Indian Kitchen Tour: How a Small Organized Kitchen Is Laid Out
The organizing principle of this small Indian kitchen is simple: keep every counter empty and push every item into a cabinet, trolley, hanging basket or wall-mounted holder so the working surface is always free.
Jasmine treats the kitchen the way most people treat a living room — decorated, organized, and lived in — because more than half the day is spent cooking tea, breakfast, lunch and dinner here. What follows is a zone-by-zone walkthrough of how the kitchen is actually laid out.
What does the entrance to the kitchen look like?
The doorway carries a hand-painted hanging made from leftover cardboard — a small decorative welcome before you step inside. Immediately on the left wall, two small stacked baskets handle daily essentials:
- The lower basket holds garbage bags, which are needed every day.
- The upper basket holds small boxes of camphor used occasionally.
- A paper list is stuck on the wall to note items as they run out, so groceries can be picked up on the next outing.
How is the baking and cake-supplies cabinet organized?
Directly under one shelf, a cabinet stores everything related to cake work — beaters, brushes, scissors, small machines and other baking material. Baskets inside the cabinet keep categories separated so nothing gets misplaced. Beside it, two hanging baskets — the same ones from the kitchen organizers video — hold small trays in one and a sturdy cake turntable in the other.
A shelf above stores extra items, while side baskets hold glass bottles of honey, ghee and similar things that need to stand apart. Another basket holds large trays and a chopping board.
Where do onions, garlic and potatoes live?
A dedicated rack stores onions, garlic and potatoes on its upper level, with milk cartons going on the lower shelf. The belan and chakla don’t sit on the counter — they hang on a wall-mounted hanger so the counter stays free. A separate towel hanger nearby holds four towels.
What is kept on the daily-cooking counter?
The daily-cooking zone is built around a small rack holding the things needed every single day:
- Jeera, rai and hing
- Salt, oil and butter
- A small glass tray for cooker whistles and tiny items that easily go missing
A small money plant sits beside the rack as decoration. An old fridge rack has been repurposed inside the upper cabinet — placed behind the front row of containers to give back items extra height so they remain visible. The cabinet itself holds dals, chhole, coriander powder and red chili powder.
How is the under-shelf rack used?
An under-shelf rack carries daily-use tea cups. Below it sit tea, sugar and salt containers, with extra containers tucked behind. White-painted phone boxes are slipped underneath as risers — they’re strong enough to take the weight and lift the back row into view. No fancy containers are used anywhere; the existing containers are simply kept clean so they never look shabby.
How is decoration worked into a working kitchen?
Decoration is layered into the working zones rather than added separately:
- Texture-painted jars (from an earlier project) sit on display.
- Empty jam bottles are painted and hung with fairy lights inside.
- A wooden spoon holder bought from Amazon is hand-painted with different designs on each side so it can be flipped for variety.
- Small baskets are hung on the plain window to break up the view.
- An artificial money plant sits inside a repurposed plastic bottle on top of a cabinet.
What’s around the sink?
A small basket hangs above the sink to hold brushes — water drips straight into the sink. A tray sits under the soap dish to catch any runoff. The cabinet above the sink holds extra items that don’t need everyday access, again kept inside small baskets so each group can be pulled out cleanly.
How are the trolleys arranged?
The trolleys handle the bulk of vessel and container storage:
- Top trolley: tea vessels, casserole, glass bottles, small plastic spice containers, and small bowls on a mat for easy cleaning.
- Middle trolley: daily cookers and small vessels for dal and rice.
- Lower trolley: large kadhai, big vessels and thalis used occasionally.
- Dishwasher trolley: dishwasher liquid, detergent and related supplies in a hanging basket.
- Cylinder cabinet: the gas cylinder sits inside with a curtain that pushes back so the kitchen looks clutter-free from outside.
On the second-counter side, a tall cabinet holds the daughter’s school tiffin bottles inside a larger container so they stay dust-free, plus a big cooker used for occasions, tawa, thermos, extra bottles, silver foil and a small box of kitchen toothpicks. Heavy containers — atta, rice, dal, poha — go on the lower shelf where they are easy to lift.
What’s on the second counter?
This counter is reserved for baking and cake-decorating work, so it is kept as empty as the first. A foldable rack holds the mixer-grinder and folds away when not needed. The juicer sits on a turntable in the corner so back items can be reached by rotating it. Coffee mugs sit nearby and the microwave goes directly above. The top shelf is purely decorative — framed photos of cakes Jasmine has made.
Where do the dishwasher and fridge go?
There is no separate utility area, so the dishwasher stays inside the kitchen where it gets used easily. Both fridges are placed just outside the kitchen door to save interior space. A small gap beside the dishwasher holds a rubber plant for greenery.
What goes into the high overhead cabinets?
The overhead cabinets are reserved for low-frequency items — extra plastic containers, spare baskets and anything not needed week-to-week. Two very tall shelves nearby are too high for daily reach, so they’re used purely for display: painted bottles and plants.
Where are medicines and dry fruits kept?
Medicines sit in two decorative baskets on a shelf. A small hanging basket holds tiny bottles like Hajmola and a box of toothpicks. Dry-fruit containers are placed low — deliberately at the daughter’s height so she can reach them whenever she wants.
📺 About this video. This post draws on Jasmine Choudhari’s YouTube video My Kitchen Tour | Indian Kitchen Tour in Hindi || Well Organized Indian kitchen | Small kitchen Tour. Watch the full video for visual demonstrations of every tip.
The pattern across every zone is the same: counters stay empty, items live inside baskets and cabinets grouped by frequency of use, and small decorative touches — plants, painted bottles, hand-made hangings — are layered onto the working storage rather than added as separate display.
Watch the video
Frequently asked questions
How should I lay out a small Indian kitchen so it feels organized?
Keep the counter as empty as possible and push everything into cabinets, trolleys and wall-mounted holders. In this kitchen, daily-use jeera, rai, hing, salt, oil and butter sit in a small rack, the belan and chakla hang on a wall hanger, and heavy containers of atta, rice, dal and poha live inside the lower shelf. Anything that doesn't need to be on the counter goes inside, so the surface stays free for actual cooking and baking work.
Why should I keep the kitchen counter empty?
An empty counter gives you working space and makes the whole kitchen look clean and tidy from outside. In this tour the main counter is kept fully empty, and the second counter is reserved for baking and cake-decorating work. A foldable rack holds the mixer-grinder and is folded away when not needed, so the counter only carries what is actively in use.
What goes into the upper overhead cabinets in an Indian kitchen?
Use overhead cabinets for things you rarely reach for — extra plastic containers, spare baskets and seldom-used items. In this kitchen the overhead cabinets store low-frequency items, while a separate cabinet above the daily rack holds dals, chhole, coriander powder and red chili powder. An old fridge rack is placed inside one cabinet to add height so back items remain visible.
How can I organize the area near the kitchen entrance?
Use the entrance wall for small hanging baskets and a shopping list. Two small baskets sit on the left side — one holds garbage bags for daily use and the other holds small boxes of camphor. A paper list is stuck nearby to note items as they finish, so groceries can be picked up on the next trip out.
Where should I store heavy kitchen items like atta, rice and big kadhai?
Heavy containers and large vessels belong in lower trolleys and floor-level shelves, not on the counter. In this kitchen the big kadhai, large vessels and thalis sit in a lower trolley, while atta, rice, dal and poha containers go in a low shelf so they're easy to lift and refill. Daily-use cookers and small dal-rice vessels are kept in a separate trolley right above.
How do I keep the area around the sink clean and dry?
Hang a small basket above the sink for brushes so excess water drips straight into the sink, and place a tray under the soap dish to catch runoff. The cabinet above the sink holds extra items that aren't needed every day. Small baskets inside cabinets keep containers grouped and easy to pull out without disturbing the rest.
Can I decorate a small Indian kitchen without buying new things?
Yes — repurpose bottles, cardboard and old boxes you already own. In this kitchen an entrance hanging is made from leftover cardboard and paint, empty jam bottles are painted into hangings with fairy lights inside, a plastic bottle holds an artificial money plant, and phone boxes painted white are used under the shelf to add height for back-row containers.
Where should I keep a dishwasher if there's no utility area?
Place the dishwasher inside the kitchen itself if no utility space is available, and move the fridge just outside the kitchen door instead. In this layout there is no utility area, so the dishwasher stays inside the kitchen where it is easy to load and use, and both fridges are kept right outside the kitchen entrance to free up interior space.
About Jasmine Choudhari
Jasmine Choudhari shares practical, no-frills ideas for organising small Indian kitchens and homes. Follow her on YouTube (600K+ subscribers · Silver Play Button), Instagram and Facebook. For collaborations: collab@jasminechoudhari.com.