A kitchen too small for a family too big? Here’s how to maximize every square inch

Having a large family and living under the same roof can be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable feelings in life, given that you can rarely feel alone or lack a helping hand to rely on. Given that Christmas is approaching with rapid steps, you likely think the blessing of being surrounded by your loved ones more than compared to the rest of the year. The food prep stress is split, doing the seasonal home cleaning becomes easier, and wrapping your head around a cramped schedule is anyone’s problem. Still, yours and your household are likely designed and equipped to meet any unforeseen need.

However, all the delight slightly disappears the moment you need to take turns at that too-small of a sink or wait for a family member to finish their meal so you can take their seat. A tiny kitchen for a big family shouldn’t pose much of a challenge when the space is adequately arranged, and the tweaks you can make to make more of your available space go beyond your imagination.

From recalibrating the purpose of your cooking space to reconsidering your selection process for furniture within the endless kitchen styles, a few impactful changes can help you optimize your kitchen’s every corner. Here’s how to make your tight cooking space work for each of you, individually or all together, without knocking down any wall!

Chalk it up

A large family may translate to more communication and bonding opportunities, but it can also raise barriers to how effectively you deliver your message and have it understood by everyone. The more you gather around the table, the less likely it is for one or more of the participants in the conversation to conduct the tasks you’re pointing out as necessary, such as buying milk from the store or watering the plants. Everybody will loosen up knowing there are more than two ears that have heard your message, so chances are that someone else will act upon your solicitations.

For similar misunderstandings to be avoided, you must take proactive steps and ensure no one escapes from acknowledging your message. A chalkboard hung up on the wall or installed on the fridge can take all this burden off your shoulders and give you peace of mind, knowing everyone knows you’re running out of essentials or the bills waiting to be paid. Incorporate this element in your cooking space’s design, and the whole family will benefit from it. Whether it’s crafting a to-do or to-buy list or looking for ways to make Friday nights more entertaining, you can rely on a chalkboard to get these things done for you without excessive effort.

Reconsider your kitchen’s purpose

Kitchens have evolved far beyond the concept of being simple spaces for prepping and serving family meals. However, in today’s modern era, numerous activities take place in the kitchen that could ideally be conducted in other rooms, alleviating the challenges posed by having an insufficiently large room.

Organize a family meeting and encourage everyone to express their thoughts on which activities can be relocated to different areas within the house. For example, it’s not necessary to sew in the kitchen only because the lighting is superior compared to other areas. You can just select another room and shift to a lighting system that functions better and where family members will go when they need increased visibility and focus on meticulousness.

Consider everyone’s age and hobbies and craft a to-ask list that will ideally tackle some of the following points:

• If the chamber shelters any appliances that could be relocated to another place
• The number of members usually involved in food preparation
• Whether anyone does their homework in this room
• How many meals are typically served in the kitchen?

Divide cabinet space to accommodate more dietary preferences

The more members that form your family, the more numerous the culinary preferences and dietary requirements are. Imagine that there are currently around 88 million vegans in the world for a population of about 8.1 billion people. Mathematically, this means that in every 91 individuals, one would be a vegan. Furthermore, the number of vegetarians and vegans worldwide is only rising year-on-year, meaning that sooner or later, someone will take a different road and try a new dietary plan for the sake of experience. Think that the global vegan food market rose to $15.77 billion in 2021 from $14.44 billion in 2020, according to Sentiment Media, a nonprofit organization analyzing animal policies and factory farms.

This is just one of the most powerful examples to make family members understand the efficacy of each being assigned a specific space to store their foods, depending on their requirements and needs. Just sliding dividers into the cabinets can break up the space and make sorting through items smooth from that moment on.

Storage, storage, storage

More storage seems to be every day’s mantra when you enter your excessively cramped kitchen, where finding what you need feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. Needless to say, the more cluttered your space is, the smaller the room left to unfold and carry out your tasks.

Taking stock of the items long forgotten inside your kitchen’s drawers and cupboards is always a good idea, especially since a more prominent family means an increased likelihood for useless things to add and clog the space. You can toss elements that never get used right now only to see your lockers are again overstuffed, translating to another round of decluttering.

Donate the items that haven’t been used for a long time or list them on online marketplaces. And while you’re in the midst of the chapter dedicated to expanding your room’s space, consider adding a kitchen island. This element can serve many functions beyond storage, including providing a gathering space for family members or serving as an extra cooking surface.

Get tall cabinets

The large amount of space that goes unused in kitchens that resort to small-height furniture can take you aback. When you calculate the square meter inches left unused and think of the many storage purposes they could serve, you may suddenly realize your setting’s configuration has been the fearsome enemy in getting the most out of the room in your kitchen.

Every inch counts in a tight kitchen, so redesigning it to have your cabinets almost touch the ceilings will free up considerable space to make your cooking space feel larger. Despite improved functionality and flexibility, you will also visually spruce it up and generate a streamlined look, creating the illusion of a taller kitchen.

As you can see, the problem with a seemingly small kitchen is not always the room, but rather a better organization and arrangement that would make more use of the available space.