You want a spacious, beautifully organized kitchen where all your tools and appliances are neatly tucked away and you have ample space for spices and ingredients. But the reality is that most apartments have small kitchens with minimal space, and all the “organizing hacks” you see online involve structural updates that you simply can’t do in an apartment. We understand the struggle is real, so we’re sharing some simple tips for organizing your apartment’s kitchen that will give you the space you need without affecting your security deposit.
Pare Down Your Kitchen Gear
Before you start looking at ways to make space for your stuff, it’s important to take a hard look at the stuff you have and consider what you can donate, sell, or give away. Did you buy into the air fryer trend last year to only use it once? If so, or if you have any appliances that see little to no use, it may be time to box it up and give it new life elsewhere. This is especially true if you have appliances that can do double-duty (your oven can do the same thing a toaster oven and air fryer can do) or you have two appliances that do the same thing (a stand mixer and a hand mixer).
Similarly, go through your dishes and cookware and consider what you really need and use. Do you need 12 coffee mugs if you live alone or can you move your favorite ones to a display shelf in your living room? Do you need a roasting pan if you live alone or can you give that to a friend who loves to cook large meals?
Once you trim down what you have, organizing isn’t such a difficult chore.
Go Vertical with Your Storage
While you may not have much cabinet space in your kitchen, you can always make the most out of bare wall space. Consider adding:
- Floating shelves to store spices and small pantry necessities
- Pegboard for hanging pots, pans, and lids
- Magnetic strips between cabinets and counters to make knives and metal implements easily accessible.
- Store rarely used items over top of cabinets – like the roasting pan, air fryer, or bulky items you can’t be without but rarely use.
- Use risers inside your cabinets to go vertical with cabinet space without having to stack measuring cups inside bowls on top of plates.
- Add command hooks to the sides or inside doors of your cabinets to hang sponges, or tools or hang a shoe organizer on the side and use it to keep small kitchen items like sponges, sauce packets, tooth picks, or candles.
Think Outside the Kitchen
If you have a hall closet or linen closet, use these areas to store rarely used items so they aren’t taking up prime real estate in your kitchen. A rolling utility cart or craft cart can easily act as a kitchen island when you need the extra prep space and to hold extra pots, pans, and tools, and when you don’t need it, just roll it into the closet.
Consider Clear Containers and Baskets
Instead of bulky bags of rice, cereal, and oats that spill, transfer these dry items into narrow containers that you can line up in your cabinet or pantry space. These often take up much less room than the original packaging and make it easier to find what you need when you need it.
For small, loose items, like sauce packets, tiny cans of tomato paste, or mix packets, keep these in small wire baskets so they don’t get lost in the back of a cabinet. Also, the basket keeps items contained so you can store them on their side or stack them to make more room. Often, you can get a wire or plastic baskets or containers at the dollar store to make organization easy and affordable.
Find Apartments for Rent in Uptown Today
We know it can be hard to find the perfect apartment, but if you’re looking for a spacious place in a great location, we can help. We have several historic apartments in Uptown for rent that feature original woodwork, plenty of storage space, and large floor plans. To learn more or to schedule a tour, call us at 952-927-4144 or fill out the form below to get started.