A kitchen with little or no storage space is truly a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Kitchens are the hubs around which most homes and their occupants operate. When kitchens are disorganized, the home can feel disorganized, too. Unfortunately, not every homeowner can boast of a huge kitchen with loads of ready-made storage space.
Faced with less-than-optimal kitchen storage, many homeowners decide to renovate their kitchens to maximize the space. When they do, practicality and accessibility of cabinet selection and placement needs to be prioritized for best results.
Making the right choices gives homeowners the space they need to store pots, pans, small appliances, and more, plus make the kitchen more functional.
Here are a few tips from Holland’s Custom Cabinets to help you take charge of your renovation as you build the kitchen of your dreams.
Leverage Vertical Space
Typically, when people start to run out of storage space in the kitchen, they install more horizontal cabinets and shelves. This leaves a lot of vertical space, usually found above counter tops, appliances, or on bare walls, unused. This space can be tapped to organize kitchen items inconvenient to store on horizontal cabinet shelves and surfaces. This includes chopping boards, pans, griddles, baking sheets, large pots, and so on.
You can also think outside the box by using a custom sliding vertical shelf to store compost or garbage bins. This works particularly well if you want to keep such items hidden or wish to free up limited floor space.
Use Cabinet Tops Wisely
Quite often, kitchen cabinets do not go all the way up to the ceiling. This leaves a great deal of open space available. Using the space above cabinets is a great way to optimize kitchen storage without undergoing major renovations.
The space above cabinets is especially suited for displaying special kitchen items such as vintage teapots, collections of crockery, etc. You can also use it to showcase interesting kitchen décor and accents.
Get Creative with Kitchen Cabinet Design
Being creative with kitchen cabinets often requires customization, whether you are looking at a complete overhaul or simply adding more storage.
For example, if you appreciate good wine consider a custom-made wine rack for storing your favorite bottles. Similarly, if you love cooking with lots of spices, go with a built-in spice drawer to organize these items better.
Using customized cabinetry, shelving, or even accessories ensures your kitchen can meet a variety of needs. This way you can boast of a kitchen space that is uniquely yours and highly functional.
Consider Open Shelving
Ever since the concept of open shelving was invented, it has been an extremely popular design and storage solution. Homeowners looking for a fresh, modern look often install open shelves in bathrooms, living rooms, home offices, and kitchens.
With kitchens, open shelves offer great convenience, making them essential if you cook and entertain very often. With open shelves, you can easily find what you need, and you don’t have to remember where items get stored. You (and even your guests) can simply see them!
If you collect china, glassware, vintage plates, shakers, platters, or similar, open shelves should be high on your must-have list. They make great places for showing off your favorite collections.
Another popular approach is to go with a mix of open shelves and closed cabinets in the kitchen. The former adds convenience and charm to the kitchen, while the latter can store other, less-sightly kitchen items with ease.
Storage for Small Appliances
Most homeowners store their small kitchen appliances, such as mixers, toasters, or coffee makers, directly on countertops. Needless to say, this adds clutter to your countertops, making the kitchen look disorganized and unappealing.
Dedicating a place to store infrequently used but important appliances can free up important kitchen counter space. Custom cabinets or cabinet inserts can be designed to store a wide variety of small appliances tastefully.
Add a Custom Designed Kitchen Island
Many homeowners think that only spacious kitchens can accommodate islands. The truth is custom designed kitchen islands can be made to fit practically any space. The key is to build the island in proportion to the available space. It is also vital to get creative when adding all the features necessary to store kitchen essentials.
For starters, you need to select cabinet options to account for clearances for drawer extensions, cabinet doors, and so on. Some storage options to consider for your island include:
- open shelves
- narrow cabinets
- bottle storage
- overhead hanging storage
- drawers for pots, pans, and dishes
- base cabinets with pullout shelves, and more!
A custom kitchen island not only makes your kitchen look modern and attractive. It also creates convenient storage, more countertop space for food prep, and additional seating for entertaining.
Choose Light Colors
The décor and design of kitchens have huge impacts on the way they are perceived. Color choices matter. For example, using light colors in the kitchen creates an illusion of openness. This works very well to make small spaces seem bigger, brighter, and more joyful to be in. What could be better than making time in the kitchen more enjoyable, while also making the kitchen look visually stunning?
Give Your Kitchen the Storage Overhaul It Needs
In most homes, the kitchen is where family and friends spend time bonding over good food and making everlasting memories. The last thing homeowners want is for their kitchens to be unorganized and chaotic.
Investing in custom cabinets and storage solutions really pays off by adding to the aesthetics and functionality of your kitchen. Your home value might just go up as well. Hopefully, these tips will move you further along the path of creating the kitchen of your dreams.
At Holland’s Custom Cabinets, we specialize in creating handcrafted cabinet and storage systems tailored to fit your lifestyle and your needs. With an extensive selection of materials, colors, and styles to choose from, our innovative designs add beauty, value, and efficiency to any space. To learn more about our custom kitchen solutions, call 619.443.6081 or fill out our online form.
