When kitchen space is limited, it helps to have kitchen items that take as little space as feasible. Items that stack or nest can minimize the necessary storage space.

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Pots and pans with detachable handles can nest well, but even those with handles can nest if the design is good. The 6-piece Ovation saucepan set from Tefal, designed by Flex, has three nesting stainless steel pans—with lids that nest together, too, so the whole collection takes as little space as possible.

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The Nest range from Beka Cookware has a different handle design that also allows the fry pans and saucepans to nest together nicely. 

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The lids are glass with a silicone rim, and the rim has pouring holes. The lids can also be used as trivets—a nice bit of dual-purpose design.

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Stacking glasses and mugs are always nice for cabinets that don't have adjustable shelves, which often leaves a lot of wasted space above those mugs and glasses. These stackable mugs are part of the Slow Coffee Style series made by Kinto.

Consumers who don't happen to own stackable glasses or mugs could consider using the drinkware stacker from Elypro. It's an interesting idea if it's as secure and easy to use as Elypro claims. It doesn't seem like it would work for those of us who collect one-of-a-kind glasses and mugs rather than sets, though.

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Nesting bowls are easy to find, but OXO has a colander that nests within a bowl. The bowl has a non-slip bottom, and the lid fits on the bowl (or rests on the colander). Colanders don't tend to nest well, so this could be useful for an end user who needs both a large colander along and a large bowl. It might work well in conjunction with some nesting bowls of smaller sizes. 

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Cherry Terrace has a nine-piece set with three stainless steel bowls, three strainers, and a salad spinner. For end users who would use all of these pieces, this would be quite the space-saver. And even with all the pieces, it looks like it would be easy to pull out whichever one was wanted, and easy to stack everything up again.

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The Hasami Porcelain collection has a number of stackable pieces. The teapot can stack on a bowl or tray; the creamer, sugar and cup would all stack, too. And multiple bowls (in any of the three sizes) could stack, too—with or without the oak trays. The pieces are all sold individually, so end users can select the ones that meet their needs.

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Other designs provide a fixed set of items rather than a mix-and-match collection. The Sitaku Series from Kihara, designed by Makoto Koizumi, includes a porcelain grater for things like ginger and garlic, a citrus juicer, a mortar (along with a wooden pestle) and a ladle rest/storage container.

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They all stack together into a compact piece—so end users who often need these specific items for food preparation may find this useful. 

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The Bin 8 from Akebono seems like a nice design, at first glance, with eight tools in one compact form. 

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But the tools are all plastic, and a number of purchasers have complained about the graters. And some of the tools may be unnecessary; I have never used a egg masher and I didn't even knew such a tool existed. Purchasers also noted that the layers just stack and don't click together, so the whole thing often comes apart.