You have lived in the same house for years now. It is comfortable, it is where your family sleeps and eats, it has hosted a dozen holiday feasts, and is a storehouse of so many memories and some serious junk! It is amazing how quickly things accumulate around the house knick-knacks that you zombie-shopped, clothes that you don’t wear anymore, re-gifted gravy boats and china that you don’t even like.

To begin with, get rid of the superfluous things. Dinner sets and cutlery you rarely need more than 10 each, even if you are a big on hosting. Give away the rest, or if you really hate to part with them, put them away in storage. Next, how many makers do you have? Ice cream maker, coffee maker, bread maker and the like? Keep one. Just one, and get rid of the rest. In future, never buy anything that is called a maker.

The same is true of the small gadgets electric egg beater, garlic press and a 10-piece mandoline slicer. Forks will beat eggs perfectly well, and 3 good knives are all you need, neatly placed in a cutlery drawer. You are aiming for a countertop that has no appliance sitting upon it, so you have tons of space to actually cook, rather than look like it.

Next, we promise you, you have too many pots and pans. Three seems to be the agreed-upon number for a clutter-free kitchen. Choose 3 pots, a pan and if you really must, that cast-iron skillet. The rest need to go. And if you have a good large lidded pot, you don’t need a crockpot either.

Now, your few but useful items need to find a good place to live. Use the cabinet space wisely, ensuring that nothing is over-stuffed with items. Here’s where minimalist design elements come into play. Ensure small kitchens have simple, serene cabinet styling, with open shelves where possible to allow light. Plan the base cabinets well ensure corner cabinets are built-in to make corners useful. Corner cabinets can even be drawers, or above the countertop, with a glass door in which to tastefully display choice items perhaps a single copper kettle. You don’t need big cabinets to de-clutter your kitchen, all you need would be perfectly crafted corner cabinets that can swallow up all the gibberish that plagues your kitchen.

Remember that when it comes to minimalism, less is more. It is more about removing unwanted elements, rather than adding new ones.