Small Kitchen Success

Standing in your own small space, you may scratch your head at the thought that some of the world’s best cooking has come out of the smallest kitchens, including the finest French fare. Creating culinary delight in a teensy kitchen can be frustrating to the point that we cook less altogether. Small kitchens can easily become claustrophobic, messy and under- or overstocked. And you, in turn, either scream from frustration or stop cooking altogether. A dishwasher DOES, after all, create a great filing cabinet.

You can create kitchen you can be proud of. So many Houzz photos exhibit how real people in the real world are making all kinds of spaces work and thrive. Cook up some success in your own kitchen:

Don't over or under stock your kitchen. Get rid of what you never use, what takes up room but performs only one function (that huge juicer you never use), or items that perform similarly to other items. Get rid of redundancy and extras, and stock up on essentials.

Create stations. From the huge cabinet filled with baking supplies and ingredients, to the smallest compartments for your napkin rings, keeping everything in its place helps the kitchen run smoothly.

Make use of extra space. Whether vertical space or that blank spot perfect for adding a cookbook shelf, make use of every inch.

Margaret Everton

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Who can get over this favorite houzz kitchen, which seems to simultaneously be quite limited in space AND able to create culinary masterpieces.

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Keeping the kitchen neutral or even all white helps to eliminate the feeling of clutter in such a busy space--details can be added in moulding and flooring, as seen here.

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Where a blank space may reside, this kitchen has used the far wall for extra essentials.

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Streamlined storage just off this little wonder of a kitchen. Meticulously-thought-out organization can be key.

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Don't disregard the power of details to create a finished look. Remember that a small space only takes a small amount of detail.

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An island can be an elegant AND functional way to create not only more space for cooking, but a place for eating also.

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Rather than open shelving, this more classic cabinet floor-to-ceiling storage a hold a huge amount of servingware and materials--without taking away from this room.

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Make use of vertical space. Store the lesser used items high above, and the much-used items even on the countertops.

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Similarly, this kitchen keeps clutter at bay while keeping its functionality.

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The closed cabinetry allows for a lot to go on behind closed doors without allowing the small room to feel anything but sleek and chic.

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One small corner of this room, this kitchen has to do a lot with a little square footage. Streamlining materials and utensils is essential.