Whether you are building a new custom home, planning a major kitchen renovation or simply hope to make your cooking space more efficient, there are hundreds of options to maximize your storage. If a new kitchen is in your future, you may be more excited by the thought of shiny new appliances and gleaming counters, but for long-term satisfaction, smart organization is essential. While some of the suggestions here require new cabinet installations, others are simple DIY tricks that can increase your capacity for pots, pans, utensils and spices.
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Think inside the cabinet. If you look closely at your cabinets, you can find a treasure trove of usable space that’s currently just dead air.
First, consider the simple step of putting in wire mesh shelves so you can stack more items without them tipping over. Stores such as The Container Store and Home Depot have numerous iterations of these shelves that you can use for more space for pans or dishes. Smaller versions can be used for pantry items so you can stack cans or other items all the way to the top of your cabinet and yet still be able to see and reach them.
Next, look at back of your cabinet doors. You can install a cork board or a series of hooks to hold measuring spoons and other gadgets.
You can also look for vertical storage space that you can customize like a filing cabinet for awkward items such as your cutting boards and cookie sheets.
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Get symmetrical. One reason pantries and kitchen shelves can look so cluttered and disorganized is that products come in different sizes and shapes, some of which (like certain cereal boxes) are too tall for a standard cabinet. The fastest way to make sense of the mess is to buy a set of airtight containers that you can fill and label.
Smaller items that don’t merit an entire bin can be collected into a pull-out drawer or basket that you can take out as needed. For instance, put all your baking items such as cupcake tin liners, sprinkles, baking powder and tiny bottles of vanilla and almond extract into a container so they’re together when you need them.
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Focus on your spices. Many cooks complain that their spices clutter up their space or are inaccessible. A quick look at The Container Store will prove the point: there are numerous products to solve this annoyance. Depending on your kitchen’s configuration, think about putting a Lazy Susan in a cabinet or buying an insert for a drawer with staggered, spice-bottle-sized shelves. Or just line them up in drawer and make sure you have the labels facing up where you can see them. You can also install a spice rack in unexpected places such as along the edge of your center island.
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Try a slide. One popular way to make your kitchen items, especially heavy ones, more easily accessible is to add a pull-out cabinet. Over time, some homeowners have found that one weakness of pull-out base cabinets is that they can wiggle once they’re full and dislodge their contents. Look for a sturdy version such as the Hardware Resources No Wiggle Base Cabinet Pullout that’s designed to be sturdy and allow for smoother operation.
Some sliding shelves can also be added to existing cabinets to make it easier to pull out your heaviest pots and pans.
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Look behind your door. If you have a door to your pantry or into your kitchen, look behind it for extra storage space. You can hang a shoe-organizer with pockets to hold kitchen gadgets, plastic wrap, napkins and clean sponges. If you have a few inches of depth on the wall, you can hang narrow shelves to fit canned goods or spices.
Taking a careful look at your kitchen storage not only gives you a chance to get more organized, but also an opportunity to be creative in your solutions. Hanging baskets, adding hooks and even repurposing small pieces of furniture from other rooms such as a narrow armoire can add space and some personality to your kitchen.