I have lived in 13 houses in the past 20 years and I can say the biggest issue with the kitchen is not enough counter space!! And I confirm this is also the case with most of my clients. So I have learned to minimize stuff and maximize space.
One of the best things I have done is get this butcher block cart. It is my go to place for meal prep and I use the shelves for all of my pans and the drawers for my knives, garlic press, peeler, grater, etc. And it has an opening where I can slide all the veggie scraps into a container and just take it out to my composter! And I love that it's on wheels!
There are so many kitchen island, butcher block table options out there, but it's a great way to maximize unused space. And they can double as extra seating and even as a place to hang stuff, like with this Ikea one.
Use your walls to save precious cabinet and drawer space. What a creative use for pegboard! These are available in lots of colors.
MAGNETS Lots of fun and creative uses for magnets in the kitchen!
Magnetic Knife Strip: there are tons of these available...this one got really good reviews.
Several options for magnetic spice jars. Put them on your fridge or mount them on your wall with a magnetic wall plate. Use a portable stainless steel plate or even a cookie sheet so you can take them out to the grill too!
Magnetic stove shelf: use for spices, oils, mortar and pestle
Put your refrigerator to work!
This is not such a new idea, but so useful and often overlooked: over the door storage space for pantries. It won't work in every pantry, but there are shorter ones and thinner ones, so definitely something to look into!
I also like this cabinet door idea! You can buy these decals on Amazon. I am constantly having to look up conversions when I cook...this is such a great solution!
I have always used hanging baskets for fruit and vegetables and it's another great way to keep things off the counter! You can use plant wall hooks or ceiling hooks, but make sure you find a stud or reinforce the drywall...trust me I have learned from experience!
And one other idea I am loving is using rods and these can be used for pans as shown here, or for any other hanging items. Of course we don't all have these beautiful copper pans, but you can imagine it could work with any type of rod and anything you can hang. Again I suggest finding the studs!
I have started a Pinterest board that has more kitchen organizing ideas and I will add to it as I discover new things. You can see it here: https://www.pinterest.com/looseendsorganizing/
Love the magnetic shelves on the side of the fridge! Much better than the mess of expired coupons and old menus I have!