Small Kitchen Hacks: 15 Clever Tricks That Make a Tiny Kitchen Feel Twice as Big

These small kitchen hacks are for anyone who has ever balanced a cutting board on top of the sink because there was simply nowhere else to put it. A tiny kitchen can feel stressful, especially right before the holidays, when the counters fill up with cookie sheets, casserole dishes and grocery bags. The good news is that most of the space you need is already there. It is on the walls, under the cabinets, inside the doors and in that skinny gap beside the fridge. With a few hooks, a rail, a cart and a little clever thinking, you can clear your counters in one weekend and actually enjoy cooking again. Every idea below is cheap, renter friendly or easy to undo, and none of them need a contractor. Ready to find the hidden space in your kitchen..

Small Kitchen Hacks That Free Up Every Inch

Picture a tiny kitchen where every pan has a hook, every mug has a home and the counter is actually clear. That is not a fantasy, it is a handful of simple fixes stacked together. In this list you will find wall rails, under cabinet hooks, a skinny cart, shelf risers and a few tricks that pastry chefs and apartment dwellers swear by. Start with the one that bugs you most, maybe the cluttered counter or the overflowing cabinet, and work from there. Which corner of your kitchen needs help first..

You will need: A tape measure, a notepad, and ten minutes to look at your walls, doors and gaps with fresh eyes.

How to make it: 1. Empty your counters completely and only put back what you use every day. 2. Measure the gap beside the fridge, the wall over the sink and the space under the upper cabinets. 3. Pick three hacks from this list that fit those spaces and do one each weekend.

Slide a Rolling Cart Into the Gap Beside the Fridge

That six inch gap between the fridge and the wall is wasted space in almost every kitchen. One of the best small kitchen hacks is a slim rolling cart, the kind sold for laundry rooms. It slides right in and holds spices, oils, cans and wraps. Pull it out when you cook and push it back when you are done, and nobody even sees it. If you like to build, a few boards, casters and a handle make a custom one in an afternoon. Measure twice, because every gap is different. Have you measured your fridge gap yet?

You will need: Slim rolling cart (5 to 8 inches wide) or a 1×6 board, thin plywood shelves, 4 small casters, a cabinet handle, screws.

How to make it: 1. Measure the width, depth and height of the gap. 2. Buy a cart that fits or build a tall narrow box with shelves and casters (adult help with the drill). 3. Load heavy items on the bottom so it rolls smoothly without tipping.

Small Kitchen Hacks: The Over the Sink Cutting Board

When there is no counter space, make some. A big cutting board that fits across your sink turns the sink into a prep station, and the peels fall straight into a colander below. Some boards come with a built in strainer, but any thick board that is wider than the sink opening works. Add two small strips of wood underneath so it cannot slide. It is one of the cheapest small kitchen hacks there is, and you will use it every day. Is your sink the right size for this?

You will need: A thick wooden cutting board wider than your sink, two thin wood strips, food safe wood glue, a colander.

How to make it: 1. Measure the inside width of the sink. 2. Glue two wood strips under the board so they sit just inside the sink edges and stop it sliding. 3. Let it dry overnight, then rest it over the sink with a colander below for scraps.

Hang Spray Bottles on a Tension Rod Under the Sink

The cabinet under the sink is usually a jumble of bottles knocked over by the pipes. A simple tension rod fixes it in two minutes. Twist it in near the top of the cabinet and hang spray bottles by their triggers, which frees the whole floor of the cabinet for bins and sponges. No screws, no tools and it comes right out when you move. It is the kind of tiny fix that makes you wonder why you waited so long. What is hiding under your sink right now?

You will need: A tension rod that fits the cabinet width, two small clear bins, spray bottles.

How to make it: 1. Empty the cabinet and wipe it dry. 2. Twist the tension rod into place about four inches below the top. 3. Hang spray bottles by their triggers and put sponges and refills in bins on the floor.

Small Kitchen Hacks With a Magnetic Strip

A bulky knife block eats a whole corner of the counter. A magnetic strip on the wall holds the same knives in a slim line and keeps the blades safely out of the way. Here is the bonus trick: small metal spice tins stick to a second strip, so your spices live on the wall too. Mount it above the counter and out of reach of little hands. Of all the small kitchen hacks in this list, this one clears the most counter for the least money. Where would yours go?

You will need: Magnetic knife strip, screws and wall anchors, small metal spice tins with clear lids (optional), a level.

How to make it: 1. Choose a wall spot above the counter and out of children’s reach. 2. Use a level, mark the holes and screw the strip into wall anchors (adult help with the drill). 3. Hang knives with the blades pointing down and add a second strip for spice tins.

Hooks Under the Upper Cabinets for Mugs

Mugs take up a surprising amount of cabinet space, and they look so cheerful when they are on display. Among small kitchen hacks, this one costs the least. Small cup hooks screwed into the underside of an upper cabinet or a shelf hold a whole row of them in the air. You free up a full shelf inside the cabinet, and your morning coffee is one reach away. Mix colors for a happy rainbow, or keep them all white for a calm look. How many mugs are hiding in your cupboard?

You will need: Brass or white cup hooks, a small drill bit or awl, your favorite mugs.

How to make it: 1. Mark evenly spaced dots under the cabinet, about four inches apart. 2. Make a small starter hole at each mark. 3. Twist in the cup hooks by hand and hang the mugs by their handles.

A Rail and S Hooks for Pans and Utensils

Restaurant kitchens never stack pans, they hang them. A simple metal rail with a handful of S hooks turns a bare strip of wall into storage for pots, ladles, whisks and colanders. It frees a whole lower cabinet, and the pans look lovely in a row. This is the same idea as the pegboard walls famous cooks loved, just smaller and cheaper. For more clever fixes, see our hide kitchen eyesores gallery. Which wall could you use?

You will need: A metal curtain rod or towel rail, wall brackets, screws and anchors, a pack of S hooks.

How to make it: 1. Mount the brackets into studs or heavy wall anchors (adult help with the drill). 2. Slide on the rail and tighten. 3. Add S hooks and hang the heaviest pans at the ends near the brackets.

Small Kitchen Hacks for a Bare Wall

If you have a little more wall, go big. Two rows of hooks, one high and one low, turn a whole wall into a pot rack that looks like a French country kitchen. Big pans go on the top row and small saucepans below. The cabinet you empty can become a pantry. Your pots become decor, and you will never dig through a noisy stack again. Copper looks especially warm, but any matching set looks good in a row. Would you put your pots on display?

You will need: Heavy duty wall hooks or two rails, screws and anchors rated for the weight, a level.

How to make it: 1. Plan two rows on paper with the pans laid out on the floor first. 2. Mark and mount the hooks with a level (adult help with the drill). 3. Hang the biggest pans on the top row and the small ones below.

Small Kitchen Hacks for Lids and Boards

Pan lids are the worst thing to store, they slide, clatter and never stack. Hang them instead. A short rail with hooks holds lids by their knobs, a cutting board by its hole and two pans below. It is a tidy little station right next to the stove. You can also use an old metal file sorter inside a cabinet to stand lids up like books. Both small kitchen hacks cost less than a takeout dinner. Which one fits your kitchen better?

You will need: Short wall rail with hooks, or a metal desk file sorter, screws and anchors.

How to make it: 1. Mount a short rail beside the stove (adult help with the drill). 2. Hang lids by their knobs and the cutting board by its handle hole. 3. Or set a file sorter inside a cabinet and stand lids upright in its slots.

Floating Shelves for Everyday Dishes

Open shelves make a small kitchen feel bigger because your eye travels all the way to the wall. Put the plates, bowls and glasses you use every day up there, and keep the cabinets for the less pretty things. Two or three long shelves over the counter can hold as much as a whole upper cabinet. Keep each shelf to a few colors so it looks calm and not cluttered. Would you be brave enough to put your dishes on display?

You will need: Two or three wooden boards, heavy duty brackets or hidden floating shelf hardware, screws, wall anchors, a level.

How to make it: 1. Find the studs and mark the shelf heights about 14 inches apart. 2. Mount the brackets level and screw the boards on (adult help with the drill). 3. Stack daily dishes by color and leave a little empty space on each shelf.

A Window Shelf for Herbs and Plants

Your window is prime real estate, and smart small kitchen hacks use it. A glass or wooden shelf across the middle of the window frame doubles the sill space, and it is the sunniest spot in the house for herbs. Basil, parsley and mint grow happily there and you can snip them while you cook. Pots off the counter, fresh herbs at hand and a pretty green view. It works in rentals too, with tension rod brackets instead of screws. What would you grow first?

You will need: A thin wooden or glass shelf, two small brackets or tension shelf supports, small pots with saucers, herbs.

How to make it: 1. Measure the inside width of the window frame. 2. Fit the shelf on two small brackets or tension supports halfway up the window. 3. Set herbs in pots with saucers and water them over the sink.

Decant Into Clear Jars and Go Up

Half opened bags and boxes waste a lot of room. Pour pasta, rice, oats and beans into matching glass jars and line them up on a shelf, and the same food suddenly takes far less space. You can also see at a glance what is running low before you go shopping. Tall shelves to the ceiling use the vertical space most small kitchens forget. Thrift stores are full of cheap jars, so it does not need to cost much. Which bag would you decant first?

You will need: Glass jars with lids in a few sizes, a funnel, labels or a paint pen, a sturdy shelf.

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the jars well. 2. Pour each food in with a funnel and label it with the name and date. 3. Line the jars up by size, tallest at the back, on a shelf near where you cook.

Drawer Dividers for Utensils

A messy drawer feels full long before it actually is. Dividers give every spoon, whisk and peeler its own lane, and suddenly one drawer holds what used to take two. You can buy adjustable ones or make your own from thin wood strips or even cut down cereal boxes covered in pretty paper. The second drawer you free up can hold foil and wraps. Of all the small kitchen hacks here, it takes the least time: one evening, and you will smile every time you open it. Which drawer is the worst in your house?

You will need: Adjustable drawer dividers, or thin wood strips and wood glue, or small boxes covered in contact paper.

How to make it: 1. Empty the drawer and toss duplicates and broken tools. 2. Group what is left by use: baking, serving, prep. 3. Set dividers to fit each group and put the tools you use most at the front.

Small Kitchen Hacks: Stand Baking Sheets on End

Stacked baking sheets mean pulling out five to get the one at the bottom. Stand them up like files instead. A few vertical dividers in a deep cabinet hold sheets, cooling racks, muffin tins and cutting boards on their edges, so you can slide out exactly the one you need. Before cookie season, this is one of the small kitchen hacks that pays off most. A simple wire file sorter does the same job on a budget. Ready to stand yours up?

You will need: Cabinet tray dividers, or a wire file sorter, or thin plywood panels and small cleats.

How to make it: 1. Empty the cabinet above or beside the oven. 2. Fit tray dividers or screw thin plywood panels to small cleats about three inches apart (adult help with tools). 3. Slide sheets, racks and boards in on their edges.

Brighten the Walls With Light Tile

Dark walls shrink a small room, and light ones open it up. Small kitchen hacks often start with color. White or pale tile bounces daylight around the kitchen, so it feels bigger and cleaner even before you organize anything. Renters can get the same look with peel and stick tile that comes off later. Pair it with a couple of wooden shelves like this tiny kitchen and it feels warm, not cold. Designers sharing small kitchen tricks on The Spruce agree that light walls are the quickest visual win. Would you go white or a soft color?

You will need: Peel and stick tile sheets in white or a light color, a utility knife, a ruler, a smoothing tool or a clean cloth.

How to make it: 1. Clean the wall well with a degreaser and let it dry. 2. Start at the counter edge and press the first sheet level, then work outward. 3. Trim around outlets with a utility knife (outlets off, adult only) and smooth every sheet firmly.