Remodeling your kitchen is one of the most exciting and life-changing experiences you will have. However, to ensure that everything is perfect, it’s vital to take the time and energy to think through every aspect of the design critically. This is an opportunity to craft your kitchen to suit your specific needs and design it for the way you live. We all cook, bake and spend time in our kitchen in unique ways, and storage options are among the most critical aspects of the kitchen’s built-in design.
What to Think about Before Selecting Storage Options
There will be a time during your kitchen remodel journey where you get to decide what types of cabinets and drawers are installed. This is where you’ll select door styles, cabinet sizes, and storage options.
Everyone cooks differently. Some of us use Crockpots, blenders, waffle irons, and almost any other new gadget we can get our hands on. In contrast, some of us prefer woks, dutch ovens, muffin tins, and bunt cake pans. Each chef needs their kitchen to be tailored to meet their needs. Before meeting with your personal designer to select kitchen built-in storage options, first look through the types of tools you utilize in your kitchen daily. This will allow you to see what you use most, what needs to be readily available, and what unique storage options you might need.
Cutting Board Storage
You can’t have too many cutting boards. There are a plethora of different sizes and shapes to suit every need. There are even cutting boards explicitly made to serve food, like charcuterie boards. With all those aesthetically pleasing wooden boards lying around, it can be hard to find the perfect place for them within your kitchen. To solve this problem, you can integrate a unique storage option made precisely for storing cutting boards. This cabinet can be thin or wide depending on your collection, and it holds the boards upright to allow airflow and easy access. It’s almost like a cutting board library!
Tall Pull-Out Storage
Otherwise known as “pull-out pantries,” these are drawers with multiple shelving. Many cooks have so many spices they don’t even know where to put them, and in traditionally designed drawers or lazy susans, it can be hard to find what you need or even see everything you have. With these pull-out storage options, you can customize the shelves to suit your specific needs and show off your spices, oils, cooking utensils, and more.
Spice Drawer
Speaking of spices, while conventional drawers are terrible at keeping spices organized, you can select a drawer designed to hold spices at an angle where you can see every herb and its label when you pull it out. This saves time and space and keeps your spices within an easy reach. No more burning garlic while you look for the dried rosemary.
Appliance Garage
Toasters, waffle irons, kitchen aid mixers, oh-my! There is a handy gadget for almost everything now, and we aren’t complaining, that is, until we start running out of counter space. If you’re the type of cook, you utilize blenders, food processors, and Instapots, you might benefit from adding an appliance garage to the design of your kitchen-built ins. Although they come in all shapes, sizes, and options, appliance garages serve the same purpose. They have designated, hiding, storage for those small appliances and get them off the counter and out of the way when you’re not using them. Some even have plugs in the back, so you don’t even have to carry them across the kitchen. You can use them right within the garage, and when you’re done, shut the door, and you’re good to go.
Dinnerware Drawers
While they are traditionally stored in overhead cabinets, dinnerware has recently started to migrate to the lower cabinets in drawers. Depending on the types of dishes you use, these drawers can be customized and fitted to your plates, bowls, mugs, cups, and anything else you might use. This makes it easier than reaching over your head to grab eight plates for a dinner party and is an excellent option to make a home more accessible.
Island Drawers
Depending on the size of the kitchen island you’re designing, it might be a good idea to consider adding drawers. Unless there is a sink with plumbing that will get in the way, and the island is an excellent way to sneak more storage into your kitchen. It also gives the island more character and extends its useability. Consider making these drawers deeper and storing big pots and pans that otherwise take up an enormous amount of space within other areas of the kitchen.
Knife Drawer
A few knife blocks look great sitting on a kitchen counter; however, they often get in the way, take up precious counter space, and get dirty. Instead, consider storing that impressive knife collection in a drawer. There are soft inserts you can add to a thin drawer where knives can safely be stored. This also protects their blades from going dull and protects them from airborne dirt, dust, and oil while cooking meals.
It doesn’t matter if you rarely cook or if you’re an avid chef who loves spending hours in the kitchen. Having the correct type of storage within your new kitchen built-ins will make life easier and cooking less of a hassle. Use one or all of these fantastic storage options to tailor your kitchen remodel for you and your family.
