4 Simple Steps To Creating The Perfect Minimalist Kitchen
You’ve probably seen plenty of images of perfect minimalist kitchens online, especially if you like browsing Pinterest as much as me. If the idea of having very little in your kitchen seems too impractical, I’ve got good news – creating the perfect minimalist kitchen might not be nearly as hard as you think! As I’ve mentioned on the blog before, there’s a lot of misconceptions about minimalism. It’s not about having nothing in your house, it’s about having nothing unnecessary. It just means cutting out clutter, like ornaments you never look at or crockery you never use.
Basically, as long as everything you own has value to you, then you’re already successfully living a minimalist lifestyle! But making the decisions can be tough, so if you’re having a bit of trouble, here’s some techniques that have worked for me.
1. Plan Your Meals
Most of us might not think of food as clutter – but then again, why shouldn’t it be? We fight the urge to impulse buy when it comes to things like DVDs or home furnishings, but for some reason food often gets a free pass, and before you know it you’ll have a load of ingredients, bottles and jars cluttering up kitchen cupboards. But something as simple as planning out your meals for the week has a tonne of advantages. For starters it means it’s easier to stay organised as you’re only buying what you plan to use. Plus it clears valuable space in your kitchen cupboards, cuts down on waste, and saves you a few pennies at the same time. What’s not to love?
2. Think Hard About Your Kitchen Gadgets And Appliances
OK, this is a bit of an obvious one, but that’s just one more reason why it’s still worth saying! On the one hand, efficient gadgets can be great for perfecting a minimalist kitchen, especially if they’re dual-purpose. You can actually cook a surprising number of things in a sandwich press, for example – like bacon or halloumi – in addition to classic toasties! Not only are they useful, but it means you can clear your drawers out from the simpler versions (say, the frying pan you never use), saving you space.
On the other hand, when it comes to bulky or highly specialised appliances like breadmakers, it’s just a matter of asking yourself: do I make bread? If not, why keep it around? If you’re having trouble making a decision, I find a helpful question is: “when did I last use this?” Not when I plan to in future, but when I actually did. The answer forces me to be a lot more truthful with myself, helping nudge me towards a firm decision either way.
3. Limit Your Dishware
Huge stacks of dishes, whether clean or dirty, can really get in the way of keeping a clean, clear minimalist kitchen. Crockery and dishware can take up a lot of space without actually doing much, making them a minimalist’s nightmare. Some people advocate only keeping one set of dishes, but you can decide for yourself whether that’s practical or not! What I would say though is that it’s definitely a good plan to steer clear of ‘special occasion’ crockery if you can avoid it. Keep only the plates and bowls you need for whoever’s living in the house, with a couple spare for guests and dinner visitors.
4. Create Some Space!
You might have noticed that all my points above are kinda working towards one central idea, that’s space. Think of it as the secret to making your minimalist kitchen look just as amazing as any you’ll find in designer kitchen showrooms in Manchester. An easy shortcut is to keep your counters as clear as you can, and spread out your stuff evenly across all available cupboards and shelves, rather than just shoving it all into a single cupboard. Making use of efficient storage and shelving is another big help – I’ve covered that in a previous post, and a lot of the points still apply!
As well as paying attention to the surfaces, keep an eye on the walls too. A few well-placed decorations always add some lovely charm to a minimalist kitchen, but it’s easy to go overboard with calendars and posters and pictures. If you want, you can even just pick a few of your favourite decorations and switch them at regular intervals. This can be a bit of a faff for posters and calendars, but works well with picture frames and smaller decorations! It’s all down to your interpretation.
I guess when it comes down to it, that’s one of the most fascinating things about minimalism – it’s still a style that allows you to put your own unique stamp on things, even when we’re all following the same rules! So then – how’s your #MinimalistChallenge going?