13 Organization Hacks To Create More Kitchen Countertop Space

There's no greater kitchen horror than a messy, cluttered countertop. Whether you're struggling with your studio apartment's limited counter space or just don't know how to arrange all of your kitchen appliances correctly, not having a functional kitchen counter can feel like a nightmare. If your counter clutter is preventing you from achieving your dream kitchen, don't give up hope just yet — what you need are a few tips you can use to organize your kitchen counters for good.

As an interior design writer, I know all the best tips and tricks for creating a fluid and practical kitchen counter. I've dealt with organizing the tiniest of kitchen counters myself, but kitchen counters, both large and small, can always benefit from a little bit of thoughtful reorganization. To help you organize your kitchen counter yourself, I'll spill all the secrets of my favorite ways to create a kitchen counter that is functional, beautiful, and organized — all at the same time. Best of all, these tips won't even come close to breaking your budget.

One of my favorite ways to make counter space even more useable is by "extending" the countertops. I'm not talking about remodeling the entire kitchen here, either — this tip is renter-friendly, and it can be adapted whether you already have a big space or are working with a smaller one. Ideally, you're looking for a side cabinet, bar cart, or buffet cabinet that is around the same height as your countertops or a bit lower than them. Place it right up against your kitchen countertops for a natural-looking "extension" to your kitchen space.

I tend to prefer a slightly shorter bar cart or buffet cabinet on one side of the kitchen countertop because having a little bit of a ledge will distinguish it from the rest of your kitchen counter space without making it unusable. This will help whatever extension item you choose blend in with your kitchen without looking clunky, awkward, or collecting too much spillover from kitchen counter messes.

I always recommend using a bar cart or buffet cabinet for storing items you'd normally display on your counter. Think drinks stations, coffee machines, regularly-used food containers, jars full of cooking utensils, or fancy dishes. This leaves you with more room to use your kitchen counters while still having a space that gives you room for extra appliances.

One favorite of mine for both the pantry and the kitchen counter is a lazy Susan. If you're unfamiliar with these clever storage devices, they're a circular 360-degree rotating platform. Place your items on top, and you can spin them all the way around to access every item on the lazy Susan. It's a great solution to cluttered counter areas where you'd otherwise be reaching over several items to access something all the way in the back of your counter. A lazy Susan is also helpful for organizing your fridge, by the way.

Some lazy Susans will also come with built-in organizers, which are my personal favorite. These kinds of lazy Susans will typically use shelf compartments to help you separate and organize whatever it is you're storing. I'd typically recommend using any kind of lazy Susan for storing room-temperature cooking oils and sauces, frequently used seasonings, cooking utensils, and other regularly used kitchen products like toothpicks or food storage bags.

Home chefs with little storage space already know how hard it is to find a good solution for storing pots and pans. Maybe your full cupboards are causing your counter space to be taken up by other appliances, or maybe you've just resorted to storing some of your pans on the stove. A great way to store your pots and pans is by hanging them up. All you'll need is a small bar, which can typically fit above your stovetop or on your backsplash. Then, just grab some metal hooks that can support your pots and pans.

Hanging your favorite cooking dishes gives you an easy way to access them — and it can make your kitchen look really stylish, too, especially if you like a homey, rustic look. Don't be afraid to forgo a spatula jar or drawer and instead hang your cooking utensils from a bar, too. Using up your wall space as much as possible can help you save some serious real estate on your counters.

Paper towel stands are kind of a given for some people — or maybe you just enjoy owning free-range paper towel rolls. I can't deny that having your paper towels (or your reusable cloth towels!) out on the counter is super handy for quickly cleaning up messes. But there is a better way to save yourself a bit of counter space that's just as easy to access.

Hang a towel storage bar on the inside of your cupboard door to help you save space on your counter. If you use reusable rags or kitchen towels, these can leave the counter and be hung on a bar on the inside or outside of your cupboard door. A paper towel roll, which is a bit bulkier, should go on the inside of your cupboard door — you can purchase a hanging wall-mounted paper towel holder, which will have a slot for your roll to easily slide in and out.

Doing this will also help clear up your kitchen counter visually. A full roll of paper towels can be pleasing to the eye, but a mostly empty one doesn't look so satisfying. Hiding it away will save you space around your sink, prevent you from accidentally tipping over or rolling your towels away while you work, and will make things look tidier.

If you're someone who's working with an extremely small amount of kitchen counter space, you need to start trying out folding tools. My personal favorite example of a handy folding kitchen tool is a collapsible folding dish rack. I purchased a bamboo one way back when I lived in a studio apartment, and I ended up liking it so much that I still have it to this day. These kinds of dish racks fold all the way up until they're almost completely flat, so they can be stored away in a cupboard or pressed up against the wall of the kitchen counter when not in use. Once you're ready to use them, just unfold them and repeat the process.

There are plenty of different folding tool variations you can try out in your kitchen. An absorbent dish mat is one of them, which can be used for drying dishes and then rolled up and put away. You can even find collapsible cooking utensils like whisks, strainers, and measuring cups. The Joseph Joseph Twist Whisk is a great example of this.

If you lack kitchen counter space, you shouldn't waste it on items like sponges, dish soaps, and hand soaps. I'm not saying you need to start putting these items in cupboards, either—that's just too frustrating. The goal is to make your kitchen easy to use without taking up unnecessary space. To do that, you need a sponge holder.

I'm never an advocate for just storing your sponges and scrub brushes inside of the kitchen sink because they'll start to smell (and potentially mold) faster that way. Instead, opt for a metal wire or self-draining sponge and soap holder. These holders can attach to the inside of your kitchen sink (or even to the back of your faucet if you've got a sturdy one). They'll typically have enough space for your dish soap, hand soap, and a sponge or two. They'll also leave plenty of space for air circulation so that all your sink essentials will dry out in between uses, so you won't need to replace your sponge as often.

Place your sponge holder up high inside your kitchen sink so you're not constantly bumping into it when you wash dishes. If you so choose, you can also opt for a mixed storage solution — dish soap in the cupboard, hand soap on the counter, and sponges and cleaning brushes in the sponge holder, for example. Just try to store as many sink items as you can inside of a sink storage tray to help prevent clutter.

There are a few common kitchen counter items that most people like to leave out — like seasonings and shakers, cooking oils, and utensils. Leaving these items strewn about makes your counters look cluttered and less usable. If you want to be able to access them regularly, however, why not turn them into a design element of their own? Just gather your loose counter items and pop a tray underneath them. This will make them look more intentional and give them a compact space to be arranged within. Adding a tray also gives you the bonus of being able to easily move all of your kitchen counter items out of the way at once when you need to use your entire counter. Choose one that's easy to clean if you're planning on storing greasy items (like syrups, extracts, or oils) inside. 

Maybe you're used to seeing cooking shows where chefs miraculously have every single appliance they could possibly need already stored right out in the open. If you've got a small counter space, crowding it up with all of your appliances is a bad bet. Look for appliances that are easy to move and can be stowed away in your cupboards when they're not in use.

Things like coffee makers, toasters, blenders, air fryers, and toaster ovens are relatively easy to move around and stow away when they're not actively being used. If your small counter space is currently being used to store your microwave, your coffee machine, and your toaster all in one spot, your counter automatically looks cluttered. Depending on how small your space is, you might find yourself having to move your appliances around whenever you're cooking something regardless.

Look for appliances that aren't used daily and are easy to move. Blenders are generally really simple to store and set up, so even if you use it every morning, stowing it away is probably your best bet. Microwaves are a hassle to move around, so leave yours out. Toaster ovens are in the midrange; you might want to experiment with leaving it out since you'll have to wait for it to cool down before you can move it regardless. Items like waffle makers and regular toasters should find new homes in your cupboards, as should air fryers. If you have a small coffee maker, stash it!

Stackable shelves are a great way to maximize vertical space on your counter. Rather than stacking multiple items directly on top of one another, you can use stacking shelves to give you a more organized way to store items on your counter compactly (I like the SONGMICS Cabinet Organizer Shelves). These shelves will typically be small, with a larger shelf on the bottom and a smaller shelf on top, or legs that are designed to fit onto one another interchangeably. This way, you have as much extra counter space to work with as you want.

If you don't think you have enough loose items you want to store on multiple stacking shelves, try housing appliances underneath the stacking shelves instead. You can find tall stacking shelves that will fit around a jar of spatulas or an air fryer, creating a small shelf where you can house things like spices, baking oils, or small cooking utensils.

This hack requires a little testing, but it's well worth it. If you have a couple of appliances that you use all the time and are absolutely too hefty to be moving back and forth constantly — like a microwave and a toaster oven, for example — that are taking up necessary space on your counter, you should try stacking them on top of each other. Why? Because the outlet that you're already using for one appliance will undoubtedly have enough plug-in space for the other, and also because stacking appliances usually causes two heat-safe materials to be stowed perfectly on top of one another.

I'll admit that this tip sounds a little dangerous at first, but this is coming from someone who once stacked her toaster oven on top of her microwave for a full two years with no issues — the qualms of living in a small space, I suppose. You'll need to test both the top and bottom of the appliances you're planning on stacking before you place them together, though — and always make sure that your bottommost appliance can handle the weight being placed on top of it. Just make sure you're not blocking the vents of either appliance.

If you're wary of stacking your actual appliances, you can also use metal shelves (or another heat-safe material) to turn the tops of your appliances into storage. Storing things like cooking oils or seasonings directly on top of your appliances could cause them to get too hot, so I create a little space by using a stackable shelf with metal legs on top of my toaster oven. This helps you really put to use all of the space that your regular appliances are taking up.

Another great way to keep frequently used utensils, oven mitts, and towels off your kitchen counters is to get a set of metal hooks to hang off of your oven handle. Any kitchen item that has a storage hook on the end will become fair game to be hung on the oven. This is also a great way to add a little charm to your kitchen, such as with themed towels, patterned oven mitts, or matching hanging utensils.

Your dishwasher handle is another great candidate for hanging towels and mitts. If your dishwasher has no bar handle (or your oven's handle isn't equipped to hang the hooks you want to use), you can also find a suction handlebar that attaches to the exterior of your dishwasher. This will give you a cheap, easy, and removable way to store your hanging items away from your kitchen counter.

When I lived in a studio apartment, I turned to miniature versions of regular appliances to keep my apartment clutter-free. This tip will not work for everyone, but I think more people should know about it — especially those who are living alone or those who want certain appliances that they aren't likely to use very often.

I've had a lot of success in the past with items like mini blenders, mini toaster ovens (just enough room for one piece of bread!), and even a mini waffle maker (exactly what it sounds like — mine is heart-shaped, by the way). I even have a mini coffee machine. I'm not saying you need to stick with miniature appliances forever, but I do think it's worthwhile to take stock of the appliances you actually use regularly and need to have full-size and the ones you really don't.

These miniature appliances help you balance out the need to have some appliances out on the counter and the need to have spare counter space to work with. Mini appliances are also easier to store away and easier to bring out for use in small areas. Just compare your quality of life improvement between having a certain full-sized appliance and having extra counter space. There's a reason why I switched to a full-size toaster oven and blender when I left the apartment life — but I also don't feel the need to have a full-size waffle maker taking up space in my cupboards, either.

The tops of your cupboards are an amazing secret spot to store kitchen items — as long as your cabinets don't go all the way to the ceiling, of course. The key with this hack is to primarily focus on storing items that look good when left out because you'll be able to see every item you store on top of your cupboard. The height of these items may also draw people's eyes upwards, which will make your kitchen look a little awkward if you're only using that space to store clutter.

First, consider less-used pots, pans, Dutch ovens, or baking dishes for this space, especially if these dishes double as decorative items (Le Creuset, anyone?). Serving dishes can be placed onto tilted display stands and stored on top of the kitchen cabinets to double as a striking kitchen decor piece.

Another great way to use the space above your cabinets is by adding wicker, cloth, or woven baskets to store small items and clutter. This gives you a cohesive space above your kitchen cabinets that doesn't draw the eye straight to it, almost making these storage solutions look like they're a part of your cabinets. If you're using multiple bins, make sure they all match. You could even opt for ones that use wood or wood grain patterns to match your kitchen cabinets even more.

Some designers like to store books above their kitchen cabinets. I personally wouldn't recommend this because the exposure to heat, steam, and stains is too risky. Cookbooks, however, are sometimes made of sturdier materials that are more stain-resistant or at least easy to clean, so that's the one exception you might choose to add to your kitchen.