Three changes that free up space in a small kitchen — none of them a refit
An extra shelf, a hanging rail and order under the worktop. The gain is surprising.
In a small kitchen most of the lost space is inside the cupboards. The gap between shelves is usually taller than it needs to be, and one extra shelf recovers about a third of the same unit.
The second gain is on the wall. A hanging rail for pans and utensils clears the worktop completely.
When reading reviews, skip the ones from the first month and look at the ones written after the second year.
Inside the cupboards
Measuring up before you start is dull, and almost every expensive mistake begins exactly there.
What looks right in the showroom looks like something else at home under different light. Taking a sample away always pays.
Wall and worktop
In the costings the materials are usually the small line. The real spend is labour and waiting time.
The third is the dullest: take out what you do not use. In an average kitchen, the things not used even once a year take up a quarter of the available volume.
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