When planning a kitchen remodel, one of the most essential features is storage. While cabinetry, countertops, and appliances are important, storage capacity plays a key role in how the kitchen functions. No matter what size kitchen you have, there are practical and clever storage options available to suit your needs. A well-planned kitchen storage system is an asset that will serve homeowners now and in the future.
Join us as we explore the vast array of innovative storage options available for your kitchen remodeling plan.
Consider and Assess Your Kitchen Storage Needs
Kitchen storage features should suit your cooking habits and general lifestyle. Well-chosen, functional storage streamlines your daily routine, entertaining, and other kitchen-related activities.
When planning a kitchen remodel, it helps to consider the following questions:
- What level of daily meal preparation and cooking will your kitchen experience?
- Who are the primary residents the kitchen will serve – a couple, a busy/growing family, those who work from home, empty nesters, or retirees?
- Will your kitchen’s use and function expand in the coming years?
- What are your current priority pain points when it comes to storage needs? Think appliances, pet food, bulk items, and more.
It also helps to note where your main areas of activity are. For better storage placement and function, think of these essential areas as “zones”. For example, the food prep zone might be on the island near a sink and utensil drawer. The baking zone could be located near the oven, with easy access to pantry staples, a stand mixer, and bakeware. A dining and entertaining zone would house plates, soup/salad bowls, silverware, napkins, and drinkware. Clean-up has its zone as well, with the trash, recycling, and compost bins conveniently located together.
This type of assessment and planning can help you design a functional kitchen that will perfectly suit your household.
Customize Your Cabinetry
With the wide variety of custom cabinetry available, there’s a storage solution for nearly every need. Whether your kitchen sees high, moderate, or simply basic use, customized storage features reduce clutter, offer convenience, and provide an efficient layout that streamlines your tasks.
From meal prep to clean-up, there’s a customized storage bin, rack, drawer, divider, pull-out, cabinet, or shelf that will neatly store all the items you use.
Garbage/Recycling Storage
Often found under the sink, receptacles for trash, compost, and recycling are available for quick and easy clean-up. Housed in handy bins, they keep waste conveniently located and out of sight. This area can also store trash bags and cleaning supplies.
Corner Cabinets with Pull-Outs
This type of cabinet offers smart storage for those awkward corner spaces. From pantry staples and utensils to pots, pans, and lids, these pull-outs offer accessible, deep storage.
Under-Sink Pull-Out Drawers
Under-sink pull-out drawers offer organized storage for cleaning supplies, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, sponges, trash bags, and other necessities. Easily accessible with their pull-out features, they help reduce clutter and keep these items contained in one place.
Cookie Sheet/Platter Dividers
These vertical dividers are found inside a cabinet and offer great storage for cookie and baking sheets, pizza pans, muffin tins, and platters. Some kitchen designs include vertical dividers on island or wall-mounted shelves where they store large or decorative platters and serving plates. Offering the perfect storage solution for larger or less frequently used items, they help keep the kitchen organized and clutter-free.
Dish Dividers
Dish dividers offer the same benefits as cookie sheets and platter dividers, only for various-sized plates, soup, and/or cereal bowls. Situated inside cabinets or on shelves, these handy dividers provide tidy, attractive storage for more frequently used dinnerware.
Toe Kick Drawers
Located in the area between the cabinets and the floor, these narrow drawers take advantage of this otherwise unused space. From baking pans, cookie sheets, and skillets to table linens, cloth napkins, and placemats, they complement your other storage features nicely.
Shallow Roll-Out Drawer
These handy drawers offer convenient storage for smaller items such as utensils, ramekins, cookie cutters, egg slicers, and measuring cups and spoons. No more rummaging around for the right kitchen tool, you’ll find all those necessary items when and where you need them.
Spice Drawer
A spice drawer, whether oriented vertically or horizontally, ensures that your spices are neatly stored in one place. Arranged according to your preference, spices are organized and easily accessible.
Custom Pull-Outs for Heavy Appliances
These heavy-duty pull-outs fit the bill for additional storage, especially when you prefer to keep smaller appliances out of sight. Storage for the stand mixer, air fryer, bread machine, blender, and similar items can be customized with folding appliance shelves that act as an extended countertop.
Appliance Garage
Smaller appliances, such as a coffee maker, toaster, instant pot, stand mixer or air fryer are often neatly stored away in a countertop cabinet, also known as an appliance garage. This keeps them conveniently located but out of sight until you need them.
Pull-Out Pet Feeding Stations
Whether within a toe kick or other drawer, pull-out pet feeding stations are the perfect solution for feeding your furry friends. The pull-out feature helps keep the kitchen neat while minimizing food or water bowl spillage.
Use Vertical Space
Vertical space in the kitchen is often overlooked, yet is a valuable asset. Installing tall, ceiling-height cabinets, for example, is one option that provides extra storage. Adjustable shelving within these cabinets will accommodate items of various sizes, offering greater flexibility as well.
Other possibilities for maximizing vertical storage capacity include open shelving, a hanging pot rack, or wall-mounted rails or hooks for pans, utensils, and even colanders or cutting boards. These options take advantage of available space while keeping kitchen essentials organized and within reach.
Consider Adding a Pantry
If space allows, consider adding a pantry to your kitchen design plan. From canned goods to pasta and baking supplies to pots and pans, dinnerware, and small appliances, the pantry offers customized storage options to suit your needs.
Types of pantries include:
Walk-in Pantry
The walk-in pantry is a small room adjacent to or near the kitchen. It requires enough space in which to move around, with ample shelving and/or cabinets to store essential items. Perfect for busy families and those who enjoy cooking, baking, and entertaining, it offers convenient storage options.
Reach-in Pantry
A reach-in pantry is a closet large enough to house standard kitchen essentials. Located in or close to the kitchen, it often has cabinet or bifold doors and uses shelves, hooks, racks, and/or pull-outs for organized storage. A freestanding cabinet, armoire, or similar furniture piece that complements kitchen décor might also serve as a reach-in pantry.
Butler’s Pantry
Traditionally located in or close to the kitchen, the butler’s pantry’s purpose was to keep stored items and food preparation out of sight. Now it’s a designated area for similar purposes, providing not only storage but additional counter space. Great for busy households and entertaining, it complements the kitchen’s function year-round.
Pantries of all types can include pull-out drawers, adjustable shelves, spice racks, hooks, and other convenient storage systems. Whether large or small, they boost organization and efficiency in the kitchen.
Maximize Your Kitchen Island Storage
The kitchen island is a hub for everything from food prep and entertaining to family meals and after-school activities. It has substantial storage potential with a combination of cabinets, deep or shallow shelving, drawers and custom pull-outs, pet feeding stations, and more.
For example, racks or shelves placed at either end of the island can store or display cookbooks, dishes, baskets, or decorative items. Homeowners often include useful features such as a cooktop, sink, microwave, wine/beverage fridge, or warming drawer on their island as well.
Even a small island has wonderful potential to attractively store kitchen items of all kinds. So, if space allows, an island is a worthy consideration for homeowners at any stage of life.
Photo credit: Docking Drawer Store
Tech Storage
Consider adding a charging station to your kitchen design plan. Not only does it help quickly locate devices, but it also reduces tangled or misplaced cables throughout your home. Charging stations are often located in a cabinet or island drawer or a nook or drawer in the kitchen desk. Some charging stations include an undercounter docking shelf as well. Using outlets and/or ports installed within, it offers convenient, centralized charging for everyone in the household.
Whether you need to answer a call while making dinner or are using a recipe on your tablet, your devices are close at hand. In addition, the charging station is a safe, convenient, and discreet location for the family’s most used devices.
Well-Planned Kitchen Storage, a Wise Investment
Though kitchen storage design options are many, it’s well worth taking time to find ones that will suit your home and lifestyle. Don’t hesitate to consult a designer or design-build firm for assistance with kitchen storage ideas. A well-planned, unified storage system will reap big rewards and serve your household for years to come.
Blackline Renovations, Your Kitchen Remodel Specialists
Blackline Renovations has been assisting Dallas, TX homeowners with their kitchen remodeling projects since 2002. From planning to beautiful completion, our talented team guides you every step of the way. We’ll help you design the perfect kitchen, one that includes functional storage options to suit all your needs. Whether renovating the kitchen or another area of your home, our goal is your complete satisfaction.
In addition to kitchens, our design-build team has extensive remodeling experience with living and family rooms, baths, and bedrooms, as well as utility, mud, and laundry rooms, ADUS/garages, and home additions. We invite you to browse our portfolio to see completed kitchens and other projects that highlight our design-build services.
Give us a call at (214) 827-3747 or if you prefer, schedule a consultation. We love helping homeowners enhance the function and beauty of their homes.
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