Do you love the look of a minimalist kitchen? You know, the kind of kitchens with clear counters with perhaps a couple of intentional decorations. For years I admired them but thought I could never get the look in my own kitchen. After all, kitchens are the most hard working rooms in our homes.
From hosting friends to making meals to often being home offices too, kitchens have their work cut out. So it’s not surprising that kitchens can easily become chaotic spaces that are bursting with too much stuff. But it’s possible to have a minimalist, clutter-free kitchen despite the fact that it gets used so much.
Over time, I started realising that there is stuff in a kitchen that we are conditioned to think we need when in reality we can do without. And honestly, once I did without these things, I never looked back.
Of course the first step to having a minimalist kitchen is to declutter your counters and your cupboards. But this is just the first step. Minimalism, as we all know, isn’t about having a load of stuff that you hide away. It’s about having less stuff. Or only having stuff that is loved and used.
So with that in mind, if you want a more minimal kitchen, here are some things that you probably haven’t thought to get rid of but you absolutely can.
1. knife block
Knife blocks are big and take up precious counter space. While everyone needs knives, knife blocks are unnecessary. Instead put your knives in a drawer and also take stock of how many knives you actually need. In my experience, around three great quality knives plus a bread knife, are plenty even for the keenest cooks.
2. microwave
Many people are shocked when I tell them I don’t have a microwave. When I renovated my current kitchen I decided to do without one because I only ever used one for heating food. There are other ways to heat food — it may take a little longer but you can do it in an oven or on the hob — which is probably the main reason most people have a microwave.
I’ve never missed it and I know I’ll never buy a another microwave again. Getting rid of your microwave means you get a big chunk of space back, whether thats on a countertop or inside a cupboard.
3. single use gadgets
We’ve all indulged in single-use gadgets… ice-cream maker anyone? Bread maker? This isn’t just about the big things though, it’s equally about small gadgets like melon ballers or spiralizers. If you’re holding on to any gadgets you’ve used once or twice, get rid of them. You might have convinced yourself that you may need it again but deep down you already know thats not true.
4. cookbooks
For a pared-back kitchen, cookbooks shouldn’t be on display because they add visual clutter. Lots of people don’t even use their cookbooks anymore and instead find all their recipes online so if thats you, this is an easy thing to get rid of.
But there are some people (like me) who actually enjoy using their cookbooks. So if you fall in this camp, firstly go through them and keep only the ones you actually use. Once you’ve pared them down, store them somewhere else rather than an open shelf — this could be in a kitchen cupboard or even on a bookshelf in another room.
5. excessive dinnerware
If you want to have a minimalist kitchen then you don’t need several sets of dinnerware. In my experience I’ve found that two sets that you love and use are plenty. I prefer to have two sets that are useable for daily use as well as when you have friends over. In other words, invest in quality sets, not lots of quantity.
image credits: 1 & 2 nordiska kok | norm architects | wrede | lotta agaton
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