How to create a minimalist kitchen this summer

Declutter your kitchen cabinets this summer with tips from DIY Homefit

If you look around your kitchen and feel despondent because all you see is a cluttered mess, perhaps it’s time to do something about it? And we’re not talking a quick tidy up here, but a change of approach. Why not transform your kitchen into a minimalist kitchen?

Minimalism can be quite a daunting concept because, as the name suggests, it means keeping only the minimum that you really need. Which is a huge contrast to a kitchen stuffed to bursting with absolutely every utensil, gadget, and food item that you may possibly ever need.

A minimalist kitchen only needs to have things you actually use and which are important for your lifestyle. Whilst these specific things will differ from one household to the next, below are five principles that can help you to create a minimalist kitchen this summer.

Design for minimalism

The first thing to do is decide how you want your kitchen to look. For example, what do you want out in the open and what should be hidden from view. It’s possible to conceal pretty much every appliance behind kitchen cabinet doors if this is the look you want for your kitchen.

You also need to have a specific purpose for every area of kitchen storage. You may decide on a combination of closed and open storage, but every kitchen item should have a place and be in that place. And the more closed storage you use, the more streamlined and minimalist your kitchen will look.

A popular design feature of minimalist kitchens is handleless kitchen cabinets – such as those pictured below – which can create a smooth and seamless look for your kitchen. 

Keep kitchen worktops clear

An essential feature of the minimalist kitchen is to keep your kitchen worktops clear. When you walk into a kitchen and see just sleek smooth lines, it projects exactly the sense of calm and space that you need.

There may be a couple of appliances that you want to keep out, for example kettle, coffee maker or toaster. But there is no room in a minimalist kitchen for piles of “stuff”.

This is an ongoing issue for busy families, because the kitchen is often the place to which everyone gravitates and dumps whatever baggage they are carrying from the day. A solution to this is to have a large basket as a temporary holding area for all those items – for example lunch boxes, bottles, mail, shopping bags – just until they get sorted and put away where they belong.

Rehome unused appliances and gadgets

Let’s be honest. Any appliance or gadget that hasn’t been used in a year probably doesn’t deserve its place. So rehome it. Someone else may love it. And anything that you only use occasionally can be put away in a kitchen cabinet until it’s needed again.

It’s all too easy to get swayed into buying appliances and gadgets you don’t really need. But one of the secrets of a minimalist kitchen is to stick to what’s right for you. There’s simply no point having any kind of gadget – be it an air fryer, pasta maker, bread maker or fancy coffee maker – if it’s something that you and your family wouldn’t really use.

And if you’re considering a new appliance or gadget, why not see if you can have a try of someone else’s first, just to see if in reality you might use it? That way you can avoid adding yet more items into your kitchen unless you’re sure they belong.

Get rid of duplicate items

Another secret of a minimalist kitchen is to get rid of duplicate items. Do you really need multiple mixing bowls, cake tins, blenders, whisks or spatulas? Or as many pots, pans, casserole dishes and baking trays as you have at the moment?

And when it comes to crockery and cutlery why not keep only those items that have been used in the past six months? After all, when it comes to mugs, plates and bowls you only really need enough to get the family through a couple of days, plus a few extra for guests. Similarly for cutlery two forks, spoons, and knives per person – plus a couple extra sets for guests/spares – is probably enough.

A final thought on this is not to save things “for best” but use them instead. How many of us have wonderful family heirloom items – such as dinner services or glasses – wasting away in the back of a kitchen cabinet when they could be out being enjoyed by the family? A minimalist kitchen is about quality as well as quantity. Rather than have a huge amount of mismatched items for daily use, why not use the good stuff as often as you want to?

Reduce food storage

Why do we feel that we have to have pantries, kitchen cabinets, and fridges stuffed full of food? Not only does this take up a large amount of storage space, it also inevitably leads to a lot of food being wasted.

Avoiding food waste is not only compatible with the principle of a minimalist kitchen, it is also the byproduct. If your kitchen is streamlined and organised, you will know exactly what is in it and will make sure it gets used and not wasted.

So for your fridge, freezer, pantry and food cupboards, only keep in them what you need and will use. Keep everything visible, with items that need using first at the front. This will make it easier to create meals based on what you know you have, and plan your weekly shop accordingly. It will also help you to keep your kitchen clean without having to move shelves full of stuff in the process.

The overall result will be cleaner and tidier food storage areas, and less food waste. All of which is the perfect fit with your new minimalist kitchen.

We hope that this article inspires you to create your own minimalist kitchen this summer. And when you do, the final secret is to keep it going rather than gradually let things pile up again. It will take a bit of time and effort to get into the ongoing minimalist groove, but you’ll be glad you did!

For more inspiration on beautiful minimalist kitchens, why not take a browse through DIY Homefit’s kitchen design ideas? And remember to visit us again soon here at DIY Homefit for more home and lifestyle tips.