Any kitchen, small or large, craves extra space despite having adequate room for everything. Still, you cannot discount genuine cases. For example, a large family home with a spacious cooking zone can struggle to accommodate different items in one place. Since it is not recommendable to pull down an unwanted wall to secure extra footage, you have to become creative with the kitchen organization to deal with daily storage challenges. It can seem like a task, but successful design implementation can guarantee more than satisfying results. You will be willing to forget the struggles of the past. Here is a quick view of some ideas for design inspiration.
Allot a dedicated space to pot and pan lids
There can be a shelf or cabinet to store all the bulky or lightweight pots in one spot. But most of them don’t allow hiding utensils with their lids. As a result, you have to find out a different corner for them. It can be cumbersome to search separately for them every time you require the complete set for your cooking purpose. To avoid this hassle, you can create a drawer in the existing cabinet for quick and easy storage. If you are a DIYer, you can take this project. Remove one shelf, measure its width, and mark the area with a pencil. You can build a drawer based on these measurements. Make sure it doesn’t extend beyond those marked areas. Else, you will not be able to open it smoothly.
Create a cabinet for containers
Every kitchen uses multiple types and sizes of containers, and each comes with a lid. You can mess up with the empty containers and caps if you don’t have a proper cabinet for them. No matter where they go, the whole storage space can become quickly cluttered. As an alternative, you can add sliding drawers. These ingenious carriers with slides will have different units in the cabinet for neat storage.
Choose a fridge with shallow depth
Most kitchens usually opt for cabinet-depth fridges that occupy nearly 6 to 8 inches of floor space in the front of the cabinets. Any tiny or generous kitchen space may not like this because it ends up crowding passageways. The best way to deal with this problem is to get a shallow-depth refrigerator. It will remain in line with the nearby cabinets without claiming the additional floor area in the front. If you have two parallel rows of cabinets in the kitchen, this design can prove immensely useful.
Try the roll-out systems
Base cabinets can be the regular feature in any kitchen theme, including modern, classic, contemporary, etc. While these storage systems provide enough space, you may not like the idea of going down on your knees to reach a specific item at the back. Seniors or anyone with tired backs and joints can detest this arrangement. You can do away with this with a clever addition, though. Introduce roll-out shelves. You will thank your choice after witnessing its ease of use. Since there are plenty of options available in new cabinets with such highlights, you don’t have to work hard to find your preferred design. Or, you can put your superior DIY skills to the test once.
It can be worth experimenting with this just as you might do with an undermount sink for a high-end look.
Turn your hallway closet into pantry
Many items don’t require daily use. If you don’t want to crowd your kitchen with seldom-used stuff, look for a closet in your hallway. You can fit it with a pantry or adjustable shelves to accommodate everything. Elaborate built-in cabinet designs can be more helpful, though. These can stow both bulky and smaller kitchenware.
Go for collapsible counter tables
Table-cum-counter space can be the most needed addition in any small kitchen. Even spacious rooms may admire such inclusion. No matter what, you can maximize your worktop or countertop by installing a collapsible table on the wall or base cabinet. Drop the counter whenever you need to finish meal preparations faster. Or, you can also open it if your friend suddenly drops by for a quick meeting. You two can sit there and chat while doing your regular work.
Use wall or vertical spaces
People keep different varieties of fruits in the kitchen. Most of them don’t require refrigeration. As a result, you have to keep them outside in a clean area, where insects don’t bother. Keeping them on the countertop means blocking your meal preparation area, which might not be favorable. At the same time, you will want to store them well to enhance the look of your kitchen. So, the best thing can be to invest in hanging fruit baskets. Please put all your fresh produce in them and hang them on the wall. It can lend a brilliant appeal to your kitchen aesthetics.
Fill the dead space
Some kitchen layouts can create dead space between the cabinets. Switching to a new countertop can be one of the solutions to avoid this issue. But it will be expensive. So the most affordable way can be adding a butcher block there. Build one with legs for that area. These features match almost every workstation style. That’s why you don’t have to worry about decor.
Buy cooking caddy
You can purchase a carry-rack for condiments and spices. These come in various options, so pick the one according to your needs. Everything can silently go inside it, from salt to oil to essential herbs, without messing up the countertop. The caddy with its petite figure doesn’t need much room. If possible, you can push it next to the stove. Once done with your job, you can remove the caddy from there to hide it inside your cabinet.
Revolutionizing any kitchen space is not as difficult as it may appear on the surface. If you know the possibilities, you can transform any corner of your cooking zone to suit your working style and habit. You only need to keep an eye on the options to utilize them well.
