You can never have enough storage, right? I love to maximize every inch of available space I can for storage. This is particularly true in kitchens. Finding extra storage space isn’t necessarily about adding extra square footage to your kitchen. There are many ways you can utilize existing space within your kitchen for storage, and some of them are pretty unique. Check out our suggestions for finding storage solutions in your kitchen.

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The First Step

The first thing you should do in order to find more storage space in your kitchen is to stand in the middle of it and have a look around. Consider some of these questions:

Do you see any areas that are not being efficiently used?
Are some of your cabinets not fully functional because you just toss things in there?
Do you have a wall that has no cabinets that could be utilized, even if they're just shallow cabinets?
Are there cabinets that are out of reach or not deep enough and therefore not being used?
Is anything in the wrong spot in your kitchen?
Is something stored elsewhere because of a lack of space, but it’s regularly used, so it should be in your kitchen?

There are lots of other questions to ask yourself, but these are a good starting point to get you thinking about how functional and efficient your kitchen is. Consider the areas that need improvement and what can be done to make them more storage-friendly.

Is a Kitchen Renovation in Your Future?

A very important factor in creating more storage in your kitchen is knowing whether a kitchen renovation is in your near future or not. If it is, then your possibilities are almost limitless. If you’re not planning a kitchen renovation soon, you still have lots of options, but you need to work with what you’ve got.

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If you don’t want to invest in a full kitchen renovation, consider a partial one! We had one client who didn’t touch her perimeter cabinets but got rid of a non-functional island, enlarged the size (increased depth by adding back-to-back cabinets), put efficient pot and pan drawers in, and added an overhang to create a breakfast area. At a minimal cost, she got a very functional kitchen and added some much-needed storage.

So what are some of the ways to add some storage to your existing kitchen cabinets?

Add in Some Pull-Outs

Now, this might not create more storage space specifically, but when you have pull-outs that you can easily access, everything will be more organized and easily found. For example, if your pantry is just a bunch of shelves, I’d be willing to bet that you haven’t seen what’s at the very back of some of those shelves for a long time. Pantry items will tend to get forgotten, not used, and then tossed when out of date. Retrofitting pull-outs will help organize the space effectively. If you’re getting a new kitchen, make sure pull-outs are part of your pantry.

Pull-outs aren’t just for pantries. They are extremely effective in regular base cabinets as well. For example, we typically just toss items under our sink without much thought to organizing them. By installing pull-outs under your sink, you can easily store extra dish soap, dishwasher detergent, cleaners, sponges, etc. And pull-outs won’t hurt your back when you have to bend over to access items at the back of a cabinet.

One of our clients had pull-outs installed in all of her base cabinets that weren’t already drawers. This helped her dramatically organize her kitchen, and more importantly, she no longer had to get down on her knees to reach something at the back of her cabinet.

Shallow Pantries or Broom Closets

Whenever I meet with a potential client who wants us to design and quote on a kitchen renovation, one of the first things I do is look for unused space that I can put a shallow cabinet in. I frequently see walls that are underutilized. You may not be able to put full 24" base cabinets along certain walls, but you’d be surprised how much you can fit into a 10" or 14" deep base cabinet or tall cabinet.

We frequently put shallow pantries or broom closets on unused walls. Our clients can usually spare that 10 inches, even if it’s on a wall in their breakfast area. We just have to ensure that if someone is sitting in a chair, getting in and out of the chair won’t interfere with a cabinet being there.

Very often, there is a patio or garden door near the kitchen or breakfast area. As long as you have at least 10 inches between the side of the casing at the door and the wall, you can install a broom closet in this space. We even had a client who installed a base cabinet that was only 8" deep. He likes to drink bottled water at room temperature. This cabinet provided storage for a whole case of water, and by installing a countertop on top, he had enough room for a charging station for the family phones.

Toe Kick Storage

This is one area that is seldom utilized. Now, I should say at the outset that this is an expensive and difficult suggestion to retrofit. I only recommend something like this if you are getting a new kitchen. Get a separate price for installing storage in some or all of the toe kicks.

This is a great place to store things out of sight. Our clients have stored things like bottles of wine, cookie sheets, muffin tins, pet food bowls, tea towels, tablecloths, cookbooks, and so much more. These drawers will only be 4" deep, so anything 3 ½" tall or less will fit great.

Instead of having handles installed on these toe kick drawers (it’s a long way down to open them up), consider having magnetic catches installed that will allow you to give the toe kick a gentle 'kick' to open them up and then a gentle nudge to close them.

Tray Dividers in Your Deep Fridge Upper Cabinet

This is a game-changer! We all have had (or still have!) that horrid cabinet over the fridge that’s only 12" deep when the fridge is at least 24". What an impractical cabinet; you need a step stool to access it! Well, deep fridge upper cabinets to the rescue!

Even if you aren’t planning a full kitchen reno, get rid of that useless cabinet and have a deep fridge upper cabinet made to match your existing kitchen. And, while you’re at it, have tray dividers installed. This easily organizes your cookie sheets, muffin tins, cutting boards, brownie pans, etc., so they can be easily reached.

Full-Height Pull-Outs in Your Base Cabinets

These are so incredibly handy and can store everything from spices to bottles of oils and vinegars. Have them made with two tiers for the best use of space. These don’t need to be too wide. Even a 10-inch-wide cabinet can be utilized effectively here.

One of our clients didn’t want a full kitchen renovation but wanted full-height pull-outs put in. She didn’t have an effective 10–12" space, so we took out a 24" base cabinet and installed two full-height pull-outs. She used one for spices, and the other one had a top rack with holes cut out for her large stirring spoons, ladles, etc. We installed a stainless steel canister to hold them all. The bottom rack held her oils, vinegars, and large spice containers. The key benefit of these types of full-height pull- outs is that they take things and organize them in a more effective way.

Storage Above Your Window

This is a highly overlooked space! It’s simple to add a shelf above a window and use it to store seldom-used items such as your turkey platter, large roasters, etc. You can really make this pretty by installing some decorative shelf brackets or painting it an accent colour. You can even store display items or decorative art on your new shelf to add some interest to your kitchen.

Different Uses for Existing Cabinets

Pot and pan drawers are typically used for pots and pans. However, there are many other things you can use them for. One of our clients uses one of her pot drawers for Tupperware storage. Another client asked us to install pegs in one of the drawers to store her plates and bowls. Another client stored her sugars and spices, flour, oatmeal, etc., in decorative glass jars inside the drawers. The possibilities are endless.

Another client took an 18" drawer/door base cabinet and asked us to install a pull-out on the bottom of the door section. She purchased two bins and uses that cabinet as her recycling and garbage centre. Take a look around your kitchen and see how to utilize your existing drawers and cabinets for whatever suits your needs best.

Recessed Shelves Inside a Niche

If you’ve got a small wall and don’t really have the space to put a base or tall cabinet there, why not open up the wall a bit and recess some shelves? Just like recessed lighting (pot lights), recessed shelves won’t take up any extra space; they just utilize a space that was already there!

One of our clients wanted a convenient place to store keys, phones and chargers, mail, etc. She had a small wall, about 24" wide, just inside her kitchen. It was a 2x4 wall, so we could easily cut out an opening and reframe it to create a niche. The niche was 16" wide by 24" tall. We installed three shelves, providing four areas for storage. It was a perfect use of space for my client’s needs.

Shelves Under Your Upper Cabinets

Need some extra shelves to store glassware, everyday mugs, or spices? Why not install a glass shelf or two under your upper cabinets? Make them no more than 10 inches deep, and they won’t intrude on your work space. If you install them no more than 8–10" below the bottom of your upper cabinets, you’ll still have room to store some things on the countertop underneath them.

Utilize a Plate Rack

Is your sink on a wall without a window in front of it? Then you might have some underutilized wall space.

Install a plate rack above the kitchen sink to free up cabinet space elsewhere. Then display your favourite plates, mugs, or glassware and have them handy and accessible for everyday use. Typically, you don’t put a cabinet above a sink that isn’t in front of a window, or if you do, it’s a shallow or short cabinet so you don’t hit your head when washing dishes.

Cup Hooks

Are your mugs cluttering up your upper cabinet? If you don’t have undercabinet lighting and/or a light valance attached to the upper cabinets, you can install cup hooks into the bottoms of your upper cabinets and hang your mugs there! I did this years ago and love it! It keeps my mugs handy, and because I collect mugs with kitties on them, it displays my collection and adds to the décor of my kitchen. I freed up two shelves in one of my upper cabinets when I did this. Just make sure you use large cup hooks, particularly if you have wide handles on your mugs.

We always focus on efficiency when designing a new kitchen for our clients. Utilizing every available space where appropriate is important. However, sometimes our clients want open spaces and minimalism. Think about what you want your space to look like when considering adding storage solutions to your kitchen. Having more storage is great, but if it compromises the look you were trying to create, then it may not be the right thing to do.

Have a look around your kitchen to see if there’s somewhere you can take advantage of some of the suggestions here. If you’d like to book a consultation with us to get our ideas on how to increase the storage in your kitchen, click here to book your Durham Region or Clarington home visit.