Kitchens are often the most overcrowded spaces in a home — everyone likes to be there and we certainly love our kitchen gadgets. It’s hard to imagine a kitchen as a space that can look good while still being functional.
But it is simple and totally doable — all you have to do is figure out how to make your storage a part of the decor. Here are some tips.
Add Extra Shelves
This might seem a bit obvious, but it’s often overlooked. Most cabinets have deep, far-apart shelves that leave a lot of empty, unused space. When you really look at it, kitchen items like plates or cups (even glasses) are actually quite short, even when you stack them.
So, instead of leaving all of that room free, you can add more shelves in between the ones that you already have. Plan first what should go where and then add shelves with enough space to accommodate your new organization. Most shelving solutions will allow for removable and movable shelves, so you can always rearrange if you want to organize your kitchen in a different way.
Another great thing you can do is add lazy Susans instead of those clunky corners that usually don’t have a lot of purpose. This can help you reach everything easily and it looks really good. In a similar manner, you can add corner drawers to that area and maximize the use of that space.
You can add some open shelves to your walls or cabinet ends and store all of your prettiest plates, cups, and glasses there.
On-The-Wall Storage Doubling as Decor
The walls are kind of like a blank canvas and there’s a lot of empty space there that can be used as storage but also as a form of decor. There are several examples:
- A kitchen railing with hooks. This can hold the items that you use every day and you can install it on that wall space above your counter. This will make it a lot easier for you to find what you need. And if you hang a simple pot of herbs on that railing, it will look like the entire thing is an art piece.
- Hanging wine rack. If you have plenty of wine bottles that you’re not sure where to store, you can get a hanging wine rack and put your bottles there. But even if you don’t have wine, this hanging rack can hold your oil bottles, vinegar, or any other bottles you have to store in your kitchen.
- Use a pegboard. Pegboards are really versatile and if you get enough hooks, you can store a lot of stuff on them while making it look like an art installment. This looks especially good when you mix and match wood and steel, plus add a pot with herbs. And if you get bored of the way it looks, you can always switch it up.
- Magnetic knife bar. This is another cool idea that can save you the time of rummaging through drawers to find a knife and also looks good on your wall.
Store The Items You Rarely Use On Top Of Cabinets
If you have a lot of empty space above your cabinets, you can put it to good use. That area can be dedicated to all of those appliances, pots, and plates that you don’t use as often. However, it doesn’t have to look messy.
Grab some baskets or wooden crates — they will look good on the outside and hide all of your extra stuff without tarnishing the style of your kitchen. Wooden crates go really well with stainless steel kitchens while baskets can be charming in wooden ones. You can get them in various colors and ensure that your kitchen looks amazing.
Final Thoughts
Storage doesn’t have to look bad — in fact, you can make the storage solutions work for you and incorporate them in ways that only add to the design of your kitchen area. Consider some of these ideas and use them as a part of your home’s aesthetic.
