A year ago, I gave up a huge Victorian kitchen to move into a cottage permanently.

The photo above is my new tiny kitchen (sans appliances) AND my dining room AND my living room.  The combined floor space for the living room, dining room, and kitchen in the cottage is smaller than my Victorian kitchen alone.

The four-tier cupboards, built-in pantry, and rows upon rows of deep drawers were no more!

I am down to 2 shallow drawers in the entire kitchen, no pantry, and have only 2 cupboards where we store the bulk of our food.

It isn’t as dramatic as it sounds.

I was already a minimalist before moving into the Victorian.

The backstory on the Victorian house (which no minimalist in their right mind would ever choose as a home!): I had exactly 2 weeks to find a place to live and move to a new city to start a new job while still working my old job. I had one day to find the place, and could only find 2 advertised places to consider. The second place, although much more reasonable in size, had holes in the walls. I am not kidding!

Even as a minimalist, I found the cottage kitchen to be a challenge.

Challenges of Tiny Kitchens

A small kitchen poses it’s own unique challenges, as you well know if you have one!

So Many Things…

In any size kitchen you need to store a variety of food, dishes to eat from, and all the cooking implements (pots, pans, etc.) that you need to prepare the food.

In addition, kitchens often get used to store cleaning supplies, linens, and “extras” like vases, candles, or canning supplies. These are all real-life examples of what is in my tiny kitchen right now!

Food Storage Needs…

Dishes and cooking supplies are one thing but you can, quite honestly, stick them anywhere. Food storage comes with it’s own special challenges.

Many foods have to be refrigerated. Others need to be kept frozen. Some must be stored in a cool & dark place, or be stored upright.

Buying bulk is a key way to save money these days, but there is little room for bulk food storage in a tiny kitchen.

If you value farm fresh and home grown foods (like I do) you are likely preserving food either by canning or freezing. Where is that going to go in a tiny kitchen?

Practical Spaces…

Kitchens, even small ones, come with more storage spaces than any other part of the house. If we could just treat them like a giant closet things would be easy.

Unfortunately, they are the furthest thing from a closet. We aren’t just storing things away to be pulled out occasionally. We’re digging around in that stuff all the time!

Kitchens are arguably the most practical spaces in our homes. We do real work here on a daily basis.

• Preparing meals and lunches.
• Baking.
• Doing dishes.
• Putting away groceries after a shopping trip.
• Making our morning coffee.
• Getting a snack.
• Hydrating

The reason kitchens come with so much storage space is because we use a lot of different items in this space. Every day.

We need room to chop, boil, stew and brew. It is the witches cauldron of the home where all the magic (and witchcraft) happens!

Kitchen Priorities

The focus of this Note is not about where to store your mixer, air fryer, or Instant Pot (because I don’t own any of those things).

It is about how to make the best use of your kitchen zones, especially for food storage, and to practically support making meals in your tiny kitchen.

It is about organizing your tiny kitchen so that:

• There is room to store all the foods you love to eat
• Food doesn’t get forgotten or wasted
• You can easily access everything so that you can actually prepare a meal in your tiny kitchen

The 6 Zones

Zones are simply the sections of your kitchen that are available to you. No matter the size of your kitchen you will have certain zones.

Every standard North American kitchen has:

1. Refrigerator.
2. Cupboards
3. Counters
4. Sink
5. Drawers
6. Range

These are the 6 zones.

How much – or how little – counter, cupboard, and drawer space you have can vary significantly but you will have access to these zones in most kitchens.

Of course, you can arrange your zones any way you wish. I am simply sharing how I have set up my tiny kitchen with the hopes that it will give you some ideas and inspiration for your own small space!

There are two things that I consider to be key for my zones. ALL THE THINGS stored in each zone need to be:

1. Readily seen
2. Easily accessible

If you live in a small space, or have an overcrowded large space, you know there is nothing more annoying than having to unpack an entire cupboard to get at what you want.

Often, we just don’t bother.

Anything that can’t be seen is likely to be forgotten. This is how we end up wasting food, or buying duplicates.

The 2 Purposes

The zones are used for one of two things, and sometimes both:

• Food, or
• Cooking equipment

Food is the star of the show, as far as I am concerned.

It is the entire reason we need kitchens. It is central to life. It is the reasons our kitchens are often the hub of the home!

It is very important to me that, even in a small kitchen, there is room to store all the foods we like to eat.

The refrigerator is only zone that is only for food storage.

A full 3/6 zones are about storing all the dishes, appliances, pots, pans and other paraphernalia that we use to prepare and eat food. These are the counter, sink, and drawer zones.

Cupboards and the range zone (yes the range!) can be used for either.

Let’s start with the best part…the food!

Zone 1: Refrigerator

The fridge, like your small kitchen, is very restricted in space and easy to overcrowd to the point that it is impossible to use.

Although you know exactly what should be stored here (fresh food!) it can be one of the most challenging spaces to organize.

I use a capsule kitchen to simplify meal planning and have several categories of food that I have on hand at all times. Read more about capsule kitchens here.

My capsule kitchen has 5/7 categories that require refrigeration: a freezer stocked with farm-grown meat and fresh-frozen seafood, seasonal fruits and veggies, leafy greens for salads, dairy and eggs.

If you aren’t familiar with the term capsule kitchen, simply put, it is keeping on hand go-to food staples you always use and adding in seasonal/sales items that to mix and match to prepare meals.

I zone my fridge in the same way I zone my kitchen, and use the zones to support the categories I use in my capsule kitchen.

Freezer

The freezer primarily stores meat & seafood for my capsule kitchen.

Some time ago we started buying farm grown beef and pork and more recently, found a source for fresh salmon.

Most of our meat is purchased in bulk and kept in the freezer. We buy 1/2 beef or pork at a time, or a chest of salmon. For proteins that we don’t buy bulk like poultry, sausages, shrimp, or scallops I stock up when they go on sale and put them in the freezer.

We purchased an apartment sized chest freezer to make this possible. It lives in our garage and I transfer a variety of items to the freezer in the refrigerator as necessary so there are always options in the cottage.

Also stored in the freezer are fruits and veggies that come from our garden, are foraged (fiddleheads!), or are bulk purchases in season.

The chest freezer supports our lifestyle and food choices, but it is a more recent addition. I didn’t always have it.

If you don’t have the bulk freezer, you simply use the freezer in your fridge and follow the rule: only what fits!

Don’t overstock your freezer.

Keep like foods grouped together (meats, veggies, fruits, pizzas) so it is easy to tell what you have, and find what you need.

Fruit & Vegetable Drawers

Most fridges have a drawer for fruits and one for veggies and this is where the seasonal fruits and vegetables for my capsule kitchen live.

I purchase only what will fit, to ensure we eat it up before it goes bad.

There is normally a “sturdy” fruit and veggie in each drawer. Sturdy fruits and veggies are those that last a long time like apples, oranges, carrots, or cabbage. These will get used up last in between shopping trips.

There are also “fragile” fruits and veggies in each drawer. Items with a shorter shelf life like berries or sprouts that need to be eaten up more quickly.

Shelves

I have a tall shelf and a low shelf in my fridge.

No matter your shelving situation, designate each shelf to specific types of food. (And remember – you can adjust your shelving heights to better suit your needs!)

This makes it easier to find things, and prevents you from over buying, overcrowding your refrigerator, and wasting food.

The tall shelf always has milk, cream, and flavored creamer on one side. (I know! Flavored creamer is nothing more than a chemical cocktail but I haven’t been able to completely give it up!)

The other half holds a leafy green for my capsule kitchen (spinach, mixed greens, head lettuce or Romain lettuce) that won’t fit in the veggie drawer. It is the designated space for leftovers and any beverages that we may have chilling.

Low Shelf

At the very top of the fridge there is a shelf just the right height for eggs (a capsule kitchen category), and dairy items (another capsule kitchen category) like yogurt, cottage cheese that Sweetie makes, and sour cream. You will often find hummus, tzatziki, or homemade baba ganoush (one of of the few things I make in the kitchen).

Dairy Drawer

I grew up on a dairy farm so dairy is just a part of my blueprint. We have a shallow drawer that goes across the entire bottom of the refrigerator. This is for dairy. You will always find bags of milk, a variety of cheese, and blocks of butter in this drawer.

The Door

The door is the catchall for everything else, but is still organized it by categories. It holds condiments, pickles, jams, and salad dressings.

Options are nice so there will be 2 jams or jellies to choose from, 2 types of pickles, 2 types of mustard. You get the idea.

I prefer the space not to be too crowded, and personally don’t enjoy dipping into a bottle of aioli that has been opened for months. I prefer to use up what we have opened quickly, while it is still fresh. If there are too many options, everything languishes longer!

Can this space hold ALL THE THINGS?

Zone #2: Cupboards

How to divey up the cupboard space is the hardest decision in a tiny kitchen, in my opinion.

You need some space for food, and some space for dishes and cooking equipment.

Dishes

Begin here. As a rule of thumb, put your dishes for eating near your sink or dishwasher. This makes it faster and easier to put away clean dishes.

Minimize the space you need for your dishes in a small kitchen by buying a lightweight dish set like Corelle brand rather than a bulky ceramic or pottery style sets and get stackable glassware.

Corner Cupboards

If you have a corner cupboard that isn’t a lazy-Susan consider investing in one and installing it yourself to make these typically deep spaces more accessible.

Remember you want everything in your kitchen to be easily seen and easily accessible!

Because corner cupboards often have a narrow or awkward opening, I think they are the ideal location for smaller food items like canned goods and baking supplies.

If you do have a good sized corner opening however, the lazy-Susan will hold a lot of appliances. In one home I owned, the door had a piano style hinge that allowed it to fully open and I stored all my appliances in one place!

Cooking Equipment

Unless you are a minimalist, you will have a decent amount of cooking equipment.

Kitchens today have many time saving appliances that families rely on like air fryers and Instant Pots, along with all the old standbys like blenders, mixers, and toasters.

Although it is tempting to keep these things on your counter tops, the reality is, in a small kitchen you need your counter space to prepare food.

They need a home.

On top of appliances, every kitchen needs plastic storage containers, pots & pans, casserole dishes, pie plates, serving platters, and so much more!

In every kitchen I have ever had, big or small, cooking paraphernalia has taken up the most cupboard space.

The rule of thumb is always: Only what will fit.

If you don’t have room in your small kitchen for everything, figure out what you use (or value) the most and get rid of the rest.

At one time I had a both a waffle maker and a sandwich press, but only occasionally used either. Both are gone now.

Although we only have fondue a few times a year, it is a novel, slow meal that we share with family or friends. We really enjoy this, so we make space for the fondue sets.

Look for space saving alternatives like collapsible colanders. I swapped my steamer appliance for a basket steamer that sets inside a pot and takes up less space in my cupboard.

It is better to get rid of things so that you can access and use what you have left. In my experience, anything shoved to and buried in the back of the cupboard stays there, and rarely sees the light of day!

Pantry

You need a space that you can consider your pantry.

I have one cupboard for this purpose with 2 shelves. Due to limited space in the cupboard (and for easier access) I have several baskets that contain pantry staples.

The largest basket is the width of my cupboard, lives on one shelf, and slides out like a drawer. Half of this basket holds rice, pasta, & beans. The other half has baking supplies like icing sugar and chocolate chips.

A third, and smaller, basket has nuts and seeds and lives on the top shelf. I use this basket daily to top salads, yogurt, cottage cheese, and oats.

Next to this basket are boxed items like cereal or crackers.

Zone 3: Counters

The most visible space in kitchen, counters set the tone for the entire room.

Home decor magazines show clutter-free countertops that hold nothing more than a bowl of fruit and an espresso machine, but this is not how most of us live.

Counters are normally chaos.

Lined with appliances like coffee makers, microwaves, toasters, blenders, mixers and more! On top of that there might be food canisters, a knife block, cutting board, utensils, dish detergent, a drying rack, food storage, oils, spices, hand soap, baskets, plants or random knick-knacks.

I wouldn’t normally rely on mainstream media to give us accurate depictions of what life should look like, but in this case, I think they got it right.

Counters should be kept as free from clutter as possible for the simple reason that you need counter space in a small kitchen to prepare food.

My rule of thumb for counters is this: If you use it daily, keep it on your counter if there is no other convenient place for it. Otherwise, it needs a home.

Although I use my dish soap daily, it does not live on my counter. This is because there is a convenient place under my sink where it is easily accessible to me.

My coffee maker is used every day, multiple times a day, because Sweetie works from home. Although we purposely purchased a coffee maker with a small footprint, it does have a water reservoir that makes it impractical to drain and put away after every use.

It lives on the counter.

Appliances are often the problem…

My Sweetie is not a minimalist, and he loves to cook. The kitchen is really more his than mine.

I have zero hobbies (unless you count drinking coffee as a hobby) that require me to be the kitchen.

Sweetie makes cottage cheese, fancy coffees, teas, and crepes. He bakes cakes, cookies, pies, and baklava. He cans, cooks, pickles, makes jams and jellies, and loves to prepare a good fondue.

I am perfectly happy with a coffee maker and my Nutri-bullet for smoothies.

He has an espresso machine, toaster, kettle, blender, hand-held blender, hand-held mixer, crock pot, rice cooker and microwave. I went for years without owning a microwave!

I get it.

I may be a minimalist myself, but I get the challenge of finding space for things that are important to you. Or to those you love – as the case may be!

Keep whatever you want, as long as you actually use it and have room for it.

But don’t keep it on the counter unless you use it daily.

Zone 4: Sink

My rule of thumb for this zone, and every other zone in the kitchen (besides counters) is: Only what will fit.

I am fortunate to have a full sized double sink in my tiny kitchen.

Although it does take up a lot of real estate, because we opted not to have a dishwasher (so that we could have more cupboard space), the double sink is very useful.

In my experience many sinks do not have anything above them. The space is either a window (my personal favorite) or a recessed wall with cupboards on either side.

I am only going to talk about what goes under your sink.

These are the categories of items I suggest you should keep under your sink:

• Cleaning Products – Most of us have more than we need. Challenge yourself to limit the products you use and to use multipurpose products. I keep 6: a glass cleaner, a homemade all purpose cleaner, a homemade sink cleaner, a floor cleaner, and dish detergent (right at the front because I use it every day). Bathroom cleaners are kept in the bathroom. Don’t use your valuable kitchen space for them!
• Cleaning rags & sponges – I use tin boxes to corral these
• Dish clothes and towels – I have a little basket that I can pull out to make putting away clean linens easy
• Plastic bags – mostly bread bags and milk bags that I will reuse, but also boxes of various sized freezer bags that I use for bulk veggies and meat that I separate and freeze.

There are a few random items at the back that don’t get used as often. Things like fuel for our fondue pots, and product that I use to remove label residue off pasta sauce bottles that that we repurpose for canning.

Everyone will have random items, but don’t over-crowd this space!

If you do, it will make cleaning a hassle.

Cleaning is already enough of a hassle. You want your supplies to be easily available to you.

You need to be able to see everything and access everything easily. Baskets that you can pull out are great for this!

Zone 5: Drawers

I only have 2 drawers in my kitchen.

The good thing about having only 2 drawers is that I can tell you with certainty that I have thought long and hard about what the most important things to have in a drawer might be.

If you only have 1 drawer, I would 100% use it for your silverware. Silverware needs a drawer, in a proper silverware tray…because we use it every day.

There is a little space around the silverware tray where Sweeting puts baking utensils and tools. Measuring spoons, measuring cups, thermomotor, basting brush. That sort of thing.

If you happen to have more than one drawer, you can consider it bonus space.

Because my drawers are very shallow, I use the second drawer to store rolls of plastic wrap and tinfoil, and boxes of sandwich and snack bags. In the left over space are Sweetie’s larger utensils like tongs, whisk, rolling pin and barbeque lighter.

Skip the junk drawer.

If you have one, find a proper home for items you actually use and toss the rest. I haven’t had a junk drawer in years.

Trust me when I say you don’t need one.

They are just unnecessary clutter.

Zone 6: Range

It may be odd to think of the stove or oven as a zone, but in a tiny kitchen every space counts!

Stovetop

Let’s first discuss the stovetop. I generally favor keeping it clear, much like countertops.

You need regular access to burners to prepare meals.

However, if you use a kettle daily and often, there is an argument to be made for keeping it on the stovetop.

It is rare to use all 4 burners at once, so this really shouldn’t limit your ability to use the stovetop.

Oven

Some people like to store pots, pans, pizza pans, or cookie sheets in the oven. Having worked for a fire insurance company in the past, I don’t recommend ever storing anything in the oven.

If you do store cookware in the oven, please make the investment in a brand that is made to go from stove top to oven. These brands have handles and lids that can hold up to the heat and won’t melt, crack, and catch fire when heated.

A better place to keep such items is in the drawer under the oven. I have been lucky enough in the past to be able to store all of my stackable pots and pans in the one location. The drawer I have now, however, is not deep enough and holds only the pans and their lids.

Whatever the size, it is a good storage space for pots and pans that you regularly use because it is so easy to access them right where you need them!

The Range Surround

Almost every range I have ever seen has cupboards on either side and over top of it. The side cupboards in my tiny kitchen are only 8” wide. That’s narrow, but still useful space, that can become their own little subzones!

Canning Supplies

The microwave is built-in over top of the range. This makes the cupboard above the microwave quite high. Too high for me to reach easily.

We store canning supplies up there that we only need to access from time to time, mostly in the fall. If you have hard to reach spaces, put your least used items there.

Seasonings

This is where I put my herbs, spices, oils and vinegars.

Two little baskets corral the herbs and spices. I store them on the top shelf of the skinny cupboards on either size of the stove.

Each one holds a dozen bottles that range from parsley & chives, to curry & cumin, to nutmeg and cinnamon. They are all in regular rotation in our cooking and are replaced often.

Below the baskets on the shelves you will find the oils (olive, canola), vinegars (apple cider, balsamic, rice), sweeteners (sugar, honey), salt and pepper.

Although not a seasoning, you also find flour and oats here. We don’t bake often and are most apt to reach for these two items when at the stove to thicken a sauce or stew, or because I am making oatmeal.

Keeping seasonings handy to the stove makes sense to the way we cook.

Baking Pans

One side of the oven has the same 8” space as above the stove, but instead of shelves there is a divider down the middle of the space. My tiny kitchen came with this built-in specifically for baking sheets, so that is what I use it for.

This is where I keep a cookie sheet, muffin tin, pizza pan, and a cooling rack. I also stand my roll of parchment paper, placed on it’s end, in this cupboard.

On the other size of the oven, this 8” space is incorporated into the corner cupboard where the Lazy Susan is. We talked about the Lazy Susan when we discussed cupboards.

My tiny kitchen in action!  Easter Dinner 2024.

The Simple Summary

Every kitchen, even tiny ones, have six zones:

1. Refrigerator.
2. Cupboards
3. Counters
4. Sink
5. Drawers
6. Range

• You want every item in your kitchen zones to be readily seen and easily accessible.
• The general rule for kitchen zones is only what fits! Decide which items you use or value the most and eliminate the rest.
• There is an additional rule for counters, if you use it daily it may live on the counter, otherwise it needs a home.
• Arrange like items together so it is easy to find things and easy to know what food items need replaced.
• Don’t overstock on food items.

This is how I organize my tiny kitchen. Will you try zones in your tiny kitchen? If you have a better way to organize the kitchen please share in the comments.