 wall. It was about 30cm wide but stored all my food and most of my baking trays.
I also had a slim line dishwasher, Neff slide and hide oven and induction hob. I also had a long set of drawers that held all my cutlery and the remainder of my pans.

My parents have a tiny kitchen. It goes washing machine space, cooker, cupboard which then becomes the L for the sink (the sink and drainer is then the whole unit width. They have a narrow wall unit opposite the cooker and another wall unit about the washing machine.

They have a pantry cupboard for all the plates etc. The house has 2 reception rooms - the 'front room' which is roughly the lounge and then a 'back room' which is a 'day' room, so the table and a couple of chairs. The fridge freezer is in here and also a sideboard for the food. Food is also kept in various other places in the house.

The key is probably to declutter, but that just doesn't happen in their house, but ultimately if the kitchen is small then storage would need to be found elsewhere.

My kitchen is compact, enough cupboards, fridge freezer in hall, helps a lot.
I’d get dresser in dining room

Does the kitchen share a wall with an under stairs cupboard or other cupboard ?

In a tiny kitchen I had we "stole" space from the under stairs cupboard behind one of the counter top walls and that's where the microwave went. So the door of the microwave ended up flush with the wall under the wall cabinets. Hope that makes sense !
Saved a load of room on the counter top.

@Honeyroar

I had a small kitchen in France and it had a table/workspace that slid out from underneath the actual work surface that gave a lot more space when chopping ingredients.

IKEA must have loads of space saver ideas for the small kitchens, surely?

Oooh, I love the sound of that slide out table!

@SailingBuddy

Induction hob. We’re in a holiday cottage with very little counter space and being able to use the hob as counter space for food prep, unpacking shopping, even putting a parcel down for a while is very handy. It made me realise how impractical a gas hob is - taking up counter space when it’s not actually being used for cooking is wasteful in a small area.

I'd been thinking of changing to induction anyway because of the energy efficiency, but it's being able to reclaim counter space that has really sold me!

@mumwon

op how big is your bathroom? On the continent some countries put the washing machine in the bathroom

My washing machine is already there and I love it. Wouldn't go back now

Two or three ring hob rather than the usual four. I've never used four at once. I had all of them at various times, at present ikea three ring which gives more usable counter top.

Has anyone mentioned the oven door which slides under the oven itself?