How to Arrange Appliances in a Small Kitchen

Working in a small kitchen can be challenging. It’s not easy to fit microwaves, blenders, and coffee makers into a cramped space. But with good design and proper planning, you can put together a kitchen that’s clean, efficient, and holds all the tools you use daily.

You may even find yourself with an open area that is suited for these coffee bar ideas for small spaces.

Here are some tips to help you arrange appliances in a small kitchen.

Remove Unused Appliances

Before anything else, declutter. Take a hard look at your appliances and leave only the ones you actually use. This will help maximize the space in your kitchen, plus it gives you extra room for more important tools or any additions in the future.

If you have a bit of cash to spare, or you are already in the process of updating or adding to your kitchen, take a look at multi-purpose appliances. It’s better to have one gadget that can do three things than three gadgets doing one thing each.

Arrange By Use

Plan how you’ll arrange your kitchen by dividing it into zones. Typically, this includes areas for prepping, cooking, storing, cleaning and dining. Once you’ve established these areas, keep your appliances where they function best.

Keep Frequently Used Appliances Within Easy Reach

Keep appliances that you usually use somewhere easy to reach. That way, you don’t have to climb up shelves or move things around just to grab them each time.

For example, if you drink coffee every day, it makes sense to put your low-height coffee maker under a cabinet (although, beware of the possibility of steam from a coffee maker damaging cabinets if you do this) or just place it on your countertop.

Keep Related Items Together

If you use appliances that complement each other, like a coffee machine and a milk frother, keep them near each other. This applies to cookware, bakeware and dinnerware, as well.

Store What You Rarely Use

You may have appliances that you don’t use frequently but can’t throw away either. For example, you may have a food processor that you only use once a month. You can store these elsewhere such as in a storage room or an attic.

But if you have some extra real estate in the kitchen, it’s best to keep them either at the top of your shelves or in the back of your cabinets.

Maximize Your Space

Even the tiniest spaces can hold a lot of stuff if you know how to make the most out of it. This includes paring down on bulky items (e.g. taking tools out of their space-eating containers), taking advantage of vertical space, and learning how to maximize every little nook and cranny. 

Use Dividers and Organizers

Use dividers and organizers to separate your zones more clearly. These help keep your appliances in order so they don’t become disorganized—and ensures your kitchen always looks neat and clean.

Invest in Extra Shelving

If you have some unused vertical space, consider adding extra shelving or storage nooks. You can even add a few sturdy hooks to hang some tools on the wall.

Be Creative

Our best tip for anyone arranging appliances in a small kitchen is to be creative. Look at your space and imagine all the possibilities to organize it cleanly, efficiently and aesthetically, whether that means buying organization boxes to help you stack your tools or adding a Lazy Susan cabinet feature to hold more appliances.

Don’t let the small space limit you from having your dream kitchen!