Back to blog

A Place for Everything in Your Kitchen

Kitchen

 Inside of remodeled kitchen

It is great to accept your friends’ and family’s offer to help out with the cooking and cleaning, but if your kitchen is disorganized and cluttered that help only leads to more work on your part. It may be time to take stock of your storage needs and create a kitchen where there is ‘a place for everything and everything in its place.’

Whether you are looking for a kitchen makeover with customized storage features, a quick fix like a roll-away island, or something in between, there is sure to be a solution that is right for you.

Seamlessly Integrate Islands

“The kitchen island is a workhorse,” and is indispensable for adding storage and improving efficiency at mealtime. Islands can be the most versatile space in your kitchen with the potential to bring added counter and storage space, additional seating, as well as another sink and cooking surface. With the popularity of kitchen islands, you are bound to find one to fit your space and style preferences.

When you need extra storage, look to an island that incorporates cabinets, drawers, and shelves. Use glass or mesh designs on the doors to keep everything neatly stowed away, but still in sight. Include a wine rack, or a built-in plate rack to hold those over-sized serving platters. Don’t forget to include electrical outlets so you can store the blender then use it without having to take a step.

 Island with storage

A Pantry with Shelving that Works for You

A pantry is a necessity for families in this day of big-box stores and for keeping food in one location in the kitchen. Pantries offer the flexibility of different shelving shapes, heights, and depths to accommodate items of all sizes, floor space for bulky items, and are easily adapted for cookbook and cookware storage. 

You can include a pantry in your design when you take on a kitchen remodel project, or you can utilize existing space with a little work. Choose from options such as: converting existing cabinets with batwing doors for a swing-out pantry; hanging shelves along a wall and adding sliding doors in front of them for a simple reach-in pantry; or, using a bump-out to create a walk-in pantry. You can also look outside the kitchen and convert your hall closet or under-stair storage area to a pantry.

Cabinets, Drawers and More

Cabinets are the mainstay of your kitchen so you want them to make a statement, but you also want them to be functional. With the proper configuration and combination of shelves and drawer space, you won’t have to use your countertops as overflow storage.

A higher concentration of drawers on the base cabinet sections makes items easier to access than cabinet doors. Wide, deep drawers can hold small kitchen appliances and pots and pans, while rows of various sized drawers are perfect for storage containers and kitchen linens. Take your wall cabinets all the way to the ceiling and place infrequently used items in previously inaccessible space. Wall-to-ceiling cabinets are gaining in popularity and provide a full array of storage options all in one location in the kitchen.

Make sure to include toe-kick drawers in your storage options so you can also utilize that tiny gap that is often left between your floor and your lower cabinets. The drawers are perfect for cookie sheets, and those holiday plates used once a year.

Add shelving on open walls that can double as functional and decorative space. For a short-term solution, look for roll-away islands and carts with drawers, shelves, and cutting board surfaces that can be used to hold all those extras needed when entertaining.

Keep the Space Organized

Now that you have all that extra space, make sure to keep it organized and optimized. Look to Pinterest for ideas so you can take advantage of every inch of storage. Use turntables and spice racks inside drawers. Cutlery inserts keep all the utensils separated and easy to find. Hang racks on the cabinet and pantry doors, and fill pretty bins and bowls with loose items.

You and your guests love to gather in your kitchen, so keep it organized and inviting. When you are ready to increase your kitchen storage space we are here to help. Contact the professionals at CQC Home to help with pantry build-outs and custom island configurations that include plumbing, appliances, and specialized countertops.