How to Increase Your Kitchen Storage

Having inadequate kitchen storage is a common home improvement problem and probably the most common storage problem. Just because you couldn't have your dream, super-sized kitchen doesn't mean you can't find a way to fit your entire kitchen arsenal in your home. For all the talk about work stations and the kitchen "triangle," many homeowners would be happy just to be able to have a reasonably organized kitchen where everything has its place. Your kitchen shouldn't feel like a jigsaw puzzle, where a single configuration gives you the only right picture. Improper organization makes cleaning your kitchen twice as difficult and can make you feel claustrophobic in your own home. When thinking about reorganizing or remodeling your kitchen, put a keen eye on creating plenty of storage capacity.

Kitchen Storage Ideas

Kitchen Carts: This usually refers to a small, portable kitchen island that will allow you to store more infrequently used items outside your kitchen altogether. These carts are especially useful for storing large items, like deluxe mixers. When you need to cook for large parties, you can also roll it out to more efficiently reach your cooking supplies. Another kind of kitchen cart is the microwave cart that will allow you to move your microwave off your counter, reclaiming precious counter space for both appearance and cooking efficiency.

Kitchen Hutch: Fine dinnerware is meant to be displayed not stored. If you don't have space in your kitchen, and many homeowners don't, you can put the hutch in your dining room or even an adjoining entryway or corridor. Like any quality piece of furniture, a kitchen hutch isn't cheap, but it will help with your kitchen storage and add to your décor. The point here, like the kitchen cart, is to look for ways you can store items outside your kitchen. Whether you have room in your dining room or a finished basement, some kitchen items can be moved out of the kitchen by employing a hutch.

Additional Kitchen Cabinets: Martha Stewart is efficient, but she's not a magician. No matter how much reorganizing you do, you may simply not have enough storage space in a smaller kitchen. If this is the case, it's time to add more storage. If your cabinets don't go all the way up to the ceiling, there's your additional storage space waiting to be created. For odd spaces, you may need to hire a contractor to build you custom cabinets (which may not be as expensive as it sounds). To get that last foot or so of kitchen storage, you might also need to replace your cabinets; even this small amount of extra space can go a long way in stowing your kitchen items.

Opening Your Kitchen Space
That said, adequate kitchen storage should also help open up your kitchen. When kitchen items aren't crammed into a few cabinets, your kitchen storage can further add to your kitchen décor. Open kitchen shelving can display spices, sugar and flour jars, and other traditional kitchen items. Wine racks, knife racks, fruit bowls, and other kitchen accents can all be proudly arranged to showcase your kitchen and your cooking skills. The first priority of kitchen storage is, naturally, to have a place to stow your items, but the best-designed kitchens always use storage as its own decorative element.

Rate This Article

OVERALL RATING Be first to rate this article!

YOUR RATING

Saving Rating...

Log-in to save your ratings!

Recommend This Article

Digg
Reddit
Del.icio.us

ServiceMagic Articles To-Go