Just renovated your kitchen? Now comes the satisfying task of organising all your new storage space for maximum kitchen efficiency. An organised kitchen makes dinner prep and clean up quicker, it keeps your new space free of clutter, and it can even help prevent food waste.
Let’s look at the best tricks to get your kitchen cabinets organised so they stay that way long after the novelty of your new kitchen has worn off.
An Organised Kitchen Makes Meal Prep Easier
One of the best things about a custom-made kitchen is that cabinets and drawers are designed to be right where you need them. Like to use spices and oils in your cooking? A purpose built spice and oil pull out narrow cabinet next to your stove puts them within easy reach. Like to entertain? Wine glass racks are the perfect way to prevent accidental breakages. No time to clean up after the morning rush? A pull-out coffee station will make your life easier.
The kitchen cabinet organisation is key to keeping your kitchen clean and making your mornings and evenings less chaotic. The first step to keeping everything in order is to assess your space and your needs.
How to Assess Your Storage Space and Needs
The first rule of kitchen organisation is to put frequently used kitchen items front and centre. Take the time to think about what you often use and prioritise these items. This might mean creating an appliance cupboard with power points to house your appliances with easy access so you can slide the toaster and jug away in the morning, or to simply store your large cooking appliances on pull out shelving cabinets beside the stove.
Designing a new kitchen is also a great time to declutter and sort out what you really need, especially if you have a small kitchen with little counter space and overflowing cupboards. Clean out your utensils drawer, throw out old food storage containers and chipped plates and donate old cookbooks so that it’s easier to streamline your new kitchen and keep it neat and tidy.
The Basics of Kitchen Storage and Organisation
Here are some kitchen storage ideas to get you thinking about how to best use your available space.
- Put heavy items like appliances or cookware on bottom shelves or use pull-outs or large drawers to improve accessibility.
- Store like items together. For example, dedicate a kitchen drawer to cake tins and baking supplies, and you won’t have to go searching for your muffin pan again.
- Pull out drawers makes small items easy to locate quickly, whether in the pantry holding frequently used items like condiments, sugar or spices, or under the sink to keep your bin bags and dishcloths tidy.
- Another method to maximise the functionality of hard-to-access corner cabinets is a pull-out shelf that’s heavy-duty enough to hold kitchenware like pots and pans.
- Don’t be afraid to use storage baskets to keep things off display alongside decor on your open shelves.
- Depending on your kitchen look and design, you can also use the space under your overhead cabinets to store things. Install a drying rack above the sink, use hooks for mugs, a wine glass rack or a magnetic strip to hold knives.
- Use kitchen drawer organisers in small drawers to sort utensils and dividers in large drawers to organise things like food storage containers.
What goes under the kitchen sink?
There’s nothing worse than finishing a kitchen renovation and realising you have no dedicated cabinet space for kitchen rubbish bins. Pull-out or hideaway waste bins can live under the sink to help you maximise functionality. They often come as two, but if you compost kitchen scraps or sort your recycling, you might need more than this.
Under the kitchen sink is also a great place to arrange storage bins and pull out storage racks to keep cleaning supplies, sponges and dishwasher tablets next to each other to make cleaning tasks faster.
What to Store in that Cupboard Above the Refrigerator?
Often only accessible with a step stool, the cupboard above the refrigerator is not utilised as much as it could be. Lowering the middle shelf to create a larger top shelf is one solution. This way, the bottom shelf can be used to store small boxes like baking paper, tin foil or zip-lock bags. Storage baskets on the top shelf can then be used to store things like birthday candles or instruction manuals that are light and not often used.
Another solution is to leave it as open shelving with beautiful kitchen decor, as a cookbook display or by creating a custom wine rack. Think about what doesn’t have a place in your new kitchen and determine if it can fit in one of these under-utilised cabinets.
Use Vertical Storage Space Wherever Possible
You can make the most of the limited space in a kitchen by storing items within your cabinets or drawers vertically. Have your cabinetmaker install custom-designed racks inside cabinets or large kitchen drawers so you can store baking sheets, cutting boards, saucepan lids, baking pans or platters vertically.
The spaces inside cabinet doors are also excellent storage spots, with many clever door organisers of all different sizes and layouts on the market today. Whether it’s a spice rack inside your pantry door or a simple hook to hang your dishcloth under the sink, it makes sense to utilise the space you have.
How to Sort the Pantry for Easy Access
Using labels is a great way to create an organised storage system to keep your pantry looking neat and tidy. Using glass jars to store dry goods can also make pantry items easy to see and grab.
In terms of the pantry layout, there are endless options when it comes to storage. Stack cans on sturdy, removable shelving. Use storage baskets to rid the cupboard of messy cardboard boxes. Or opt for a pull-out pantry to avoid having to rummage around to find what you’re looking for.
If you have children, it’s also a good idea to store snacks in their sightline so they can grab what they want quickly and without messing up the cupboard. You might even like to invest in a dry food dispenser that not only keeps things organised but might even encourage the kids to make a mess-free breakfast.
Create a System to Organise Crockery, Mugs and Glasses
From dish drawers and open shelving to pull-out and built-in plate racks, the solutions for storing plates and dishes are endless, so it comes down to the style of your kitchen as to what option you choose.
Mugs and glasses look great stored on open shelving, but if you’re the sort of household that doesn’t have matching cups or dishware, this option is probably not for you. This also applies to mug racks. Neatly stored in a cabinet close to the kettle is generally the best option, which leads us onto the all-important question, which way should mugs and glasses be stored — rim up or down?
Keep That New Kitchen Feeling For Longer
While having organised cabinets can streamline your kitchen tasks and make the space a more pleasant place to be, an organised kitchen starts with the optimal layout for your house. Easy Living Kitchens can help you with that!
A trusted and reliable kitchen renovation company, we can help you design your kitchen cabinets for optimal style and functionality with our kitchen design service. With thoughtful, professional design and durable, high-quality custom-made kitchens, we’re the company to call if you’re looking to renovate the kitchen in your Brisbane home. Contact us today on 1300 650 681 or visit our website to book a free consultation.