apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maya,
When we moved into our new place, with a small kitchen and no counter space it looked pretty dim. But we had shelves above the stove as suggested above. I have put almost all of my appliances up there, and when I need one of them I just pull it down. It is a great asset for a small kitchen and really doesn't look ugly and messy at all.
Good luck:)

Also, you can create another "counter" by getting a cutting board just larger than your sink and putting it across. It's a fantastic way to use that lost space that your sink takes up, and you always have a cutting board handy!!

Best thing I ever did for our tiny kitchen was getting a dish rack that sits in the sink. If I wash fast, I can get all the dishes rinsed and into the rack before the water filling the sink hits the bottom of the rack. Ours is from Container Store.

I start by placing some shelves above the kitchen sink. You could put stuff like your water jug on the shelves and attach the toaster oven beneath one shelf.

I also like the hanging dishrack idea. There's a picture of a good one (supposedly from Europe) in AT-NY on the Soho apt remodeling tour post.

When I had a really small kitchen with no counter space I got a cutting board that is made to fit inside the sink and used it ALL the time. I think it might have been from Crate and Barrel, but am not sure. It was great though. Also I once had an Ikea table that attached to the wall and folded down completely flat when not in use. you can't store anything on it but it could be extra workspace.

I bought a simple wall-mounted dish drainer at IKEA for my microscopic kitchen and it has helped the situation immensely. Good luck!

I had one of those Grundtal shelves over the sink. I used their 'S' hooks to hang from it my pans and utensils after washing so that it would drip into the sink.

I just moved out of a studio with no kitchen space. I used a metal cart that I got at Target for $30 for the appliances. I didn't have any drawers so that was great for silverware, towels or other types of pantry items. I put a hook on the side of the wall for when the drying rack was not in use, you could just hang it up! I also used a small table from IKEA for cutting, preparing and serving. I put a little lamp on it and a chair at it and it really cheered up the space.

If you go for a narrow shelf over the sink area, drill a hole into the back edge and run an extension cord up onto it. I have no problems operating microwave, toaster, etc from cupboards hung around eye-level.

The best thing we ever did for our tiny kitchen (L-shaped, located in the living room) was replace the fridge with an undercounter fridge, and put a large cutting board on top of it. We hung a mirror above the fridge, so you can see other people in the room while you prepare things. We don't have any drawers for silverware, so I keep the silverware, including cooking utensils, can opener, etc. standing in bright colored earthenware crocks at the back of the fridge, behind the cutting board. The in-sink cutting board idea is a good one. I might try that, to get even more prep space...

You can free up a lot of cabinet space if you install stemware racks on the underside of your upper cabinets. It's soooo simple and they are so inexpensive. Plus the glassware looks pretty hanging there upside down. I got mine at The Container Store. You can get clear plastic, wood or stainless steel, depending on your budget and style.

I came here knowing I had the good solutions, and they were all right here for you. Ivy and Christy gave my favorite.

Ivy wrote:
> Also, you can create another "counter" by getting a cutting
> board just larger than your sink and putting it across. It's a
> fantastic way to use that lost space that your sink takes up,
> and you always have a cutting board handy!!

Christy wrote:
> When I had a really small kitchen with no counter space I got a
> cutting board that is made to fit inside the sink and used it
> ALL the time.

lesliew's idea is the best place to start; put shelves on the wall above the sink area and get as much as you can off the counter to create an illusion of space.
the best thing i did for my small kitchen was to eliminate the microwave and learn to live without it, i had no counter at all but have 60" of empty wall in my galley kitchen. an old steel medical table now serves as my counter.
the important thing in our small spaces is to always put things away.

I got rid of my microwave, too.

Here are other space saving suggestions:
Use the broiler instead of a toaster.
Keep a hand can opener in a drawer instead of an electric one of the counter.
Replace your electric coffee maker with a french press, or even better always buy out.

When I settled into my tiny kitchen, I got rid of my drying rack (gasp!). Now I wash and *dry* all my dishes and love having my cups and plates nestled in their cabinets, instead of lazing around on the counter. Just lay down a towel on the counter, and stack the wet dishes as you wash them. It takes just a couple more minutes to dry them and put them away.

Speaking of microwaves... if you're tall enough that the top of the refrigerator is below eye level, the microwave can live up there. (Not a win if you're 5'2", though.)

I work for someone who has very limited kitchen space. He mounted his dish rack right over the sink (just above eye level), which is great because any dripping goes right down the drain. And, of course, it leaves the counter space free.

Hi there San Franciscans,
I've just moved in town and am facing the same issues. I LOVED the wall mounted hanging dish drainer idea. Would anyone know WHERE I could find that in San francisco? Ikea, but anywhere else? I've been searching on line without success.
Thanks,
Vanessa

Has anyone ever mounted a microwave over a sink? I have a kitchen with very limited counter space and really the only place I could mount the microwave is over the sink (there is other shelving over the stove that I really don't want to lose). Is it possible? would it look strange? Anyone have pictures?