Weird and bonkers kitchen storage/arrangement ideas

[KatyMac]

Dd and i are moving into a new house together

I'll be in the annex and them in the main house out kitchen will be very close or next to each other

I'll only need a kitchenette most of the time and any big cooking ill do in the main kitchen (Christmas, parties etc)

So i need space saving and mad ideas

One is to have a kitchen island on wheels with all the baking stuff in with a lft up shelf for the mixer and a pull out surface to work on (which might live in the utility but move to either kitchen area when one of us wants to bake)

The utility will also have a spare fridge/freezer foe overflow and the washing machine (unlikely to need 2)

So what have MN to offer in munusual ideas?

Ikea do mini kitchen suitable for small spaces and movable. I would combine this with a portable trolley with baking supplies and a decent strong fold away table attacked to the wall.

My uncle who is an architect always says you should have two dishwashers if your kitchen is big enough! Is that an option for ye?

Do you ever watch Sort Your Life Out on BBC? They are always building mad kitchen contraptions on there, especially in the earlier seasons.

I liked the one where the mum was disabled so they did these pull down shelves at the top she could reach without help.

Ooo, me too! And for chopping boards and trays, both of which I have far too many.

I am considering storing frying pans like this too but might have to build a custom rack for them.

@Bjorkdidit
I’ve heard appliance garages are not as good as they seem. Unless you have a vertical roller type of door you have to keep the counter space in front clear which is a waste in a small kitchen.

Is it a Nigel Slater thing like in Toast?

Wherever possible swap items out for stackable versions- the Joseph Joseph bowls as a PP mentioned up thread, but we also have stackable saucepans, frying pans, drinking glasses, and a tiny set of stackable baking trays, that are suitable for one or two people. We also have some kind of storage on the back of every cupboard door, so tucked inside we have storage for pan lids, herbs, kitchen rolls, etc. I also bought a multifunction ninja air fryer that replaced a collection of other appliances I had- the slow cooker, the rice cooker, the previous air fryer. In fact in your situation I’d replace the oven completely- we barely turn ours on these days.
I also buy the smallest pack of something- dishwasher tablets, laundry detergent, etc, which I keep in the kitchen, and then buy a huge bulk buy pack that lives in the utility, and I can top up from. It might sound silly but it makes a surprising difference when your kitchen space is really limited!
If you’re going to add a dishwasher I’d look at either a slimline one or a Fisher & Paykel double drawer one (the top and bottom drawers can be run separately). I find if you’re not waiting for the dishwasher to be full you can get away with far fewer pots, pans, plates and crockery.

We had one of those mixer on a shelf arrangements when I was growing up - it was great! Never broke in 20 years and was really helpful.😊

We have drawers in the kick boards

Out of interest, do either of you already live in this shared house???

No we are currently sharing a house but not the one we are planning on buying

We are working out the best layout (& its been a bit of a struggle)

I need to create a kitchenette I am happy with which is proving to be a bit more challenging than I expected - but I'm getting there - the shared utility idea has been a game changer as it reduces the size of fridge freezer we need and something clever with the dishwasher might work, with us just having a task sink rather than a washing up sink and using the sink in the utility

Love the 2 drawer dishwasher idea or 2 side by side (but its space dependent)

I have an extra wide worktop and an appliance garage type set up and I do love it - it's next to a hot drink station which also works for me

I'll think om the kick board drawers as I struggle with reaching the floor - so it could only be for occasional use things (or things DH wants to keep close by but out of sight)

Thanks @bangingmyheadonabrickwall thats useful to know

Small box, larger box is a fab idea - i do something similar in the cupboard under the stairs for cleaning stuff so its a relatively easy change to do other things (actually do tea/sugar that way too)

I have part of about 4 different dinner services and we are going to slimline down to one as we wont need the extras (planning on putting everything I dont need in boxes in the garage for a few months to check if Im right then car boot everything

They have a folding table that folds to about 8 inches wide and we have a larger table with 2 leaves that can sit 12 so we will probably swop!

I'll start watching sort your life out!!

I use a big sideboard in the dining room for extra space.

I have a friend who lives in Sweden and they had a pull out chopping board/work surface.

Sort of like this but solid wood:

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/utrusta-pull-out-work-surface-00510577/

Yes I have an oak dresser and matching sideboard that im hoping to use for storage - especially if i can add drawers inside the cupboards for ease of access

I like the dishwasher drawer idea as we can use each drawer independently but a larger one at one end of the utiluty and a smaller one at my end might be more practical

I have a lot of kitchen stuff which will move ownership/live in the bigger kitchen when we move house

I need something not too fitted to put a tasking sink in/on (or I can cut a hole in my dresser eek!)

& I need to think about the styling of my fridge/freezer as it'll be in my lounge and with the oak furniture

The dishwasher will be in the utility for sure

If you are just having a kitchenette then be strict with yourself about minimising equipment. Don't have a mixer or baking things - any baking happens in DDs big kitchen.

I tried the wheely trolley thing when I had a small kitchen and it was a disaster. Far too unstable to be any use at all, and mostly just got in the way.

Im trying so hard but I used to do catering so its hard to downsize

I looked at slimline dishwashers when I downsized and found that they are 45cm wide compared to 60cm for a standard one so you only get an extra 15cm of space, which wasn’t worth it for me. They seem to be poorer quality than the full size ones and are not much cheaper either.

ETA: I could never chuck away all my pots and pans and stuff that has been inherited and lovingly acquired over the years and replace it all with space saving versions like a pp has done. Apart from the cost and the emotions, IMO it is so wasteful. Not saying that the pp is wrong, just that I couldn’t do it.

I agree but i possibly dont need 2 sets of 12 platters (450 & 600mm diameter) and i already lost a load of huge pans 😆

I'll keep all "what I think im getting rid of" in a box in the garage for a good while to make sure im right

I think a ninja type thing could help replace bits and pieces- need to look into grill/foreman type thing

I reckon most of the time it'll be lunch and breakfast so maybe a tabletop dishwasher or a single drawer one would work for me - i am tempted by not having it close to the floor

Ok i lied - i want to keep everything!!!

I got rid of loads of stuff when I moved but still have things in boxes that I just can’t bear to part with even though I don't need them and I’ve just thought, sod it, the kids can put them in a skip when I’m dead as they have no emotional attachment to them.

Regarding the dishwasher, I couldn’t have done without one when the kids were at home but when they moved out and it was just me I was only running it about twice a week which seemed a bit grim and I often ran out of things. Now I’ve moved house I’ve gone back to washing up by hand and its not so bad.

Plan a 2 week food menu - all meals & snacks. Then work out would you need to make them - food & equipment. Then see what else meal wise you could add to the repertoire without increasing equipment.

I love my magnetic knife rack on the wall and small spice rack also on the wall. Set of small chopping boards in a stand on the work top. Hob top kettle.

We have a corner microwave which is compact and amazing as fits in a dinner plate. What type of oven have you got? I reckon a ninja thing could replace it!

I would consider 2 dishwashers in the utility room that you both share. One dirty and one clean. Then less room needed in both kitchen for any crockery & cutlery. They are literally cupboards that wash their contents!!

SiL is not keen on 2, we will see

Menu planning is great idea and maybe making it using a limited number of utencils.

Im def thinking about a ninja

I want those kick board drawers. How difficult do you think they are to fit in existing layouts?

@B0D apparently they are OK to retro fit but you might be constrained by where your cupboard legs are

They would only work for me in very occasional use stuff as reaching the floor is hard

@KatyMac
thanks I’m going to look into it !