A kitchen can look fantastic, but if there’s nowhere to put anything, the benchtops will quickly become cluttered and the cupboards will overflow.
Good storage is a necessity in modern kitchens. It gives everything a place, keeps essentials within easy reach and makes the kitchen a much nicer space to work in. You don’t need a huge kitchen to get it right, with the right planning, even small kitchens can offer plenty of practical storage.
If you’re renovating an existing kitchen or starting from scratch, here are some ways to make better use of the space you have.
Start With What You Actually Need to Store
Before thinking about cabinetry and storage accessories, take a look at what you already have in your kitchen.
Do you own a collection of pots and pans? Are your cupboards packed with small appliances? Do you need room for kids’ lunchboxes, baking supplies or all the extra bits and pieces that come with a busy household?
Think about how you use the kitchen each day, too. There’s little point storing your most-used cooking utensils in a cupboard on the other side of the room. Keep pots and pans near the cooktop, food preparation tools close to your main work area and plates and glasses somewhere handy for serving.
It sounds simple, but getting these details right makes a kitchen much easier to live with.
Swap Some Cupboards for Deep Drawers
If there’s one storage feature you should consider, it’s deep drawers.
Traditional cupboards can make it difficult to reach things at the back, particularly when they’re filled with heavy pots, pans or food containers. Drawers bring everything out to you, so you can see what’s there without having to move half the cupboard around.
They also work well for different types of storage. Shallow drawers are ideal for cutlery and utensils, while deeper drawers can hold cookware and larger kitchen items.
Make Your Pantry Work Harder
A good pantry can take a big amount of clutter out of the rest of the kitchen. It gives groceries, snacks, and small appliances a dedicated home, freeing up other cupboards and benchtops.
The right setup will depend on the size of your kitchen. A walk-in pantry or butler’s pantry is a great option if you have the room, but a full-height pantry cupboard can be just as useful in a smaller space.
Pay attention to shelf depth, too. Deep shelves might look like they offer more storage, but they can make it easy for food to get lost at the back. Pull-out shelves, adjustable shelving and internal drawers make it easier to see what you have and grab what you need.
If your benchtop is usually covered in appliances, consider adding a dedicated appliance cupboard. You can keep your toaster, coffee machine or air fryer close at hand without having them permanently on display.
Find a Better Use for Corner Cupboards
Corner cupboards can be tricky. They’re often deep and difficult to access, which means things get pushed to the back and stay there.
There are clever ways to make these spaces more useful. Pull-out corner units, rotating carousels and specially designed corner drawers can all help you get better access to the space.
The best solution will depend on your kitchen layout and what you want to store. It’s worth planning this early, rather than leaving an awkward corner to deal with once the cabinetry is already in place.
Don’t Waste the Space in Your Kitchen Island
A island bench can also provide some of the most useful storage in the room.
Depending on the design, you could include deep drawers for pots and pans, cupboards for larger appliances or shelves for cookbooks and serving pieces. You might even be able to add storage on the side of the island that faces away from the main cooking area.
Just make sure the storage doesn’t get in the way of how you plan to use the island. There still needs to be enough room for seating, movement and easy access around the kitchen.
Make Every Part of Your Kitchen Count
A family kitchen will have different storage needs to a home designed for keen cooks or someone who loves entertaining. That’s why you should think about how you live, what you need to store and which features will make everyday tasks easier before settling on a design.
At Hollywood Kitchens, we believe a great kitchen should look good and work just as well behind the doors and drawers. Our team designs custom kitchens Perth homeowners love using.
If you’re exploring modern kitchen designs in Perth, get in touch with us to talk about creating a kitchen that makes the most of every centimetre.
