5 Genius ways kitchen designers maximise storage space

A kitchen can never have enough storage. Delicate glassware, large appliances and sharp knives are best stored away for safety, reducing clutter and preventing dust from accumulating. Here are five ways kitchen designers maximise storage while allowing easy access when inspiration strikes.

How designers maximise storage space in a kitchen

Here are five ways designers cleverly incorporate storage into design.

1. Use drawers instead of cabinets

Spices, lentils and the odd can of sardines can often find themselves lost in the back of cupboards. That’s why drawers are a great solution for hard to access lower areas. 

Drawers are perfect for accessing areas that are hard to see and reach. The pantry can have drawers for the lower sections, so you don’t lose that all important ingredient. Even cupboards can have drawers installed inside them to reach the back. 

Some spaces, such as the side of the fridge, are too deep and narrow for cupboards or drawers. That’s where a pull-out pantry can be handy. Food is easily accessed from either side of a pull-out pantry, with shelving made of wire baskets to see your ingredients easily. A pull-out pantry is a fantastic use of otherwise useless space.

2. Use appropriate hardware, such as corner pull-outs

Corner cabinets can be tricky places to access. Your kitchen designer will know the various pull-out options available to make the most of this storage space.

One option is a lazy susan. Some lay susans have a pole that the shelving spins around once you open the cabinet door. Others are attached to the door and spin around once opened. They come in various materials, such as wire, stainless steel, plastic trays and timber finishes. Some space is lost as you’re fitting a circular shape into a rectangular cabinet space. But, the space is more accessible, so you get more use out of it.

Otherwise, a kidney-shaped pull-out system, moving corners or half lazy susan could make your space more accessible.

3. In deep kitchen islands, have storage cabinets at the back side

An island bench is a great storage place. But, in large, deep benches, food, appliances and other household items can get lost. 

One solution is to have cabinets open on both sides of the island. One side could be deeper and contain the dishwasher and sink, with deeper adjacent cabinets. The other side could include shallower shelving behind cabinet doors.

4.  Take cabinetry to ceiling

Cabinets can be custom-made to fit from the floor to the ceiling. Not only does this create more storage space, but it also makes the kitchen feel bigger by drawing the eye up.

Store lesser used or larger items, such as Christmas decorations, wide mixing bowls or vases in the higher cabinets. 

5. The placement of appliances

The location of the stove, microwave, fridge, oven and dishwasher are important for both functionality and the look of your kitchen. They can also affect your storage space.

Most stoves need a rangehood above them, which can take up a lot of potential storage space. Downdraft extractors pull steam and fumes down, rather than up, and are built into the cooktop. Another alternative is to move the stove to the island bench. This frees up the wall for cabinetry. The rangehood doesn’t take up as much space as a cabinet over the island bench, so it still leaves the area quite open.

Placing the dishwasher and sink in the island bench is another good option. The plumbing is not occupying precious space in the wall cabinet, yet the dishwasher is still quite handy for putting away cutlery and bowls. 

It’s important the dishwasher is close to cutlery drawers and where crockery is stored, so it’s easy to put away. Also, make sure the cutlery and crockery doors or drawers can be fully opened at the same time as the dishwasher door, so unloading is easy.