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.

shaker cognac cabinets, kitchen cabinet value

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!

Affordable Kitchen Cabinets

Affordable Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen Cabinet Value creates affordable kitchen cabinets by customizing stock cabinets in our shop.

Most people do not know there is more than one way to buy affordable kitchen cabinets that provide the beauty and functionality you want and the price you want to pay. Most people think there are only three price options: knock down, stock and custom cabinetry. You can take advantage of a little-known fact to get the beauty and flexibility of custom work for the same price as what most people think of as inexpensive kitchen cabinets.

The secret to affordable kitchen cabinets should not be a surprise to most consumers. The secret is to hire a top rated cabinetmaker with a purchasing agreement with a distributor of high quality stock cabinets. The cabinetmaker then customizes the stock cabinets, resulting in custom cabinets at the price of inexpensive stock cabinets.

Think for a moment about why people prefer custom cabinets when they remodel or upgrade from affordable kitchen cabinets. There are several reasons:

  • They want custom for the beauty of high quality natural wood.
  • They want cabinets made of a specific wood.
  • They want a particular door style not typically available in affordable kitchen cabinets.
  • They want a particular finish on the wood.
  • They want cabinets fitted with specific organizational or accessibility inserts.
  • They know they will want or need cabinets in sizes not available in less expensive kitchen cabinets.
  • They want facings for doors on appliances, specialized appliances, such as refrigerated drawers or under-counter refrigerators or wine chillers.
  • They want unique features for storage of pots and pans and lids or other custom storage and accessibility options.
  • They want to add small units for canned goods, soups, canned drinks, etc., not usually available except in higher priced cabinetry.

Kitchens are once again becoming the center of family life. This means kitchens serve multiple purposes in the home. The purposes for which each family uses the kitchen suggest different configurations of cabinets and islands and appliances.

When you use a kitchen for family gatherings and for time spent together, kitchen cabinets are often used to store other items than you might ordinarily expect to find. For example, there might be a cabinet for board games or video games; a place where art supplies are stored; there might be a set of cabinets, shelves and drawers where homework supplies and resources are stored when children do their homework at the kitchen table.

For a different family, their kitchen cabinets might be configured in a way that makes it easy and comfortable to entertain while preparing meals. This kind of usage suggests a floor plan that brings guests into the intimacy and warmth of the kitchen but still keeps them out of the way of the cook – with an island, for example. This kitchen might also include a snacks and drinks configuration in the outward-facing side of the island – an under counter refrigerator and a refrigerated drawer.

Still another kitchen designed for someone who does a lot of cooking and baking, or in which two people cook together, will typically include several work areas – such as a baking area and a food preparation area. Lower priced kitchen cabinets often do not offer these options. This kitchen will have ample storage, a large number of specialty cabinets and shelving areas, as well as sufficient counter space to accommodate all of the cooks’ needs. This kitchen will also typically have multiple sinks, refrigerated units and possibly warming ovens, as well.

What most people think of as affordable kitchen cabinets will not easily accommodate these special needs and demands. If, however, you know the secret of getting custom cabinets at the price of lower quality affordable cabinets, you can have a kitchen that provides the beauty you want with the functionality you need at a price you can readily afford. Kitchen Cabinet Value has distributor agreements that can provide all of the benefits of custom cabinetry at affordable kitchen cabinet prices.

 

Door Styles

 

Glazed Maple Kitchen Cabinet Door<  MAPLE

The maple door has a ginger colored finish giving it a warm, relaxed appearance, which is due in part to the antiqued patina of the dark brown glaze. This glaze has been applied over a base stain on hard maple wood to provide a soft, aged look while highlighting the trim details. With its mitered doors and drawer heads, square raised panel, and full overlay construction, the maple door is a traditional yet transitional style having a wide range of compatibility to dark or light colored kitchen schemes.

 

Glazed Cherry Kitchen Cabinet DoorGLAZED CHERRY >

The formal appeal of this door is provided by the rich, aged effect of the finish. Made to resemble cherry wood, the door style is actually constructed of hard maple, with which the eye-catching stain and subtle dark brown glaze have been applied. Mortise and tenon doors and drawer heads, applied molding, square raised panels, and full overlay construction.

Shaker Natural Kitchen Cabinet Door

< SHAKER NATURAL

The soft transitional styling of the Shaker door is what provides its wide range of appeal for contemporary, arts and crafts, or shaker tastes. The Shaker door is constructed of hard maple and has a natural finish. The door has a recessed center panel. Its mortise and tenon doors and drawers, and full overlay construction are what give the Shaker door style its transitional appeal, as well as the ability to span many different design styles.

Shaker Espresso Kitchen Cabinet DoorSHAKER ESPRESSO >

The Shaker expresso door is a transitional style for those who prefer a simplistic door with a dark, rich stain. This style will suit those seeking a contemporary to Zen feeling space. The full overlay door is constructed of hard maple with a recessed center panel. The door uses the mortise and tenon construction.

Glazed White Kitchen Cabinet Door

< GLAZED WHITE

The Glazed White door is a square raised panel, mitered, full overlay door with a matching drawer head. It is painted a creamy white with a hand applied caramel glaze, highlighting all of the door details. This style appeals to the classic and French country seeking clientele.

Glazed Walnut Kitchen Cabinet Door

GLAZED WALNUT >

You will find that the walnut is an identical match to the maple in style. What sets the two apart is a deep, rich, warm walnut stain on hard maple wood. Walnut is the perfect door style for those seeking a true furniture feel to their cabinetry.

White Kitchen Cabinet Door

< WHITE

The crisp, tailored, full overlay styling of the white door is what makes it cross over so many lines of style. This door style will be the perfect choice for homes ranging from cottage to classic. The white door’s mortise and tenon door and drawer are constructed of hard maple and finished in a durable white paint. The door and drawer both have a gentle profile surrounding a recessed center panel. The outer edge also carries a handsome profile to soften the overall look.

Caramel Oak Kitchen Cabinet DoorCARAMEL OAK >

The oak door is a terrific value in an all wood cabinet when compared to similarly priced particle board constructed cabinets found in big box stores. The doors and cabinet face frame are made from solid oak which provides the grainy oak appeal in addition to the durability and hardness that oak has to offer. The doors have square raised center panels with rails that are joined using mortise and tenon construction. All cabinet doors come equipped with finger routed pulls which make door knobs and handles optional.

 

Google+