When planning a fitted kitchen, storage is all important, and as well as shelf units and drawers, there are all sorts of gadgetry to enhance the kitchen cabinets to make best use of the available space, the only limitation is apparently the size of your pocket. Ingenious mechanisms to make the best use of corners are discussed in their own article in the Kitchen Ideas section of our site.
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Kitchen Planners Have Options
Kitchen planners should consider drawers in some of the base cabinets rather than having them all designated as shelf units. This is because it’s easier to see what’s in a drawer without bending down and heavy items like cast iron pans can be lowered directly onto the drawer base rather than slid onto a shelf. You need to ensure the drawers are deep and strong though.
Larder units have become popular in recent years. These are large cabinets, floor to ceiling height, often with wire racks to help you see through to the contents. The shelves slide out and hinge in a variety of ingenious ways to make best use of the storage space and allow everything to be visible at once.
The same techniques are available in kitchen base cabinets too. Wires shelves that slide out on runners offer the best of both worlds, combining the benefits of shelves and drawers to increase the storage options available to kitchen planners.
Kitchen Storage Options on a Budget
If you can’t run to all those fancy extras, here are some kitchen storage tips that won’t cost the earth. One of the problems with using shelf units for storing spices and other small jars is that you have to dig them all out to see what’s at the back. Consider moving them to a shallow drawer and writing the contents on the lid, then you can see them all at a glance.
Canned food suffers from the same problem, but you can put small shelves, with lips, on the insides of cupboard doors. This doesn’t increase the amount of space in the kitchen units but does make it easier to see and find things.
Ingenuity Makes for Good Kitchen Storage Options
You can make stands from small planks of wood cut to the width of the kitchen unit and placed at the back of the cabinet shelves. Cans placed on these simple stands will stick up above the others and you’ll be able to see their contents without rooting through all the other cans.
Island units have become popular with kitchen planners but they can be horribly expensive. But you can buy a butchers block-style trolley for a lot less that can act as an island and, if space is at a premium, it can be slid under a worktop when not in use.
Think Outside the Kitchen Cabinet
Finally, don’t forget kitchen storage options that exist outside the kitchen cabinets. There are various racks systems that come with hooks, trays and storage containers that will clip to the racking. You can also, if you have the available height, hang pots and pans from a rack suspended from the ceiling, or just from hooks on the walls, if that look will work with the kitchen you are planning.
