At Kitchen Ideas we focus on designing functional kitchens that allow our clients to cook and entertain with ease. One area of kitchen design that is often overlooked, is storage. At first glance you can’t really tell if a kitchen has a properly designed storage system, but spend five minutes cooking in one and you’ll quickly see how much (or how little) thought went into the storage system.
We’re always looking for creative ways to maximize storage in our kitchens, and we want to share a few tricks we’ve discovered over the years.
Open Shelving– This is a particularly trendy storage option right now. This option gives you quick and easy access to frequently used items like everyday plates, bowls, and glasses. Since, by definition, there’s no door to hide an unorganized cabinet, you will need to keep these shelves tidy and in order.
Appliance Cubby– Small appliances like blenders and toasters may get used every day, but they’re hardly pieces you want to keep on display. Appliance cubbies let you keep frequently used kitchen appliances handy, but gives you a place to easily hide them when you’re done using them.
Spice Storage– If there’s ever a mark of a true cook, it might be a vast assortment of obscure spices. All these little bottles and vials can add up fast and be the achilles heal of any kitchen storage system. Proper planning can create designated places and custom fit shelves for all your spices.
Utensil drawers– Spatulas, tongs, whisks, pasta spoons and other odd shapes that can’t be stacked are notorious for creating mayhem. Normally these utensils end up living on an island of misfit tools, but the story doesn’t have to end that way.
Built in Pet Bowls– Let’s be honest, pets are family so you might as well give them a permanent place to eat. This also helps keep bowls out of the way of foot traffic.
There are plenty of other great kitchen storage ideas out there. What are some of your favorite?
