Some apartments have a large kitchen with an excess of cupboard space but these apartments are unfortunately few and far between. More often appears compact kitchens.
The majority of apartments for rent and many to buy have large bedrooms or living areas at the expense of a more compact kitchen. So for anyone moving into a new apartment, wanting to de-clutter their current apartment or preparing an apartment to rent out every kitchen appliance counts. Here are some tips to make the most of your space and achieve an attractive and functional kitchen.
Appliances
Tip 1: Most kitchens have more than their fair share of appliances, but if you are honest with yourself how many times have you used that bread maker or 10-in-1 super-duper food processor? The first step to de-cluttering your kitchen is to rid yourself of any large, rarely used items.
Tip 2: Think about what foods you actually eat. Most people like to experiment but only ever eat a small selection of favorite meals. What is the point of a wok if you prefer takeout to your own version of Chinese food?
Crockery and Cutlery
Tip 3: Do you have twenty plates but live alone and have never had more than three people at your apartment? Take stock of your crockery cupboard. Most people have a collection of mismatched crockery collected over the years. Clearing the cupboards of unnecessary crockery can free up a lot of space and has the added bonus that you will never have enough to build up too much washing in the sink!
Tip 4: Cutlery is another area in which people accumulate excess. Whether it is a fork whose matching spoon and knife have long since been lost or a strange sized spoon that you don’t know what to do with we can all afford to throw something away or give it to charity. Why not throw the whole lot away and buy a really nice designer set. It could be the first time that you have actually had matching knives and forks!
Tip 5: Apart from certain styles of alcohol glasses most glasses can be bought in stackable styles. Make the most of this to cut down on shelf space used.
Decorating
There are many ways to decorate a kitchen to create the appearance of more space. The starting point is to ensure that you have neat and inventive storage in place.
Try some of these ideas:
Tip 6: Have drawer tidies. These can be bought on most kitchen and decorating websites and provide slots for different types of cutlery.
Tip 7: Use wall attachments or storage cylinders to store knives. If you have children this will keep them away from prying hands. If not it will still free up a lot of drawer space.
Tip 8: If you have a say in the decorating of the apartment then opt for pull out rather than conventional cupboards as they provide a more effective use of space.
Essentials
If you want to live with the absolute basics only then try this shopping list:
- Bottle opener
- Corkscrew
- Tin opener
- 2 saucepans (1 medium, 1 large)
- 1 frying pan
- 1 sieve/ colander/ strainer
- 2 Large chopping knives and 1 small chopping knife
- 2 large wooden spoons
- 1 chopping board
- 5 plates, mugs, dishes, knives, forks, dessert spoons and teaspoons
- 4 tumbler glasses
- 5 wine glasses
- 4 beer glasses
So what do you think you could never live without and which of your kitchen items have you not used in the past 6 months?
Compact Apartment Kitchen by Irina Mayetnaya
130 best small, apartment kitchen ideas
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