Kitchen Storage Solutions

Reduce the amount of clutter in your kitchen with these kitchen space saving ideas. You won’t believe how much stuff you can store!

People don’t necessarily want more rooms in their houses — they just want functional spaces that are comfortable. That’s what architect Sarah Susanka discovered in the process of writing her book The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live.

Maximizing utility in a small workaday kitchen can be a challenge, though — especially when it comes to kitchen storage ideas. But we’ve found some clever places to look for more space without adding to your kitchen’s footprint:

Kitchen Storage Tip #1: Look Up

Go with taller cabinets if possible.

“A lot of times people have 8-foot ceilings, but their cabinets stop at 7 feet,” Stapperfenne says.

By eliminating the soffits and going with taller cabinets, you’ll gain additional kitchen pantry storage — maybe even an extra shelf per unit.

Kitchen Storage Tip #2: Look Under Your Seat

If you have the space for a banquette, incorporate drawers in the bench or hinge the lid.

If you’ve got bar stools, these could be designed to accommodate storage as well.

Kitchen Storage Tip #3: Look to an Island

As long as there’s enough floor space, Stapperfenne likes to make islands bigger and incorporate shallow cabinets into them. She’ll spec a 4-foot island that includes a 1-foot overhang so there’s space for storage underneath as well as a place for stools to go. Stapperfenne then puts slender cabinets on the corners or incorporates cubbies on the sides.

If you’d like more table space on occasion, a great kitchen space-saving idea is to get a pullout table you can slide out from under the island countertop when needed.

Kitchen Storage Tip #4: Look in the Pantry

Consider using rollout or sliding shelves instead of swing-out shelving, which can take up more space. This is a great way to stack multiple shelves atop each other — all of which can be pulled out individually.

If the pantry is large enough, it’s a great place to store a rolling cart or movable island. .

Your kitchen doesn’t have to feel cramped. By taking advantage of some of these kitchen space savers, you can expand the amount of storage without spending a lot of money.