kitchen storage | Kitchen Cabinet Value

10 Unique Storage Ideas You Can Use

Many homeowners say their biggest kitchen challenge is finding adequate space for everything. The first step in increasing storage in any kitchen is to maximize the space you have, often by using dividers, caddies, lazy Susans, etc. Many organizational items are available from your local hardware or home improvement store. Another alternative, especially in a country kitchen, is to get creative with the way you store things. Here are some examples of 10 unique storage ideas you can use.

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Shaker cognac kitchen cabinets

1. Cookie cutters are difficult to store – awkward shapes, inability to stack neatly – unless you get creative. One great idea is to stack them over the vertical rod of a paper towel holder. Then find a corner for it, or place it on a shelf in the pantry or in a kitchen cabinet near the baking area.
2. Add your own vertical rods (curtain rods, towel rods, a baking rack) in a base cabinet to organize and make trays and cutting boards accessible. The same can be done with chargers and platters.
3. Add a small armoire or a Shaker pie chest in your kitchen. It is a great place to store linens, odd-shaped bowls and platters, spices, baking needs (flour, sugar, etc), or even dishes. If you choose one with glass panels in the doors, you have a great place to display attractive or antique dishes.
4. Reaching the back of base cabinets can be difficult for many people. One way to make items accessible is to remove the doors and put items in large baskets or trays you can pull out for easy access to the contents. Add something decorative over the front of each tray or basket (a napkin or towel) to make the area attractive and appealing.
5. Make fruits and vegetables accessible while placing them out of the way by replacing the center of the drawer front with a wire mesh or tooled tin or copper insert. This provides air circulation for the fruits (especially apples) or vegetables inside. Similarly, remove cabinet doors and use large baskets or wood trays for fruits and vegetables. There is plenty of air circulation, and they are easy to pull out.
6. Finding a good place to store cookbooks can be challenging in many kitchens. One solution is to place a small bookcase on the counter or at the end of a counter. Cover the top with the same material used for your countertop and matching wood to create a seamless appearance. If you are concerned about dust, germs or moisture harming them, add glass-paneled doors.
7. If you need a place to store wine, consider adding a wine rack or a wine cooling refrigerator in an island. Another alternative is to add a cluster of box shelves on a wall.
8. If your kitchen includes an area for casual dining, consider adding a banquette or a bench against a window or in a bay window. Include storage under the seats for seasonal or seldom-used items.
9. Now that the trend in kitchen design has cabinets extending to the ceiling again, you can raise the cabinets and add an open shelf beneath them for glassware, bottles or cooking oils, or any number of smaller items.
10. Use countertop “garages” (some are made by SieMatic) for your small appliances. They provide easy access and the appliances are hidden from view when not in use. Some “garages” have flip-down doors. Others have motorized doors that lower at the push of a button.
We are happy to share 10 unique storage ideas you can use. We hope something in this list will help you with your kitchen storage challenges. Remember, you do not have to settle for standard cabinetry. Any kitchen cabinet can be customized – probably in just the way you want.

Do you have unique storage solutions? Share them in a comment!

Kitchen Cabinet Storage

Planning kitchen cabinet storage is one of the most important considerations when planning a kitchen remodel or addition. It is important to plan only for genuine need in your new kitchen because cabinetry is the largest single cost item in your remodeling budget. Be sure to plan enough cabinets for your needs without installing a large amount of extra cabinet space.

There are several ways to estimate your storage needs when designing your new or remodeled kitchen.

Measure the cabinets you currently have and replace them with new cabinets in identical sizes.
Remove everything from your cabinets, combine items appropriately into groups that would go in individual cabinets. Then measure the items (space used) and evaluate the size and number of cabinets needed.
Keep in mind that your new cabinets are primarily kitchen organizers. Look at the items currently in your cabinets. What could you reorganize to use space more efficiently? What could you move to a less accessible space (because you use it less frequently)?
Consider other items you would like to be able to store in your new kitchen cabinets; then add this to your calculations.
Review all of the specialized types of cabinets available in the wood, color and design you want. You might consider refrigerated drawers, pull out cabinets, slide-out shelves, drawers that hold pots and pans in the deeper bottom section and lids in a smaller top section. There are many new configurations every year.
Plan the placement of your appliances, cook top, ovens, etc. and then plan cabinets around them.
The best approach to cabinet planning might be to work with a kitchen designer, your contractor or your cabinetmaker to place appliances and cabinets where they will make things readily available where you need them to be when entertaining, cooking or cleaning up.

The next step in planning your cabinetry in a way that will make your kitchen most efficient is to evaluate how you can maximize your cabinet space with various cabinet organizers. You have access to a surprising array of organizational devices for drawers, cabinets and other spaces in your kitchen. For example:

Use specially sized drawers or odd-sized extra space to store canned goods, bottled drinks, etc.
Use a Lazy Susan to make items in the back of higher or lower cabinets accessible.
Use drawer dividers to keep a drawer for kitchen utensils organized and neat.
Instead of wasting the top half of each shelf in a cabinet, install a two-tiered Lazy Susan.

Kitchen Cabinet Storage Above and Below a Counter for Maximum Corner Space Utilization

You can also maximize your storage space with specialty custom cabinets. Instead of losing access to things in the back of a base corner cabinet, install a cabinet with a built-in Lazy Susan. Another idea is to have your cabinetmaker build you a tall, narrow cabinet beside the oven for pizza pans, cookie sheets and the like. Consider cabinets fitted out with smaller shelves, slanted racks for canned drinks, etc., and install a special cabinet beneath the sink equipped with a slide-out rack for the trash can or frame for the trash bag and a small device to hold extra trash bags.

Once you understand the many options available to you when planning kitchen cabinet storage, it becomes much easier to plan a kitchen in the style and design you most want while also ensuring that you will have the type and amount of storage space you need. A little imagination and some creative planning will result in the kitchen of your dreams.