Hang ‘em high. Put wire racks on the wall above your sink, add S-hooks, and hang cooking utensils. It’ll free up a drawer or two. The backsplash area—the wall area right above the sink and countertops—is often underutilized and a great place for easy-to-clean, stainless steel racks and shelves. Cost: $50 to $200.

Nooks and crannies. Bare walls above a phone nook or cabinets, and underneath windows, beg for storage. Make use of that open space above your cabinets with store-bought shelves and brackets painted to match the cabinets. Cost: Less than $200.

For a built-in look, build a soffit above the shelves. Cost: less than $2,000.

A freestanding window seat stores rarely used kitchen gadgets and provides additional seating. Cost: $200 to $500.

Cool it already. Do you really need a behemoth 36-inch-wide refrigerator that looks like an entertainment center? Downsize to an 18-cubic-foot refrigerator. If your refrigerator stands at the end of your cabinets, as most do, downsizing could save a foot of space—enough for shelving to store dishes, canned goods, and supplies. Cost: Less than $500.

Don’t need much room for perishables in your small kitchen? Try an under-the-counter 5.7-cubic-foot fridge. Cost: $1,200.

Nuke the clutter. Get the microwave off the counter and into a drawer. Cost: Less than $800.

Pull-outs. Cutting boards that hide inside your cabinets do double-duty as small kitchen tables or a bill-paying station. Caution: It’s tough to add these to existing cabinets. Consider them as a custom add-on when ordering new cabinets. Cost: $300 or less, plus the cabinets.

Some custom cabinets offer a “drawer” that actually hides a 36-inch extension table. Cost: About $1,000.

Borrow some space. Pantries are easy to create from a nearby closet using shelves and roll-out wire bins from a home improvement center. Cost: $200 to $500.

For a fancier solution, architect Sarah Susanka of Not So Big House suggests using store-bought shelving units and building them into a hallway space. Cost for a 10-foot hallway: $5,000 to $7,500.