Martha Stewart's Kitchen Organizing Tip To Maximize Space

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The dream? To live in a palatial property with a super-sized kitchen that's home to a fitted counter long enough to roll out reams of homemade pasta dough. The reality? Making the most of a compact galley kitchen with a tiny workspace and limited storage. Never give up on hustling for that dream, but in the meantime, consider Martha Stewart's kitchen organizing tip to maximize the space you do have by creating vertical storage.

Installing shelving in the space above your countertop is a power move that makes great use of a redundant area, providing heaps of viable storage and an attractive focal point. While a couple of extra shelves might not seem particularly useful, they can make the perfect spot for storing jars of spices and crockery, and showcasing your favorite bowls and glassware. Moreover, wider shelves can even become home to items like oils and cutting boards that would otherwise clutter up the worktop. It can reduce the usable counter space for chopping veggies or rolling out pastry. As the shelving is placed in an unused area — in the spot flanking the sink, for example — it won't affect the footprint of your kitchen, unlike an additional butcher's block or storage-unit on wheels. Plus, if you paint the shelving the same color as the tiling or walls, they will fade into the background without feeling imposing. Add a couple of these clear acrylic shelf risers, and you'll double up on the available space to boot.

To use your vertical space even more effectively, consider fitting a pegboard or erecting a railing with hooks just below the shelving to hang pretty mugs, utensils, or small saucepans. This will free up cabinet space, allowing you to hide away any unsightly bits and pieces that have lost their luster over time, such as old Tupperware boxes or mismatched plates. If you don't want to drill holes into your walls, you can use a selection of hanging baskets that can be loaded onto self-adhesive hooks to house produce, like bananas and apples, to free up counter space. You can even relocate your knives onto a magnetic wall-mounted knife holder. One of the other hacks to making the most of minimal kitchen cabinet space is to store your items efficiently. For instance, Martha Stewart folds her kitchen towels neatly to free up drawer space. However, you could also use the area above your cabinets as storage by lining it with larger baskets. Alternatively, you can hang smaller items on the vertical space inside cupboard doors.

Concerned that open shelving and rails will make your kitchen look messy and disorganized? Using sink skirts can hide clutter under the open shelving beneath kitchen counters, and they can also be employed on the shelving above. This will conceal any busy visual areas and lend your kitchen a kitsch, retro vibe.