How To Organize A Small Kitchen Without A Pantry

Organized Kitchen counter and cabinets — Photo:
Getty Images

You have a small kitchen with no dedicated pantry space. You also have favorite kitchen utensils, tools, pots, and pans that you use often and simply cannot do without. Take heart; there are strategies and tricks you can implement to avoid cluttered countertops, overflowing kitchen drawers, and stuffed kitchen cabinets.

It is possible to make the most of your space and still create joy when cooking your favorite meals and gathering with family and friends. With a bit of ingenuity and organization, you don’t have to sacrifice functionality and accessibility. The ideas on this list strive to make the most of small spaces without asking you to get rid of any of your treasured kitchen supplies.

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Install a Pot Rack

A pot rack in a kitchen can be a useful place to corral pots and pans while also serving as a beautiful centerpiece in a tight kitchen. Freeing up space under cabinets and in drawers with frequently used pots and pans visible and accessible, a ceiling pot rack becomes a functional focal point. Add wire and S hooks to the middle of the frame to add even more storage.

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Use A Bookcase Or Wardrobe As A Cupboard

Using an unattached piece of furniture to house dishes, staples, snacks, or other kitchen items can be a beautiful way to create pantry space that you might not otherwise have. If you have the wall space for a larger piece of furniture like a buffet, bookcase, or wardrobe, consider this permission to break the rules and use an unconventional piece of furniture in the kitchen. Corral utensils in any of the drawer spaces, dishes on shelves, and enjoy that your storage capabilities have grown exponentially with one added piece of furniture.

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Use A Storage Rack Or Kitchen Cart

If you have available floor space, a storage rack for cups, plates, and shelf-stable food items like pasta, sauces, and snacks is another functional addition to your kitchen. Kitchen carts come in various sizes to fit different types of spaces, and if you find one on casters or wheels, the benefit here is that you can easily maneuver to other areas of your kitchen when needed. Add small acrylic bins to the cart's shelves to corral and keep items tidy.

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Use A Pegboard To Create A Hanging Wall

Pegboard with Kitchen Utensils Hanging — Getty Images

A pegboard hanging on an open wall is an inexpensive and quick way to create functional storage for mugs, pots, pans, and utensils in a small kitchen. Depending on the size of your wall space, you can cut the pegboard larger or smaller to fit. Add simple pegboard hooks, and you’re ready to stow essential kitchen items out of the way yet within sight for when needed.

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Install An Under-The-Cabinet Basket

Under Cabinet Storage Basket — Getty Images

Hang wire baskets under your shelves or cabinets to create more storage. Affordable and easy to install, wire baskets assembled under a kitchen cabinet increase space for frequently used items like cutting boards, small pans, or food storage bags. Fruits and vegetables stored in these baskets immediately offer your kitchen a bright, fresh look.

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Add Open Shelves To The Walls

Open shelving on wall in kitchen — Getty Images

Using available wall space in a small kitchen is essential for maximizing the area in your kitchen. Installing some simple open shelving allows you to utilize the length of a blank wall more efficiently. Simple, sleek dishes on open wooden shelves can immediately elevate your kitchen's look and aesthetic appeal.

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Install A Kitchen Rail For Small Utensils

Along the same lines as a pot rack, but on a slightly smaller scale to add space in a small kitchen is to install a kitchen rail or rod for small utensils. Spatulas, large spoons, ladles, mashers, and graters are easily lost, tangled, and too large for a small kitchen drawer. Install a small rod with S hooks, hang oversized utensils on the hooks, and enjoy a simple solution of using an available wall space in a tight kitchen.

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Use Turntables Inside The Cabinet To Maximize Space

We’re talking about Lazy Susans here, and they aren’t so lazy, in our opinion. They’re the queens of space-spacing and functionality inside cabinets—simply a must in small kitchens. Essential for corralling oils, condiments, jars, herbs, and spices, turntables come in various sizes to fit any cabinet space you might have. Just add to any cabinet space, give it a little spin, and relish in the merry-go-round ease of accessibility.

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Store Dry Goods In Glass Containers

Dried ingredients on open shelving — Getty Images

Placing dry goods in clear jars or canisters adds beautiful storage to your kitchen, especially when displayed on open shelves. Lidded glass jars with dried beans, pasta, coffee beans, and rice become the only kitchen decor you need when lined neatly on an open shelf.

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Use Available Countertop Space

Kitchen counter top with open cupboard with stacks of dishes, bowls and cups. — Getty Images

Although we love storing fresh cookies in a jar on the countertop, you can also keep other kitchen staples in plain view. Dry goods you use daily, like coffee, tea, and sugar, can also be in plain sight on the countertop. It’s simply easier to have items you use often readily available rather than stored too high or in hard-to-reach places. Small glass containers holding each are a great way to free up needed cabinet space, and an added benefit is that you’ll take notice of when you need to restock and refill.

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Use Drawer Space For Food Items

Photo of many small stacked containers of dry goods neatly arranged in the kitchen drawer of a tiny home — Getty Images

Utilizing the kitchen drawers is another ideal space for storing smaller food items. Snacks stored in a lower-level drawer are accessible for little hands to help themselves. Spices and herbs located conveniently in a kitchen drawer under your prep space will save your countertop from clutter.

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