Experts recommend everything from pullout appliance drawers to rail-and-hook hanging systems to get tight spots cooking.

Unless you live in suburbia, chances are your kitchen doesn’t boast wide open spaces. Many Vancouver condo dwellers could cover their whole kitchen in a basketball pivot, and those in old apartments are condemned to working on the railroad. Limited cupboard space and counter space can lead to clutter and frustration, which makes cooking a challenge. No wonder takeout is so appealing.

Fortunately, there are ways to make a small kitchen work for you. Whether it’s gutting the room and starting over or just implementing some clever strategies to improve your existing space, here are some tips.

Those ready to renovate can build in some excellent space-saving options. Designer Carol Mulholland of Empire Kitchen & Bath (101–200 Nelson Street) says she talks to clients about their lifestyle before planning their kitchen. “Everyone has different functions for their kitchen, they work differently in the kitchen, and their way of cooking is different,” she says at Empire’s Yaletown showroom. A full-size fridge, stove, and dishwasher aren’t always necessary. She recommends Wolf modular cook-top components, which measure about 38 by 48 centimetres each and can be built into your countertop, mixed and matched with the way you cook. For example, a client might need only two gas burners and a grill. Those who primarily stir-fry may require just a wok burner and a built-in steamer.

Custom pullout appliance drawers, like an under-counter Sub-Zero fridge drawer, also save space. Because these components are built into your cabinetry, they allow counter space where the normal appliance footprint would be. A person who lives alone may not need a full-size dishwasher, so a built-in half-size Fisher & Paykel dishwasher drawer might work instead.

Choosing sleek, built-in appliances is part of Mulholland’s strategy for creating a clean, minimal look for a small space. “You can also use different materials that are not typical kitchen-cabinet materials,” she says, pointing to a floor-to-ceiling sliding frosted-glass panel trimmed with anodized aluminum. The panel is evocative of a Japanese shoji screen and slides open to reveal kitchen shelving. Mulholland explains that this type of cabinet could be installed in a loft apartment so that when you’re sitting on the sofa you don’t feel like you’re amid kitchen cabinets.

Good drawer organization also maximizes space. Mulholland points to tiered spice-rack inserts that keep bottles manageable, built-in recycling boxes, and pullout chrome wire baskets that hold large oil and vinegar bottles. At the Lone­ree Kitchens & Bathrooms showroom (2990 Arbutus Street), drawers offer similar crafty solutions, including a two-tiered cutlery drawer and “magic corner” chrome baskets that pull out to access items in otherwise dead space. Richelieu Hardware pullout baskets, which can organize cabinets as small as 15 centimetres wide, can be worked into renovations.

Lonetree certified master kitchen and bath designer Tia Moras says to extend a small space, build up. “Cabinets used to stop a foot from the ceiling,” she says in a phone interview. “Now we take them all the way to the ceiling.” You can store less-used items at the top and access them by a compact stool that folds down to slide out of sight under the 10-to-15-centimetre toe-kick space between the bottom of the cabinet and the floor.

Renovations are so customized that it’s difficult to generalize on cost. Discuss your needs with a kitchen designer, and get an estimate for your space. Those who don’t want to overhaul everything but the kitchen sink can still make their canteen more user-friendly with do-it-yourself options. Places like Home Depot (various locations), Lee Valley Tools (1180 Southeast Marine Drive), and IKEA (3200 Sweden Way, Richmond, and 1000 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam) sell space-saving devices to improve your existing cabinets.

IKEA’s Web site (www.ikea.ca) offers practical solutions for cooking and eating in a small space. Tips include fitting a sink with an appropriately shaped cutting board to extend counter space, choosing a drop-leaf or gate-leg table, and using stools or chairs that can be stacked and tucked away. The store offers rail-and-hook systems that can be installed above the stove to hang pots or utensils, and Rationell interior fittings to organize cabinets and drawers. For example, a wire lazy Susan sells for $99, a pullout waste sorting tray for $35, and a mountable pot-lid rack, which slots in lids according to size, for $9.99.

Even a little found space can make a big difference in a small kitchen. Need an excuse to spruce? Just think of all the money you’ll save on takeout.