Today’s kitchens are hives of activity, combining functionality and fun. They are essential for household tasks such as cooking and laundry while also providing a comfortable setting for entertaining family and friends.
However, as one of the most frequently used rooms in the home, the kitchen is often one of the most disorganised too. What begins as a few utensils and homely touches can easily become chaotic clutter.
Thankfully, help is at hand in the form of wonderfully clever storage designs that will help you to make the most of your home’s kitchen.
1. De-Clutter with a Larder Cabinet
Kitchen countertops tend to be cluttered with food packets and boxes. A tall, roomy, wooden larder cabinet, fitted with shelves inside and on the back of its doors, is a far more efficient way to store those items.
2. ‘Floating’ Jars Free up Counter Space
Screw-top glass jars, filled with dried foods, are a stylish kitchen staple. However, they deprive you of counter space. Reclaim it by screwing the jars’ metal lids to the underside of wall-mounted cabinets, twist the jars securely into the lids – and hey presto, they appear to be floating! You now have a genius storage design and quirky optical illusion in one.
3. Sloping Shelves for Smarter Storage
When kitchen cupboards are crammed with cans, it is difficult to see what you have or make room for more. Tackle this problem by inserting shelves into cupboards at a 45-degree angle (the wire racks sometimes used in wardrobes are ideal for this purpose), then lie cans on their sides. Ensure the shelves have lips on the front to prevent cans rolling out.
4. Take Your Microwave up a Notch
While a microwave oven saves time in the kitchen, it can take up a lot of room on your countertop. Place your microwave on secure, sturdy, wall-mounted brackets instead and enjoy your newfound countertop storage space!
5. Stack Seats to Store Them
If your kitchen is short of floor space, choose chairs or stools that are designed to be stacked neatly and stored out of the way when not in use. Stackable seating will create more room for any household tasks that you want to complete on your feet, such as ironing or food preparation.
6. Storage Solution under the Sink
The numerous cleaning products required by the modern household often fight for storage space in the cupboard beneath the kitchen sink. If you attach a tension rod to each side of the cupboard, products with trigger sprays (such as glass cleaner) can be hung off it, thereby creating more storage space below for other items.
7. Magnetic Storage Saves Space
Magnetic knife racks make a superb, space-saving alternative to knife blocks, which are often large and bulky. Screw the knife rack to the kitchen wall, out of the reach of children, and the magnets will keep your knives in place for you. Similarly, spices can be stored in magnetic spice tins to free-up space.
8. Pull out Plenty of Extra Storage
When kitchen space is at a premium, a pull-out pantry (i.e. a cupboard that slides out, above or below the counter top) is an excellent way to make good use of a narrow area and create additional storage space.
9. Helpful Hooks
Liberate your kitchen utensils! Hang them from hooks attached to the underside of cabinets and shelves. This will not only rapidly increase your kitchen’s storage capacity but will also make it easy to find the utensils you need without rooting around in drawers and jars.
10. Islands Are Safe Havens for Storage
A bespoke, wooden kitchen island is truly the pièce de résistance of genius storage designs. Beneath the worktop, you can add drawers, shelves, tea towel hooks and even a wine rack.
Moreover, if you attach castors to the legs, you can move the island around easily to free-up floor space wherever you need it most at any given time. For small kitchens, a butcher’s block table is an ideal alternative to an island.
Experts in Kitchen Design and Innovation
As a long-established, family-run joinery company, we know that the kitchen is the beating heart of every home. When you redesign your kitchen, you can rely on our design expertise and traditional craftsmanship to help you fulfil its potential.