Kitchen storage ideas have been bouncing around in my pea brain for years...I have a small kitchen myself! I KNOW how frustrating it can be to find a place for everything when space is limited.
- Get creative! "Remodel" your cabinets to create more storage.
This blind corner cabinet was re-invented...by adding a door on one end and long interior pull-out shelves on drawer slides. Now the homeowner doesn't have to crawl inside to reach anything - it comes to her!
She can open the cabinet's original front door to reach things just inside. Then for those items in back, she can open the side door and pull out the long shelves.
- If you're replacing cabinetry, run your cabinets to the ceiling...or use taller cabinets - 42" high is a great size.
You don't need "display" space on top of shorter cabinets...you need storage more. And who wants to get up there and dust?
Use glass doors on taller cabs - gives them an open "feel."
- Not ready for new cabinets? Move your cabinets up! Wall cabinets can be unscrewed from the wall (and each other, if need be) and repositioned higher on the wall. (For how-to tips, see
Move Your Cabinets.)
Then add a shelf underneath! For spices, canisters, dishes, glassware...anything that looks good out in the open.
Add cup hooks under the shelf for coffee mugs.
Or use some of your new-found space to install appliances under the cabinets - like your microwave!
- Move it out! First step in kitchen organization: go through your cabinets and remove everything you only use occasionally (or maybe never?).
Find an out-of-the-kitchen spot for rarely used appliances, gadgets and general extra stuff.
Do you only use the breadmaker a few times a year? Store it in the guestroom closet, or under the bed.
I use the lower half of my dining room china cabinet for less-used items like the wok, milkshake maker, and small things. It's close to the kitchen but not taking up space in my cabinets.
- Storing pots and pans - always a challenge!
Base cabinets with built-in roll-out shelves - everyone sings their praises. I have these and they don't hold as much as you'd think! The shelves are narrower to fit in the cabinet, and the height between shelves doesn't allow much stacking.
Here are roll-outs that make sense: roll-out metal shelves - under the sink!
You probably keep some cleaning supplies under the sink, but this is a large space you could put to use for storing cookware!
Hanging pot racks sometimes work but often create a visual "obstacle" - the last thing you need in a small kitchen!
This pot rack is tucked out of the way, and the number of pans and their size aren't overwhelming.
There's always a new gadget/gizmo to make pots and pans fit in a cabinet. Usually on websites that proclaim they have the latest in kitchen storage ideas.
If you're considering anything like this, look at the cabinet space the gizmo itself takes up - is it really a space saver? Or is somebody just trying to sell you something?
In my not so humble opinion, deep drawer cabinets are the way to go! They hold everything you cook with and can be placed right next to the stove.
- Look for vertical solutions in kitchen storage ideas. "Floppy" packages of stuff like rice and dried beans lay around in a cabinet and take up space. Store "floppies" in Ball jars...cut off the package instructions and tuck them in before you close the lid.
Throw out the old and the mismatched and treat yourself to a new set of storage containers. Square ones stack up better, and take up less space in the fridge or on shelves.
- Borrow pantry storage from a nearby room! No room for a pantry in your small kitchen? Or is pantry space limited?
This homeowner likes to shop at Sam's Club. She uses a piece of furniture in her adjacent dining room for storing bulk canned goods and large items like paper towels.
- One of the best kitchen storage ideas - create a storage in a wall!
Canned goods usually get lost in a cabinet's depth. Here you can see what you have in a glance.
This spot was carved out between the studs. The wall behind it is a closet in another room, so the loss of "sound barrier" between rooms isn't a problem.
You could use this same idea to create a small niche for spices above the stove. For a cleaner, less cluttered look, buy glass spice jars. HINT: store your favorite spices in your kitchen, but put the rest in a drawer in the dining room hutch.
ALWAYS TALK TO A PRO BEFORE CHOPPING UP WALLS!
- Put your backsplash to work!
Great example of creative kitchen storage ideas: a backsplash knife block!
How many of your knives do you really use? Go through 'em and toss (well, not literally) all but your favorites.
This piece was cut from butcher block, split in two, reamed out with a router and then glued back together to hold everyday use knives.
- Hang things on the insides of cabinet doors. Oven mitts and hot pads can hang in the cabinet next to the stove.
- Corner space to the rescue!
Make use of oddball corners with corner cabinets like this unusual triangular pantry with a screen door.
Check online name-brand catalog stores for kitchen storage ideas for corners. You can find nice, sometimes inexpensive corner cabs - or have one custom built.
- Open shelving is one of the best kitchen storage ideas for small kitchens! The open feeling is just what a small space needs.
Use shelves for real storage, but remember: stuff that's "out" can clutter up the look of an already small room. If, say, the bottom shelf holds not so pretty stuff, add short curtains.
Shelves can be arranged to hold odd-sized items, like serving trays, that won't fit or take up too much space in cabinets. Large platters can be leaned upright against the wall, with smaller items in front to keep them upright.
Store items like dishes and glassware you use regularly - they won't have time to collect dust. I did this once in a kitchen of my own, using all white dinnerware on white shelves. The look was charming and surprisingly elegant...plus when someone "helps" they know where everything goes!
- Remove any and all things stored in your kitchen that aren't kitchen-related. Junk drawers can be relocated elsewhere. Ditto for boxes of trash bags and packs of paper towels. Even cookbooks can go in a bookshelf in another room - you usually use one at a time anyway!
To help you better organize your kitchen (and everything else for that matter), check out this great website -
Tips to Organize Life.
Rethink it all, as you go through your kitchen...you may find new kitchen storage ideas of your own! Or if you need some personalized help, feel free to
Ask Me!
