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What does a minimalist kitchen really look like? You might imagine it only has the bare essentials, but think again! You can have a functional, beautiful kitchen and still only store the items you use, need, and love. This means fewer dishes to wash, less deep cleaning and less stress!
The Journey to a Minimalist Kitchen
Becoming a minimalist family changed everything in our home. Without excess filling every room of our house, there is space to breathe, play and create. The whole family is grateful for that!
It’s important to remember that minimalism isn’t about having no stuff. Instead, it’s about having only the items that improve our lives and less of the excess that causes stress.
Please remember that minimalism looks different for everyone because it’s about keeping and highlighting the things that are important to you.
I’m not a chef or a cook, so I’ve chosen to keep my simple kitchen down to the essentials for cooking and baking family meals. I made the choice to not keep unused fancy tools around.
If you choose to keep some fancier tools, that’s totally okay! You may want to check out 5 simple ways to minimize your kitchen here.
My simple living, minimalist kitchen has been an evolution over the past three years with intentional decluttering and purging sessions. It began with “wave one” in our previous home, and then we further downsized to fit in the smaller home we live in now.
Our Minimalist Kitchen Organization Tour
Here is our minimalist kitchen organization for our quaint, small home.
I truly love that our home is older and filled with rustic charm, like this glass cabinet. I store all my Mason jars here.
While I’m still working on making pretty labels for the jars, I keep this area basic with dry goods, snacks, cereal, and tea.
Below this cabinet is a shelf where I keep my 5 favorite cookbooks and store the few occasionally used appliances: blender, food processor, crockpot and coffee maker when not in use.
Minimalist Cabinet Storage
The white cabinets in my minimalist kitchen are one of my favorite things. While they don’t really have anything to do with simple living, I love that they brighten up the space!
They have a simplicity and old charm to them that helps me feel relaxed, as long as I keep the counters clear.
Since this kitchen is older, we don’t have an abundance of cabinet space, so I choose to keep our appliances out. This counter holds the toaster, coffee maker and water pitcher. When the coffee maker isn’t in use, I place it under the glass cabinet to free up counter space.
As a family of three, we live by the rule of three. This means I only keep out three mugs, cups, bowls, and plates of each size. I do have a complete set of 8 dishes, but the extras are kept in a cupboard above the refrigerator and are only used for company.
The reasoning behind this is that most people will automatically reach for a clean utensil or dish before they will wash a dirty one.
That means the dirty dish pile often grows far beyond the size of your family, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid!
I handwash our dishes throughout the day. Since we use fewer dishes, it doesn’t get overwhelming. Our kitchen is small and we don’t have a dishwasher so I also dry dishes by hand from the dishrack throughout the day.
Our bakeware is very simple as I’m not a chef or baking enthusiast. Over the years I’ve collected fancier pieces and never used them, so I let them go.
What remains are the basics that we use frequently: casserole dishes, Pyrex baking dishes, and small loaf pans.
A few years ago we decided to declutter and ditch all the plastic storage containers and now use only glass Pyrex containers and Mason jars.
I have a decent number of both of these as we use them to store leftovers, pack lunches and store fresh food in the fridge and freezer. I keep the lids to all of these in a drawer beneath the cabinet.
Pots and pans are also fairly minimal in the kitchen. One set of stainless steel kettles and two cast iron frying pans. One set of stainless steel mixing bowls. One strainer. Waffle maker. Roasting pan.
The same theme you see repeated in every cabinet–it’s the basics, the things we use and not a lot of extras.
Minimalist Drawer Storage
For silverware, I keep four of each size out, with the rest of the set stored away. This made a huge difference in our pile of dishes right away!
Cooking and baking utensils are kept all in one drawer. It’s simple, and we use every single item in there on a daily or weekly basis. I focus on keeping the items that have multiple uses instead of specialized uses.
Instead of keeping and using multiple utensils, I will rinse off or wash them while cooking rather than creating a larger pile of dishes at the end!
Pot holders and towels are kept in the next drawer. I’ve downsized that collection considerably over the years. I recently learned to KonMari fold my towels and I love the tidy, minimalist way they reduce visual clutter.
The final area we decluttered was the dreaded kid’s drawer. Infants and toddlers attract all sorts of dishes. Bottles, sippy cups, snack cups, bowls, and silverware. It can quickly get out of hand.
We had a good amount of all those things too, but now that our daughter is three, I decided it was time to get rid of all the sippy cups except one (our favorite Munchkin 360) and the excess snack bowls and cups. They are easy to wash and dry so we just don’t need a whole stack of them!
How My Minimalist Kitchen Changed Everything
It took time to downsize my kitchen and figure out exactly what I wasn’t using and didn’t need. There were things I let go of that I enjoyed looking at, but I just didn’t use often enough to warrant keeping them.
There were holiday towels and plates. Cute knick-knacks. Gadgets galore. Tiny mugs I loved that weren’t practical.
But the change was worth it. My kitchen doesn’t stress me out. I can easily find the utensil I’m looking for.
I actually enjoy cooking and baking in my kitchen.
It didn’t happen overnight, but it was step by step and day by day. Every single item you minimize means a little more space and freedom.
What’s Next?
Ready to declutter your home but need some inspiration? Join Project Simplicity, a 30-day heart-centered decluttering challenge here!
Related Decluttering Articles
Ready to Minimize your Kitchen? Here are 5 Simple Ways to Minimize Your Kitchen Today!
Ready to Clear your Clutter? Here’s How to Use Quick Wins to Clear Clutter Fast
Need Step by Step help? Here’s your Quick Start Guide to Decluttering
I always keep it simple and my kitchen looks like this one!
It saves time on cleaning etc.
It’s also calmer!….cool….
Thanks, Keri! I think it makes such a difference when your space is clean and clear! =)
Nice kitchen! Looks a lot like min 🙂 And you are right, it’s so easy and calm to work in.
Thank you! Is certainly makes all the difference when you need to find things quickly and move around!
I went through my kitchen right after seeing this. Thanks so much
Sort of disappointed. Was planning on seeing a genuinely beautiful AND minimalist kitchen. Just minimalist. womp womp.
Hi Aly, my home was built in the 1920s, so to me, it is naturally rustic and beautiful. It works for me. Everyone sees beauty differently, and that’s okay–my style isn’t for everyone!
Your kitchen is lovely and thank you for the tips, was exactly what I was looking for 🙂
Thank you Mae!
Your kitchen is amazing!
Very good article, I started to minimize my house, with the fibromyalgia is hitting ,e so badly it helps my brain to feel at ease with a simple life for me…
Hi Leyda, I completely relate. I also have fibro and when I have hard days, having things simpler is a life saver.
I love this! I’ve been scouring Pinterest for a practical minimalist kitchen and all I could find were these completely unrealistic, expensively decorated minimalist kitchens. Beautiful but absolutely not practical for me. This post really helps me figure out what I want to get rid of! Excellent. Our home is really old as well and your kitchen reminds me so much of my own. I love it!
Thank you so much Sarah! I’m glad it was helpful!
Thank you for your article. I have started minimizing kitchen utensils, towels, and so many things unused. I feel great!
i have given and thrown so much away during lockdown, i have been through every room, drawer and cupboard, clothes, shoes, crockery, glasses, pots, pans, steamers, utensils, food, bedding, lampshades, baskets, bowls, bags, even furniture has been left outside for someone to take along with other stuff. how did i spend so much money? now have space, empty drawers and room to make the house tidy. i now only use my very best stuff all the time and enjoy it.
I totally feel this. I often shake my head at how much was spent on stuff we didn’t need in the first place. It’s crazy to reflect on it! So happy that you are enjoying a better space!
It sounds like you spend all day washing dishes one at a time. I prefer to have twice or three times as many dishes and wash them all at once. In my dishwasher as it happens, but if I were doing it by hand I would do it in a dish pan, which uses less water then one at a time. Although not as much less water as a dishwasher.
Also I never have to use paper plates even when I have guests which is frequently.
I don’t spend nearly as much time washing dishes anymore, because they never pile up! It’s easy to do a handful of dishes after each meal, or even just twice a day. We have a full set of 8 dishes as well for guests, they are just put away in a cabinet for only the times we need them. Works for us!
Very nice, love the blog.
Thank you for sharing this blog. I’m going to bookmarked this article.
Love the article! I always thought being a minimalist was getting rid of everything, so I’m glad you specified that being a minimalist is really just keeping the items that are essential.
Laura Noelle’s blog post on creating a minimalist kitchen offers excellent advice for simplifying and decluttering this essential space. The detailed steps and tips provided emphasize the importance of intentional design, decluttering, and optimizing storage to create a functional and aesthetically pleasing minimalist kitchen. The focus on choosing versatile kitchen tools and reducing excess emphasizes the core principles of minimalism. Additionally, the practical suggestions and product recommendations make it easy for readers to implement these ideas in their own kitchens. Overall, this article is a great guide for those seeking to streamline their kitchen and embrace a minimalist lifestyle.
The tips shared about decluttering and organizing the kitchen to enhance efficiency and reduce unnecessary items were fantastic. It’s impressive how small changes, like minimizing appliances and opting for multifunctional tools, can lead to a more streamlined and aesthetically pleasing kitchen space. The emphasis on mindful consumption and thoughtful design choices aligns perfectly with the principles of simple living. This post serves as a great guide for anyone looking to create a minimalist kitchen that fosters a sense of calm and order in their home. Well done!