Make The Most Out Of Your Small Kitchen With 15 Tips From Martha Stewart

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While it's easy to capitalize on a spacious kitchen feeling large and airy, making the most of a tiny footprint requires strategic work. Fortunately, as with most things, Martha Stewart has the right recipe. "Every kitchen can be beautiful and functional, no matter what the size," she insisted on YouTube. "When designing for a small space like this, take every inch into consideration." Having whipped up more than a few cook spaces, the lifestyle mogul tends to stick to a tried and true formula. "I call it the subway kitchen or the railroad kitchen," she detailed to Frederic Magazine. "The workspace is divided with an island, there is a wall of stoves, a washup area and then a seating area and maybe an additional, more comfortable seating area."

But the most crucial ingredients can be found in the cupboards, where she's developed a number of strategies that ensure not a single square inch is wasted. And while the lifestyle doyenne's expertise applies to kitchens of all sizes, it's particularly helpful for tighter areas where it's crucial to make the most of each space. From the surprising tools she uses to divide her cabinets to her trick for making even the most utilitarian items look like a thoughtful design choice, Stewart is serving up her best tips.

In a smaller kitchen, it's key to have a lot of shelf life. When available surfaces are limited, Stewart detailed in a 2015 YouTube video, "Adding a shelf takes items off the counter." With another ledge of space available, you can display dishes, glasses, spices, and other items without having them take up valuable real estate on either counters or in cupboards. And, as an added bonus, it can keep the overall decor feeling fresh, with Stewart sharing, "I also change the look of the kitchen by swapping out the plates, cups, and saucers stacked on open shelves."

In her demo kitchen — composed of pieces from her Martha Stewart Living line — she mounted a shelf 22 inches above the counter versus the more standard 18-inch clearance. "This way, if you're standing at the sink or the stove, you have plenty of room to work," Stewart explained. "Nothing's right in your face." But since you still want it to look good, consider these essential decor items for kitchen shelf styling. Mixing standard kitchenware like marble cutting boards or cake stands with more decorative pieces (candles, vases, plants) will keep it elegant and visually interesting.

In all of Stewart's kitchens, she likes to hang her collection of copper cookware out to dry. For the entrepreneur, flaunting her pots and pans is a manner of convenience. "I like the accessibility of the hanging pots," she shared with Frederic Magazine. "You can see what you have and which pot you need for the specific job at hand, and grab it." Plus, letting the entire collection hang can free up a lot of valuable cabinet and drawer space. Besides, noted Stewart, "It's very hard to use an under-counter space to store pots because they have to be stacked and they're in small areas and then you have to take everything out to get what you need."

To try Stewart's clever pots and pans storage idea, you'll want to suspend a large hanging rack above a countertop, using large hooks to attach each pot. But if your kitchen doesn't have space for that set-up, you could also consider a wall-mounted rack or rails. And when everything is on display, "it's also important that it looks good," noted Stewart, "so every pot is polished before it's hung back up."

A smaller space might mean most of the walls are taken up with cupboards. So, Stewart has a smart fix to ensure it doesn't feel too crowded. Glass-fronted upper cupboards — like the set she showed off on her 2015 YouTube clip — "make the cabinets visually lighter," Stewart shared, which can give the illusion of a brighter, more airy space. Plus, to be transparent, it affords a peek "inside my cupboards," Stewart added, "so nothing gets put away and never used again."

Of course, depending on your organizational and cleaning habits, glass cabinet doors can either be a beautiful kitchen addition or a pain in the neck. Not only do you need to be the type to keep your cabinets organized and display-worthy, you'll want to consider if their contents are something you really want to show off. And while the glass fronts are great for reflecting light, they also show off any manner of smudge or fingerprint. As an alternative, you could try a frosted or fluted glass to give your basic dishware some privacy.

Even if your kitchen is so tiny there's not room for a full-sized fridge, Stewart has an, er, cool idea for keeping your produce fresh. "If you're limited in space and you don't want to have a big refrigerator taking up all that wall space, put in an under-counter refrigerator," she suggested on "CBS News Sunday Morning," while showing off her 2021 kitchen refresh. Though hers afforded her cooling space in addition to her larger fridge, being able to tuck the appliance into an island will free up a great deal of real estate that could be turned into cabinets or even a small pantry.

Stewart loves an under-counter refrigerator in the kitchen because it's "so handy," she explained. And having another spot to place beverages while entertaining, or a separate space for kids snacks, definitely has its conveniences. If you're considering an adult version of your college mini fridge, there are a few options. If you're simply looking for an extra spot to stash drinks at a party or provide quick access to post-workout sips, consider a beverage cooler like Ca'Lefort's 24 in. 20-Bottle Wine and 60 Can Beverage Cooler Dual Zone Refrigerator. But if you need a pull-drawer type that can seamlessly blend with the rest of your cabinetry, try something like COWSAR's Undercounter Freestanding/Built-in Double Drawer Refrigerator.

To keep her pantry streamlined, Stewart thinks outside of the box. "I call it decanting," she explained on "CBS News Sunday Morning" of her trick for keeping her pantry organized and her groceries looking fresh. The process ensures that she can easily glimpse everything on offer, but it also helps eliminate bulky packaging, allowing you to make use of every square inch of shelving. Plus, when everything appears more uniform, the result is a less busy-looking space, which really helps visually open up a small kitchen.

Stewart whips up a cleaner, more organized pantry by decanting baking supplies like flour and sugar into marked containers like West Elm's Yamakazi Ceramic Canisters or Hokku Designs' Glass Kitchen Storage Jars. For everything else, Stewart's strategy, she detailed on "Today" is to "store everything in clear glass jars that are tightly sealed." William-Sonoma's Hold Everything Stackable Glass Canisters come in various sizes and shades.

When storage is limited, you've got to act strategically. So, Stewart is a fan of using a tiered cutlery divider in drawers, "which doubles the storage for flatware," she detailed in her 2015 YouTube video. "A lot of flatware can be put in one drawer." By stacking the deck, so to speak, you double up the potential storage space. It's the same reason Stewart recommends adding slimline shelves wherever possible to hold items like spices, tea supplies, or other small pieces that don't necessarily need to take up cupboard space. As she noted on her website, "In a kitchen, unused wall space is wasted space."

Of course, a drawer divider like Rev-A-Shelf's Tiered Cutlery Drawer Organizer is just one of Stewart's tips for organized drawers. She also recommends storing your knives in a drawer lined with cork to hold them in place. And to stash more dishes inside of a larger drawer, she uses pegs boards to organize the various stacks of plates and bowls.

Not content to waste a single inch, Stewart advises transforming the area beneath the sink into a tilt-out tray. "It turns this unused space into specialized storage for your sponges, your nailbrushes, whatever," she explained in her 2015 YouTube clip. In the same vein, her small demo kitchen included a toe-kick drawer that could be filled with larger platters and serving dishes. The key, she stressed, is "utilizing every single bit of space."

Installing a tip-out tray (one to consider: Rev-A-Shelf's Polymer Tip-Out Trays for Sink Base Cabinets) is just one way to lean into some of Stewart's storage tricks you should be using for yourself. The domestic doyenne also loves using tray dividers inside cabinets to keep her baking sheets organized and a lazy Suzan to make the most out of a corner cupboard. She's also a fan of adding a pull-out drawer system under the kitchen sink that can be filled with cleaning supplies and other miscellany.

For those that are renovating, Stewart advises looking into a specialized island to really pack in the storage possibilities. Showing off her Martha Stewart Living piece in the 2015 YouTube video, she explained, "This island is filled with lots and lots of really effective storage space. This is what we call our super cabinet." With nooks for spices, sauces, canned goods, and baking ingredients, "I think an entire shopping cart full of supplies can fit into this super cabinet." Storage space is a game-changer in a small kitchen.

Adding open shelving to your island is an unexpected feature that gives your kitchen more storage space. But even if the heart of your home doesn't come equipped with the counter space of your dreams, there are plenty of DIY kitchen island ideas you can try. Consider topping a set of units from IKEA's KALLAX line with a slab of wood for a budget-friendly version. Or expand your existing island with a set of furniture legs and a piece of butcher block. Even adding a towel bar or a set of hooks can increase the storage possibilities.

Wanting to ensure everyone gets a seat at the table, Stewart designs her kitchen islands to pull double duty. Rather than have to use up precious square footage of a small kitchen on a dining table or breakfast nook, "I actually extended the countertop to create a seating area for stools with plenty of room for your legs," she detailed on YouTube. "Now, four people can sit right here at the island."

Letting your guests pull up a chair is a great (and comfy) ROI opportunity, as it not only provides seating, it also makes your space appear roomier. To get the most out of your center countertops, Stewart suggests an island be "at least 4 feet long by 2 1/2 feet wide." Plus, she added, "It should have a clearance of at least 3 feet from other cabinets, other walls, to keep the space open for traffic. Leave yourself enough room so that you have mobility around your island."

If your cupboards in your small kitchen are bursting at the seams, consider leaving your most-used items out on display, because Stewart is serving up the secret for making that choice feel intentional, rather than chaotic and cluttered. And, actually, it's a piece of cake. "For keeping counters neat and pretty," she said in a 2014 YouTube video, "I like using a cake stand or a small tray for all my frequently used items." This frees up precious cabinet space, while still keeping things neat and organized.

Not only is a cake stand a sweet way to store items like your morning coffee necessities, most-used spices, dish-washing tools, or collection of cooking oils, it can free up precious kitchen counter space. Because, by elevating those essentials, you leave room around the base to store other pieces. And it's, um, easy as pie to bake this into your space, as there are a plethora of affordable options. The Spritz White Cake Stand retails for just $10. And the retro Fortessa Jupiter Vintage Glassware Collection Mini Cake Stand is only $18.

Even Stewart's clutter is pretty chic. To organize your catch-all drawer, "You can find little containers, they can be porcelain like this, they can be wider like this," she detailed on "Today," while showing off the variety of options. Not only did the end result look more streamlined, but it also increased the available storage space in the small kitchen. And, noted Stewart, "You can find things: your batteries, your push pins, your safety pins."

To get a handle on the mess, opt for a modular system like Stewart's own Plastic Stacking Home Office Desk Drawer Organizers or drawer organizers such as Millwood Pines' Hardin Adjustable Drawer Organizer. Or, if you don't want to take up an entire drawer, Stewart has a more portable option. In video posted to Instagram, she detailed how to turn a clear storage container into an easily totable catch-all.

Another way Stewart likes to stack the deck in her favor and utilize as much space as possible in a small kitchen is by doubling up the layers of her shelves. For instance, instead of storing just one row of glasses, she covers the whole set with a tray so that she can add a second layer on top. During her 2018 appearance on "Today," Stewart also spilled the tea on how she likes to store her cups, setting them on top of each saucer. As she explained during her organization demonstration, "I have invented this way of stacking cups." Her method ensures no piece gets left behind, but it also allows her to squeeze in more as she piles up to four cups on top of one another.

Or, if you'd like to keep your mugs and teacups out of the cupboard altogether, you can put them on display with a budget-friendly storage hack. Though generally used to hang coats, an accordion style wall rack can also set the stage for your favorite mugs and cups. And there are plenty of affordable options on offer, like Brightroom's Wall Mounted Decorative Rack.

Stewart is also pulling back the curtain on another storage hack. "Vertical storage makes the most of a cupboard," she explained on "Today," of finding ways to truly fill up every bit of her cabinets. Since it's crucial to make the most of cupboard space when it's limited, she uses expandable curtain rods to create sections that allow her to stash all manner of baking dishes and cutting boards — things that can be stacked vertically. This way, she added, "You can put everything in."

And Stewart's storage trick is one one on a growing list of ways to repurpose a curtain rod in the kitchen. The cylinders can also be used to hang cooking utensils, paper towel rolls, and to suspend cleaning supplies. As an alternative to curtain rods, you can also use a metal or plastic file organizer.

To really keep things rolling in the kitchen, Stewart shared on her blog, "I keep frequently used utensils on a movable cart." The flexible storage solution means she can push it out of the way when necessary so it's not taking up extra space. And in a smaller home, it's nice to have furniture pieces that can pull double duty. "By adding a custom-cut marble top," she advised on her site, "a rolling cart can also be used as a bar when entertaining."

A simple way to add storage if you have cluttered kitchen countertops, the right rolling cart will have ample space to hide necessities like tools, pantry items, and cooking gadgets. A pick like Best Choice Products' Rolling Kitchen Island Cart comes equipped with a cupboard and drawers. And Lark Manor's Audy Solid Wood Top Kitchen Cart has a three-tiered rack, towel bar, and even a pull-out trash bin.

When Stewart updated the kitchen in her two-story, 1970s ranch in 2021, she truly saw things in black and white. The existing cabinetry, lifted from her Connecticut television studio, were a creamy yellow hue that coordinated with the black soapstone counters. "The space worked well for many years, but it needed a new look," Stewart detailed on her site. So, she went with a modern vibe that left the room appearing brighter and more airy, something that'll greatly help a small kitchen. "I painted the cabinets and wood-work black and the walls white," she detailed, "which I think makes the room feel bigger and more modern." 

Indeed, opting for all-white everything on the walls is just one paint-related tip for making small rooms appear larger. Soft whites, beiges, and grays reflect light to make any space appear bigger. A high-sheen paint can also help the light bounce off the surface, while covering the ceiling in a lighter hue than the rest of the room will draw eyes up, creating the illusion of height.