10 Ways to Maximize Cabinet Space in a Small Kitchen

When we downsized our home, the most difficult space for us was our kitchen. It’s more of a galley style kitchen and has no pantry. I’m not going to lie, the no pantry thing really threw me for a loop. I’ve had different sized pantries over the years, but I’ve never not had one. HERE is my pantry organization from my last house. Going from that to absolutely nothing was extremely difficult. Aside from not having a pantry, we also have a lot less cabinet space. This meant I needed to get creative and that’s fine. I’m always up for a challenge! I’m excited to share what I came up with, so here are 10 ways to maximize cabinet space in a small kitchen.

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1. Shelf Risers

These are a game changer! My cabinets only have one shelf, which creates a ton of wasted space. Since we have no pantry, I couldn’t afford losing that precious space. These shelf risers are a perfect solution. You can even get different size risers, so you get the best fit for your space. Eventually we might just add extra shelves, but for now this helps so much! Especially with cups. You can fit twice as many in your cabinet when you are using these.

2. Under Shelf Baskets

Depending on your cabinets and what you are putting in them, even with the risers you might still have some extra room above. This is where these under shelf baskets come in handy! When you need the space, every inch of it is important.

3. Turn Tables

I’m a huge fan of turn tables. If you need the extra space and you want everything accessible, this is it! You can see HERE how I used a turn table in my fridge organization as well. There are so many different ways you can use them. If you have a pantry or a corner cabinet, use a turn table in the corners. Things can get shoved in the back and lost. If you put it all on a turn table, everything is right there within your reach. You can also use them in cabinets that are up high. I decided to use a turn table in my cabinet above the microwave. This cabinet always seems like such a waste because who ever truly uses it, right? In the past I just put stuff up there that I rarely used, but now that’s space I really need. Using an acrylic turn table, especially up high, makes it super easy to just turn and see everything you have.

4. Stacking Food Containers

I originally used these in my old pantry, which you can check out HERE. We do have a shelf in our laundry room that I’ve been using to hold some of our food, but there’s just not enough space for everything. This has been super challenging because I’ve had to figure out how to use my cabinets for both food and other kitchen items. I love these stacking food containers for so many reasons! Not only do they stack and help you save space, but they are also air tight. My kids can never figure out how to close bags, so this keeps food fresher longer.

5. Spice Racks

Our family loves spices, so we actually have 2 of these racks. Check out my spice cabinet organization from my old home HERE. I really love this one specifically because it’s bamboo and it’s adjustable. This makes it super easy to fit into any space you need it for. You can also use these spice racks for more than just spices!

6. Cutting Board Organizers

Cutting boards, cookie sheets, etc. take up so much space. These cutting board organizers help cut down on that, plus make these things easier to find and have access to.

7. Pots and Pans Organizers

The exact same thing applies to pots and pans, they just take up so much space! I love this pots and pans organizer because it utilizes the vertical space of your cabinet. You can see how it looks HERE. My new cabinet looks pretty much just like this.

8. Pot Lid Organizer and Command Hooks

When using the vertical space of your cabinet, it frees up the sides. Remember, every inch of space is important so don’t forget about the sides! In my pots and pans cabinet, I hung this pot lid organizer on the side to hold my lids. We don’t use them very often, so I wanted them up and out of the way. You can also use these command hooks to hang up extra things like your strainer, measuring cups, etc.

9. Under Cabinet 2 Tier Drawer

Full disclosure, this is one organizational item I have not used yet. However, I have ordered 2 of these! I was going to use them in my under sink organization, but then we ended up moving. I do still plan on doing that blog post, so keep an eye out. Hopefully it’ll end up working in our new space. I think that these are such a good way to maximize your space, specially under a sink. I love this under cabinet organizer because you attach it to the bottom of your cabinet and you pull it out!

10. Baskets and Bins

There are so many different types of storage bins you can use, check out my blog post HERE sharing a bunch I love! One of my favorites are these acrylic bins. When it comes to cabinets, I like being able to open them up and see what I have. Acrylic allows for that. I plan on switching a lot of my bins and baskets out with these, but for now I am using some wicker baskets and these woven baskets that I already had. Using bins allows you put like items together making it easier to find, and helps you get rid of all of those bulky store boxes.

There you have it!

10 ways to maximize cabinet space in a small kitchen. I hope this inspires you to utilize every single space that you have! When you have a smaller space, ever inch is just as important as the next. Like I always say, think outside of the box. Sometimes items that are meant for other things work the best else where. Just because it seems like an item is meant to be used in a particular way, doesn’t mean that’s all it can be used for. Use your imagination and do what works best for you in your space.

If you want to see me organizing our cabinets, make sure you go check it out on my YouTube channel.

Which organization tip was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!