The kitchen is probably one place where everyone wishes they could have more storage, right? All those cans of soup and dry goods and seasonings you forgot you bought have to go somewhere, and it’s no surprise that a lot of people turn to us for better kitchen storage and shelving options. But not every shelf in your kitchen has to be the same plain shelf you have everywhere else! Here’s some lesser-seen but more fun ideas for increasing kitchen storage while livening up the place a little.
Make Your Shelving Decorative
If you’ve got the room to spare, not every single shelf in your kitchen has to be covered in salt shakers. Why not hang some decorative wood shelves over some empty room in your kitchen - like over the sink, say - and keep some less-practical but nice-looking decorations on it? Things like treasured wine bottles, floral arrangements, maybe even a picture of your dog can be kept up here to both decorate the room and free up counter space that you’re going to need for that special burger recipe your kids always bug you to make.
Open It Up A Little!
Sure, small cabinets and cupboards have their place in the kitchen, but have you ever felt like maybe your kitchen was a little too...closed in? If you can spare the space and time, taking the doors and walls off your cabinets to expose the shelving and walls behind it - or, if you don’t have cabinets, try to stick to a more ‘open’ shelving plan without doors or walls. It doesn’t sound like a major change but you’d be surprised how much it can do to change the overall ‘vibe’ of your kitchen.
...Or Hide Them Away
Kind of the reverse of our last tip, but still a good idea! Let’s say you have a kitchen where it looks like every usable space was spoken for - time to make more usable space! You can easily find smaller shelving units, like one or two-shelf wire shelving, that can be mounted on the side of cabinets or tucked away under a pantry or next to the dishwasher. And hey, if nobody else knows it’s there, that’s probably the safest place to keep your Oreos, right?
Use Shelving From Other Rooms
Now, we don’t mean you should start keeping your bread in the laundry room or anything, but taking storage cues from the other rooms in your house can provide inspiration and liven up the design of your pantries. Use a file organizer from your home office to store Tupperware lids, for example, or maybe take a cue from your favorite shoe rack in the kitchen to hang some over-the-door storage on your most-used cabinet door.
We hope we’ve provided some inspiration! Hopefully with a little creative (and uncomplicated) remodeling, the next time you have to look for something in your kitchen it’ll actually be fun!
Or, at least, less of a chore than it usually is.
If you’ve got the room to spare, not every single shelf in your kitchen has to be covered in salt shakers. Why not hang some decorative wood shelves over some empty room in your kitchen - like over the sink, say - and keep some less-practical but nice-looking decorations on it? Things like treasured wine bottles, floral arrangements, maybe even a picture of your dog can be kept up here to both decorate the room and free up counter space that you’re going to need for that special burger recipe your kids always bug you to make.
Open It Up A Little!
Sure, small cabinets and cupboards have their place in the kitchen, but have you ever felt like maybe your kitchen was a little too...closed in? If you can spare the space and time, taking the doors and walls off your cabinets to expose the shelving and walls behind it - or, if you don’t have cabinets, try to stick to a more ‘open’ shelving plan without doors or walls. It doesn’t sound like a major change but you’d be surprised how much it can do to change the overall ‘vibe’ of your kitchen.
...Or Hide Them Away
Kind of the reverse of our last tip, but still a good idea! Let’s say you have a kitchen where it looks like every usable space was spoken for - time to make more usable space! You can easily find smaller shelving units, like one or two-shelf wire shelving, that can be mounted on the side of cabinets or tucked away under a pantry or next to the dishwasher. And hey, if nobody else knows it’s there, that’s probably the safest place to keep your Oreos, right?
Use Shelving From Other Rooms
Now, we don’t mean you should start keeping your bread in the laundry room or anything, but taking storage cues from the other rooms in your house can provide inspiration and liven up the design of your pantries. Use a file organizer from your home office to store Tupperware lids, for example, or maybe take a cue from your favorite shoe rack in the kitchen to hang some over-the-door storage on your most-used cabinet door.
We hope we’ve provided some inspiration! Hopefully with a little creative (and uncomplicated) remodeling, the next time you have to look for something in your kitchen it’ll actually be fun!
Or, at least, less of a chore than it usually is.