Make the Most of Your Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets and shelving are mandatory for every home; despite space, style, or family size. The kitchen can easily be one of the most utilized spaces in an entire home. We have all been there –  by the time everything has been cleaned and put away properly after a task such as making lunch, it is almost time to start the preparations for dinner! With Cabinet Systems, create and manage your own storage space for its highest functionality, by making everything easier to view, find, and replace. The kitchen is where magic can happen, so do not let clutter and preventable obstacles get in your way!

Using Pinterest, we have compiled a list of the best ways to utilize your kitchen cabinets. All ideas and photos are credited to various authors.

Prioritize

Are you continually digging for that one thing you always need? But it is always buried beneath a cluster of items you don’t need? Begin to organize your cabinets from bottom to top: most important and used to least used. Community plates are an obvious example of this design as every member of the household uses them. When it comes to bulkier mixing bowls or decorative party plates, store them up high for those rare and special occasions. This may be a no-brainer to some, but this is probably the best way to optimize kitchen use in its simplest form. 

Compartmentalize

The phrase is an oldie but a goodie: “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Contrary to what one would think, extra racks and shelves can actually make more room in a cupboard rather than take it up. For example, plates, or plastic storage container lids are thin but wide. When stored on their sides using a basic drying rack (pictured left), it allows more surface area of the cupboard to be utilized.

Another clever way to compartmentalize is by adding drawers to basic shelves. This is ideal for pantry items, especially if they are labeled by category. It carries the concept of a cabinet with the simplicity of shelving. Depending on how many lifts are in a pantry this can organize clutter and end it once and for all!

 

Hooks

Properly placed hooks can make items like measuring cups and various utensils easy to find, as well as prevent entanglement with other items. It is not recommended to install the hooks on the backs of cupboard doors, but rather in the back or sides of the cabinet. Small, removable hooks can be found at most housewares stores.

Loose Packaging

Whether it is spices, hot cocoa, or even instant noodles, random little packages can get lost in everything! Cubbies installed in the inside of the pantry itself can be useful for smaller and easily-lost items. One way to free up pantry shelves is to remove these individually wrapped packages out of their specific boxes. An example of this would be boxes of individually wrapped popcorn packs, or boxes of 1 serving size instant oatmeal!

Add Shelves

For cookbooks, plants, or other miscellaneous items. As long as the shelves are not exposed to high amounts of steam, paper items should be safe. Shelving is ideal for easy-access and displaying items in your cooking space for that extra pop of color or expensive plate set you want to show off to guests (notice also the ingenious use of hooks in the photo to the right). For a cleaner look, try to add shelves that match or compliment either the wood or color of your cupboards. These are also very easy to find and install, as materials for shelves can be purchased an any home improvement store.

 

These are some of our favorite ideas used to make the most of your custom kitchen cabinets. For more ideas, search “Kitchen Cabinet Organization” on Pinterest!