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Two in Three of Us Aren’t Happy With Our Kitchens — Here’s How to Fix That

A new IKEA study has confirmed what many of us have suspected while staring into cluttered cabinets: our kitchens just aren’t working for us. The good news? You don’t need a full renovation to turn things around. According to the IKEA Cooking & Eating Report 2026, one of the largest studies of its kind, surveying over 31,000 people across 31 countries, fewer than one in three of us are actually happy with our kitchens. And the number one culprit? Space. […]
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IKEA

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According to the IKEA Cooking & Eating Report 2026, one of the largest studies of its kind, surveying over 31,000 people across 31 countries, fewer than one in three of us are actually happy with our kitchens.

And the number one culprit? Space. Or, more precisely, the lack of it.

The study found that a quarter of people (25%) cite a lack of storage as their biggest kitchen frustration. Another 25% point to not having enough surface space to actually prepare food, and 24% feel their kitchen is simply too small.

It’s Not About the Money

[Image: Top-10-trends-IKEA-Cooking-Eating-Report-2026]

Photo Credit: IKEA.com

Here’s what’s particularly interesting: kitchen frustration doesn’t really care how much you earn. The share of people reporting no frustration with their kitchen is remarkably similar across income levels — 34% among higher earners, 31% in the middle, and 30% at lower incomes. In other words, a bigger pay packet doesn’t automatically mean a bigger, better kitchen.

Space, it turns out, is a near-universal headache. Whether you’re in a studio flat or a semi-detached, the same gripes keep surfacing: nowhere to store the slow cooker, not enough room to roll out pastry, and a constant low-level battle with clutter.

While these frustrations overlap, a net share of 46% of people selected at least one of these aspects, meaning nearly half can be described as generally frustrated with having “too little space.”

This feeling is especially common among Asians (53%), people living in cities (50%), households with children (51%), and Gen Z/Millennials (both 51%).

As Nanette Weisdal, Range Manager for Kitchen & Appliances at Inter IKEA Group, put it: “We know that every centimetre matters.”

The Dutch, for what it’s worth, seem to have cracked it — 43% report having no concerns about their kitchen at all. Whatever they’re doing over there with their kitchens, it might be worth taking note.

Why It Matters More Than You Think

[Image: ikea cooking eating report]

Photo Credit Depositphotos

A cramped, cluttered kitchen isn’t just an inconvenience — it changes your whole relationship with cooking. When there’s nowhere to chop or nowhere to rest a hot pan, cooking stops feeling like something you want to do and starts feeling like something you just have to get through.

The report frames it neatly: “Space isn’t luxury. It’s the difference between loving to cook and just making it work.”

And when cooking feels like a chore, it shows. The same study found that lack of time is one of the biggest barriers to cooking at home — but a chaotic kitchen makes even the time you do have feel wasted.

So What Can You Actually Do About It?

The good news is you don’t need to rip out your kitchen, though that is a delicious thought. Some targeted, budget-friendly changes, inspired by the IKEA product range, can make a surprisingly big difference to how your kitchen feels and functions. Here are the areas to focus on.

#### 1. Reclaim Your Walls and Doors

[Image: SKADIS pegboard used in kitchen for vertical storage]

SKÅDIS Pegboard Hacks | Photo Credit IKEAcom

If your counters and cupboards are at capacity, it’s time to look up — and sideways. Walls and the insides of cabinet doors are some of the most underused real estate in any kitchen.

A pegboard or a wall-mounted rail system (IKEA’s SKÅDIS pegboard and KUNGSFORS suspension rail are both great here) lets you hang utensils, spice jars, paper towel holders, and even small shelves — all without touching a single drawer or worktop. It keeps things visible, accessible, and off the counter.

[Image: IKEA adhesive hooks on the inside of cabinet doors for small item storage]

Photo Credit IKEAcom

Inside cabinet doors are equally useful. Adhesive hooks or slim over-door organisers can hold chopping boards, cleaning supplies, or foil and cling film rolls — things that always seem to end up rattling around in the wrong place.

#### 2. Go Vertical Inside Your Cupboards

[Image: VARIERA shelf inserts for tiered storage inside a kitchen cabinet]

Pantry Organization Ideas | Photo Credit IKEAcom

Here’s a classic kitchen mistake: storing things in a single layer inside a cabinet when you could be doubling or tripling your usable space. Shelf risers, stackable organiser units, and pull-out drawer inserts transform a deep, chaotic cupboard into something you can actually find things in.

IKEA’s VARIERA shelf insert, for example, sits inside an existing cupboard and creates a second tier for plates, mugs, or cans. Their RATIONELL pull-out organisers work beautifully in base cabinets, bringing everything to the front so nothing gets lost at the back.

Plates stored upright rather than stacked? That’s a space hack that also saves your wrists.

#### 3. Give Every Appliance a Home (and Be Ruthless)

[Image: appliance garage IKEA cabinet hack]

Appliance Garage Hack | Photo Credit Jackie

One of the biggest surface-space killers is the cluster of appliances that live permanently on the counter. The coffee machine, the kettle, the toaster, the air fryer, the stand mixer that gets used twice a year… it adds up fast.

The trick is to be honest about frequency of use. If something comes out every single day, it can stay on the counter. If it comes out once a week or less, it earns a spot in a cupboard. If it comes out once a year, it might need to go entirely.

[Image: IKEA Sleep Report 2025]

Two in Three of Us Aren&#8217;t Happy With Our Kitchens — Here&#8217;s How to Fix That

It’s Not About the Money

Why It Matters More Than You Think

So What Can You Actually Do About It?

Two in Three of Us Aren’t Happy With Our Kitchens — Here’s How to Fix That