Make the most of your kitchen storage

Every home has a designated kitchen space to prepare, store and consume food but as we replenish the fridge and restock the pantry, our kitchen space can quickly get cluttered, bursting at the seams with stored ingredients, condiments and utensils. Rediscover the luxury of extra space and declutter your pantry and cabinets with our simple kitchen storage solutions that will refresh your existing space without a costly reno. To give you the best head start on organising your kitchen, we share our top kitchen storage solutions.

Make your kitchen drawers more functional 

Most people attempt to organise their kitchen drawers so that everything has a place to go and is easy to find, but usually, there isn’t enough room and everything ends up piled in the drawer haphazardly. Try these kitchen drawer storage tips to de-clutter your drawers:

More space for silverware

Install two shallow drawers in place of one. Place plastic cutlery inserts in both drawers and now you have twice the storage space for silverware as you did before.

Organise your junk drawer

Throwing all your odds and ends in one drawer really isn’t functional. Digging through a drawer desperately trying to find something is the exact opposite of organised. Solve this problem by placing dividers in your drawers to separate off sections. This way, you can categorise your items in the junk drawer and make them easier to find.

Using drawers for pots, pans and dishes

If you have plenty of drawers, why not use some of them to store your pots, pans and dishes? It’s much easier to separate and access these items when they are in drawers instead of cabinets.

Make your kitchen shelves more functional 

Kitchen cabinets have the same problem that kitchen drawers have. If they aren’t organised, it’s hard to find anything in them. Make the most of your kitchen cabinet space by following these tips.

Slide-out shelves

Hire a contractor to install slide-out shelves in your kitchen cabinets. Slide-out shelves significantly increase the usable space in your kitchen cabinets and allow you to organise better.

Wire racks

Place wire racks in your cabinets to increase your storage space. Wire racks work nearly as well as slide-out shelves and are a whole lot cheaper.

Hooks

Screw hooks into the inside of your cabinet drawers to hang commonly used small items, such as bottle openers and can openers.

Drawers for corner cabinets

It takes a lot of effort to reach all areas of a cabinet. This is okay for most people, perhaps; but those with limited mobility will have a hard time reaching out for several items. However, you can easily overcome this drawback by installing corner drawers. The sizes or depths of the drawers can be customised depending on the sizes of stuff you’re going to store in them. You can store small appliances and utensils, or bigger stuff such as pans and pots. Additionally, corner drawers should be designed to have inwardly folding fronts for ergonomic reasons.

Install additional cabinets

One way to take advantage of overhead cupboard height in your kitchen is to place additional shelving or cabinets that extend all the way up to the ceiling. This provides extra storage for items used less frequently or bulky, like large serving platters or seasonal items like holiday decor.

Lazy Susan

It can be really tiring to keep reaching and fumbling blindly for the thing you need. Not to mention, it can be a total waste of time as well. To avoid this from happening again, you can ask for a rotating, circular tray most popularly known as the Lazy Susan to be installed. They are mostly seen on round tables but can also be installed in cabinets for easy accessibility. All you need to do is to put your kitchen necessities on the tray and by the next time you need them, all you do is to turn the Lazy Susan until the item you need is within your reach. How easy is that?

Pull-out storage space

Pull-out storage allows you to use existing space, no matter how small or confined it might be. You can install pull-out storage features in corners, cabinets, under the sink and in other places where you can access them quickly and easily without having to bend or reach.

Pull-out storage generally consists of drawers, trays or shelves that can be deep enough to hold large pots and pans or shallow enough to hold cutlery and linens. Pull-out shelves are especially helpful if its hard for you to reach all the way to the back of your cabinets.

Pull-out storage doesn’t have to be constructed into your kitchen walls, shelves and cabinets. It can also be added on by using pre-built, inexpensive units. For example, you can easily install pull-out crockery racks or spice racks in your pantry. Likewise, pull-out wire baskets are an excellent choice for storing fruits and vegetables or for storing cleaning supplies in your pantry or underneath your sink.

Swing-out bins

If you are still looking for a few options for space under the sink, consider using a swing-out bin. When you open the door to the cabinet, the swing-out bin comes out with it, making it very convenient for you to access. It also allows you to hide your bin from view in the kitchen. You may want to find a way to store all of your plastic grocery bags. An option for this is to install a holder on the door that is designed specifically for these bags. This is a great way to keep them within reach without actually having to have a mess on your hands.

Adding a pantry

Having a functional and versatile pantry storage system is a great way to de-clutter a kitchen for a more organised feel. If you have always wanted a pantry of your dreams, here are some of the options you should consider for your kitchen.

Drawers and baskets

An easy way to add quick and attractive storage to small spaces in both apartments and homes is by installing drawers and baskets. Similar items can be grouped together for a streamlined system, and they are also easier to locate. Flours, spices and pasta are suddenly within reach and in the same spot for an added convenience. Plus, baskets and drawers are temporary options. They’re easy to install and remove, so even renters can use them. They’re also versatile, so no matter the size or shape of the pantry, there are baskets and drawers that will suit it. One thing to remember with drawers is that you need to account for the full opening range and weight of the objects within to maintain complete functionality and to keep the area safe.

Two kinds of pantry shelves

Sometimes, tight spaces or limited mobility make it hard to reach the back of the shelves. In these cases, it’s best to install either pull out or swing out pantry shelves. 

Swing-out shelves swing out to the left and right like a door. This opens up the entire pantry for the clearest view of all your goods, but it does use a greater amount of space in your kitchen.

All the accessories

If organisation is your ultimate goal, there are dozens of helpful pantry accessories that can make your life simpler. Modular storage is a great example and makes short work of neat stacking and frees up the greatest possible space in packed pantries.