These genius small space kitchen organizers will help you make the most of your tiny kitchen space so you can stop doing the countertop shuffle and actually enjoy the process of cooking and baking!
I’ve lived in small apartments with small kitchens, and I’ve lived in medium sized apartments with medium kitchens. And when you love to cook or bake, there’s nothing more frustrating than working in a kitchen that just won’t hold all your kitchen gear. So it’s time to get your sh*t together and make your tiny kitchen space work for you instead of against you.
I’ve rounded up some of my favorite kitchen organizers for small kitchen spaces. Because even the smallest kitchen can feel spacious when you’ve got a place for everything and everything in its place.
My favorite genius small space kitchen organizers
Cutting boards are so frustrating to store because if you lay them flat, it’s annoying when you want to use the one on the bottom. Standing upright they tend to slump over and block other things in your way. I love this set of mini cutting boards with their file folder storage because they take up minimal counter space and are always in reach. If you have a little more space to spare, JosephJoseph makes a bigger version too. I have a set of these and they’re great. Dishwasher safe, too!
Buy these cutting boards here!
2. A pot lid and cutting board holder that fits inside your cupboards
Pot lids, sheet pans, and cutting boards are all equally annoying to store tbh — and this small space kitchen organizer is a wire rack that makes it easy to store all three in the same cupboard without dreading opening it every time you need something. With five 1.2″ wide slots and four 1.6″ slots, you have room for both narrow cutting boards and deep-welled muffin tins. I have one of these in a bottom cupboard that has an awkward back shelf that was impossible to get things to stay on and it made a huge difference in keeping that space organized.
Buy this cupboard organizer here!
3. A compact Joseph Joseph three tier organizer with a drawer so you don’t lose stuff in narrow cupboards
Narrow cupboards with deep shelves are the bane of any tiny kitchen’s existence. The cupboards are dark, it’s hard to see what you’re grabbing when you reach inside, and things tend to get lost. This three-tier organizer with built-in drawer elevates things in the back of the cupboard so they don’t get lost. What I like most about it is that there isn’t any wasted space under the raised tiers in the back — the built in drawer ensures you can still make use of that space.
Buy this three-tiered cupboard organizer here!
4. A hanging basket to get stuff off your counter and out of the way
For the longest time we had a wide, shallow bowl on our counter where we stored onions, garlic, bananas, lemons… it was sort of a catch all for things that didn’t go in the fridge but that we didn’t have room for in the pantry either. It took up a lot of space and we had to move it any time we wanted to use the counter. So we got a hanging basket (or, more accurately, my husband’s aunt gifted us one) and boom — problem solved. One basket for onions and garlic. One basket for fruit. And the top basket is for candy.
Make sure you use a heavy duty hook and screw it into a ceiling stud, but then these can hold quite a bit of weight! This one can hold 8 lbs per basket. There are a lot of models out there, but I like this one because the baskets aren’t so deep that it’ll be annoying to reach into them.
5. A set of baskets that hang on the back of a cupboard door
The best thing you can find in a small kitchen space is a really deep cupboard. I’ve got three cupboards like that in my current kitchen and they’re nice and roomy, but hard to organize. They’ve got shelves only in the back half of the cupboard, leaving an awkward amount of space in the front. That’s where these back of the cupboard door hanging baskets come in super handy — you can easily store things that like cool dark spaces (onions, potatoes, etc) in your cupboards and away from pests, pets, or children. They’re also great for storing things like pot lids, trivets, rolls of aluminum foil, oven mitts, and things like that. If you don’t have room in your cupboards for one of these, consider this version which fits on the back of a full size door.
Buy these back of the door hanging baskets here!
6. A hanging shelf that slides onto any existing cupboard shelf
I’ve had a at least one of these hanging shelves in every apartment of mine for the last decade. They’re one of the best, most versatile small space kitchen organizers around. They’re great for tall shelves where you store short things — think mugs, spices, stuff like that. It’s a great way to add extra room to a shelf without needing to adjust or install anything.
7. A roll-up drying rack that fits over the sink to reduce mess and free up counter space
No room for a drying rack in your tiny kitchen? I get it. In my very first apartment we didn’t even have a sink in our bathroom — we had to brush our teeth in the kitchen. So a drying rack, in some spaces, is a real luxury. That’s where this roll-up over the sink drying rack comes in so handy — just unroll it over one side of your sink. As your dishes dry, any excess water runs off your dishes back into the sink. You can even use it to wash and dry vegetables. Take it to the next level with this version that has a space specifically for utensils.
8. This angled Joseph Joseph cutlery organizer that fits in even very narrow drawers
I am obsessssssssed with this silverware drawer organizer design. It might just be the king of small space kitchen organizers. Joseph Joseph makes so many great organizers for small spaces but what I love most about this silverware organizer is how narrow it is and the way it lets you stack utensils while still keeping them separate. At just 4.2″ wide, it really can fit in just about any drawer, with room to spare. This isn’t the only compact angled silverware holder Joseph Joseph makes either — you can get it in white or grey, with different divider configurations, and even wider versions that include additional organizing space too. They even make one designed to keep knives safely stored away inside a drawer. Genius!
Buy this cutlery organizer here!
9. A three tier corner shelf to organize chaotic corner counter spaces
If you’ve got a kitchen with an awkward corner (e.g. in my current kitchen, the sink is in a corner so there’s an awkward space behind it) that you’re not quite sure what to do with, get yourself a tiered corner shelf. Suddenly that awkward space will make a lot more sense — it’s a great way to organize things that you want to have out and within reach, but that look messy if they’re just sitting out; things like dish cleaning supplies, your morning coffee or tea set up, a small bar corner, even spices and mugs.
10. A hidden fold down spice rack that can blend right in to your existing cabinets
I spotted this magical hideaway spice space on Etsy months ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I rent, unfortunately, so it’s not in my immediate future, but it’s so cool I knew I had to share it with you. It’s such a genius way to add more room for your spice collection without needing to do a massive installation and without taking up too much space in your kitchen. Because it’s a handmade product, you give them the length and width of the cupboard you plan to fit it to and select your preferred hardware color and finish so it matches your existing kitchen space. The kit even comes with everything you need to install it.
Buy this pull down spice rack here!
11. A magnetic metal shelf that fits on the back of your stove to give you an extra shelf
One of the best places to store the things you use most often while cooking is on the back of the stove. This is a fact. I don’t know why every stove doesn’t come with a flat top surface for you to stash bottles of oil, spices, aluminum foil, salt and pepper, and anything else you might want to grab quickly. But if your stove doesn’t, no worries — you can pop one of these magnetic flat top shelves to create that space yourself. If the top of your stove isn’t magnetic, you might need to buy an extra set of magnets or magnetic tape to hold it in place but with almost 7,000 positive reviews this thing clearly works well for a lot of people.
Buy this magnetic metal shelf for your stove here!
12. Get your paper towel roll off your counter with this magnetic paper towel holder
This magnetic paper towel roll holder was one of the BEST things I bought for our apartment in Baltimore several years ago. It wasn’t the smallest kitchen we’ve ever had, but it was awkwardly configured and there just wasn’t anywhere convenient to leave a countertop paper towel roll holder. We didn’t want to install anything under the cupboards (again, we rent) so this magnetic paper towel roll holder absolutely solved our problem.
This magnetic paper towel holder let us store our paper towel roll on the side of the fridge where we could easily grab and tear off sheets as needed. It’s actually two separate pieces, which makes it easy to load new rolls on without fumbling with springs or sliding mechanisms or anything. The magnets are super strong and sturdy — you can grab and yank to tear the paper towels off without worrying the whole thing will fall off or knock everything off your fridge.
Buy a magnetic paper towel roll holder here!
13. Store your fruit under the cupboards in a cute macrame fruit hammock
How cute is this macrame fruit hammock??? It’s another Etsy find, and so adorable. If you’ve got extra space under your cupboards and don’t mind minimal installation, this is a great way to free up some counter space and put your fresh fruit on display at eye level. It installs with some screw-in hooks but that’s it. So easy. I know I have a bad habit of forgetting about my fresh fruit until it’s gone bad if I don’t have it out where I can see it, but I always struggle to find a way of keeping them out in a way that feels organized, especially in a small space. This is a win-win!
Buy a macrame fruit hammock here!
14. Two become one with this combination salt and pepper shaker
Is this combination salt and pepper shaker technically an organizer? I don’t know! I suppose it’s an organizer specifically for salt and pepper. If you want to consolidate the space taken up by separate salt and pepper shakers, this is the salt and pepper shaker for you. There are a lot of dual salt and pepper shaker designs out there, but I like that this one has covers for the ends to protect the grinders while not in use as well as adjustable coarseness settings, and a sleek stainless steel design for easy cleaning.
Buy this salt and pepper shaker here!
15. This deli container set makes pantry, fridge, and leftovers organization a breeze
I’ve waxed poetic about these deli containers before and I will do it again forever and ever. They’re one of my all time favorite small space kitchen organizers but they’re equally great in larger kitchens too. This set comes with 8 oz, 16 oz, and 32 oz containers.
The lids fit on any of the containers, which means you can keep all the lids together, and they stack neatly in the fridge, freezer, or in your cupboards. We use the 8 oz containers stacked in a cupboard to store spices, the 32 and 16 oz containers we freeze with chicken stock, and they’re perfect for storing leftovers too. And because the lids fit all of the containers, if you have something in one of the bigger containers and use most of it up, it’s easy to transfer it into one of the smaller containers and pop the lid back on. That way you don’t have mostly empty containers taking up precious space in your kitchen.
Buy these deli containers here!
For more of my product roundups and gift guides click here. For a master list of my favorite kitchen tools click here.
