Has your kitchen gotten to the point where just walking into the room makes you groan? The dishes are done and the floors are mopped, but it just seems messy. If only you could declutter.
We have a few ideas to help. Some will require a hardcore remodel. Some just need some cabinet tweaking.
Instead of spinning in circles to grab spices and oils, wraps and foils, try these cool drawers. They’re tall and narrow, so they can’t hold anything major. But they’re perfect for your spices and oil bottles. They’ll even hold the long, narrow baggie, foil and plastic wrap boxes.
With a couple simple purchases and some reworking of your old drawer space, you could even scrap that “spoon can” from your cabinets and hide away your ladles and spatulas. Sure, you bought them in all the latest colors, but your guests care less about that than you do.
Better yet, combine the tall spice drawers and spoon drawer into one option with just a few cheap dividers in a wider drawer. It won’t max out your spice storage by any means, but how many of those little bottles are you using on a weekly basis anyway?
Another way to make the most out of drawer space? Installing a double drawer. Keep your everyday silverware on top and your special stuff underneath. Or use the bottom area to stash sharp knifes and larger/lesser used utensils.
Of course, if you’re someone who has spent time on Chopped or love hanging with Alton Brown, you may have enough expensive knives to warrant their own knife storage drawer, too. If you have the drawer space, why not go all out?
We also totally love this huge, awesome drawer combo that makes the best of dinnerware storage and utensil corralling. Now… to find drawers that size.
Drawers can also come in handy for storing the more edible contents of your kitchen and you don’t always need to yank out those cabinets to install them. Some drawers install inside your cabinets and pull out to reveal enough grub for at least a month into the zombie apocalypse.
If you can go for a double door pantry, either installed in with the rest of your cabinets or as a standalone elsewhere in your kitchen, you’re sure to maximize your storage, as long as you organize it properly.
You can also install handy pull-outs to the inside tops of your cabinets that will enable you to hang up your pots and pans. Say goodbye to headaches caused from rooting around in the black pit that is your current pot storage situation.
And if you’re tired of your Tupperware disappearing into the ether behind that stupid spinning carousel in the corner, try this new feature for turning it into drawers, instead.
While you’re on a cabinet-saving, drawer-installing kick, make sure to think of your cookie sheets, too. Under-the-oven storage is awkward and loud. This cabinet insert will keep your cookie sheets, cake pans and muffin tins around for easy, quiet(-ish) access.
Keep your fruits and root veggies at hand but off your counter with some cool baskets installed in one of your cabinet spaces. The woven wicker breaks up all the hard lines of cabinet doors and drawers but still optimizes storage.
You already know about keeping your trash under the sink, but if you’re not using a pull-out to keep it organized and a clever counter cutout to rake in your cooking mess, you’re doing it all wrong. This is the best idea yet.
Finally, for the ultimate way to maximize prepping space, opt for a hideaway island with a chopping block top. When you’re not using it, it slides under your counter and functions as another drawer. When it’s cookie-making season, it pulls out for another few feet of counter space.
More kitchen help
Top kitchen renovations of all time
How to… refurbish your kitchen cabinets
Update your kitchen cabinets with new hardware
Leave a Comment