If you love the minimalist movement, one of the rooms that most immediately comes to mind is the kitchen. It can also be one of the most challenging, because it’s a room that has all the appliances, dishes, utensils, and items you need to cook for your family and entertain friends. But keeping everything you need handy while maintaining the clean lines and clutter-free design that are the cornerstone of minimalism isn’t as hard as you may think to achieve.
If you need a little minimalist kitchen design inspiration, look no further than Instagram. There are thousands of ideas to be found there, depending on the exact style you’re looking for and how much space you have to work with in your own kitchen. You can redesign your kitchen without spending a lot of money — you just need to be open to new ways to achieve the look.
How to achieve a minimalist kitchen
Minimalism can mean living without a lot of material possessions, but it also means keeping what you do have tidy, clean, and out of your line of vision. In a kitchen, having storage space inside cabinets and/or a pantry is key. This doesn’t mean filling cabinets to the brim to keep things off the countertops; it simply means having a dedicated place for everything you need. Even with no upper cabinets, the design below by @my_stokey_renovation makes use of shelving to organize spices and leaves little on the countertops.
How to be minimalist with character
Designing a minimalist kitchen can be done with character in mind. Choose high-end and polished materials, like @ebolognino’s gorgeous marbled backsplash and dark cabinets. There is still very little in your line of vision, but what is there is thoughtfully laid out. The ceiling and floor give it a stunning look without being overwhelming, and the colors are tied together in the hardware and shelving.
Similarly, in @ttk.kitchens.joinery’s kitchen, the light fixture steals the show, and the rest of the kitchen is simple in design (but big on functionality and high-end finishes).
Do away with multiples
Another cornerstone of a minimalist kitchen is keeping only what you need for daily living. You don’t need eight spatulas or four sets of dishes. Cull your pots and pans, dishes, utensils, small appliances, and other cooking essentials so that your drawers and cabinets aren’t overflowing with things you don’t need. Find organizational elements to put inside drawers to keep everything in its place.
If you have glass cabinets, arrange items inside with a minimalist feel, like these spices with homemade labels. It keeps everything looking uniform and tidy.
Add pops of color
One common theme we see in minimalist kitchens is the use of color as a design feature. This can be in cabinets, on an island, on countertops, or in bakeware featured in glass cabinets to give the room a focal point without being overwhelming. We love the use of green on @mommy_ammar’s bottom cabinets and again in the plants living on the kitchen shelves.
With spring coming right around the corner, now is the perfect time to go through every kitchen cabinet and do away with items you don’t use. There’s no use in keeping things “just in case,” especially in a space that should be as functional as possible. We know that it’s hard to get rid of things, but you’ll be surprised how much lighter you feel when everything is off the countertops, the items in your drawers have purpose, and your fridge is neat and tidy.
The kitchen is a room that often has a lot hiding behind the doors, so do yourself a favor and go through each one, asking yourself, “When is the last time I used this?” It probably doesn’t belong in the kitchen if you have to think hard about it. If you don’t want to part with your juicer or toaster oven just yet, pack it away in your storage room. You can become a minimalist in stages, especially if you have difficulty parting with belongings. Once it’s out of your line of vision, you may find you forget all about it, and the next time you go to clean out that room, you may finally feel ready to donate it to another home.
