The two most important considerations when incorporating kitchen storage ideas into your kitchen are the reduction of clutter and the provision of easy access to kitchen items. Convenience is the key ingredient of kitchen planning with easy-to-reach and easy-to-find food, utensils and equipment. It's not necessary to rip down walls and invest in new cabinets and appliances to improve your kitchen. Armed with a few simple tools and a good plan, you can make the room more attractive, comfortable, and convenient.
Start With A Plan
1. Measure your kitchen and draw a floor plan of the room; diagram each wall with its fixtures. Note the placement of all windows, doors, wall sockets, electrical outlets, appliances, and furniture, and the dimensions of the unused space available. Use a tape measure and note measurements carefully.
2. Where there are fixed features (e.g. sink, dishwasher), examine the space above and around it and consider how it could be made more efficient.
3. Analyze your cooking, cleaning, and baking patterns, and decide what materials you use most often in certain work areas (e.g. stove, table) and consider how you can make them available by storing them nearby (e.g. a spice rack above or beside the stove).
4. Use materials that help beautify your kitchen by consistently choosing the same or compatible colors and materials for any visible stand, shelving unit, rack, bin, or container (e.g. stainless steel, wrought iron, pine, oak, wicker, plastic, etc.).
Look in the Marketplace for Kitchen Storage Ideas
1. There are many items available to help organize your kitchen and you should take time to shop around before you make your final choices.
2. Note that some storage units require assembly, and many others need to be attached to walls or doors, etc. This means, one of your first decisions should be to purchase a standard or cordless power drill and/or power screwdriver, a stud finder, and some fill.
- Cordless drills allow you to drill holes and place your screws quickly and efficiently without worrying about a cord dangling in your way or requiring a mad search for a needed extension cord.
- A stud finder will help you locate the right spot to drill a hole and hang an item securely attached to a stud.
- A fill is for those occasions when you thought you had located a stud and so you drilled a hole only to discover you were wrong. Expect to perform a few patch-up jobs – it happens to everyone.
Consider Some of These Options
1. You love islands in the kitchen but there is no room in yours: Buy a table that takes up less room and purchase a mobile work trolley to use as an island.
2. You can't find a stud and want to attach a number of items to the wall: Hang a stainless steel wall panel with hooks for racks, bars, and shelves.
3. You have an awkward space in, say, a corner cupboard: A pull-out cantilevered tray can be a solution.
4. There is no room for all your pots and pans: Suspend them from hooks on a ceiling rail.
5. You have very little floor space: Consider narrow shelves or suspended tiers, and at the table use folding or stackable chairs that can easily be moved out of the way.
6. You have too many plastic lids; too many dishes, too many cleaning items: Attach a lid holder to the inside of a cabinet door; attach a holder for boxes of wax paper and tinfoil, etc., to another door; and use a caddy case for cleaning items.
7. It's difficult to find one of many items in two drawers: Consider declaring one drawer "plastic only"; the other "metal only." There are also great drawer dividers, spice jar inserts, etc.
8. Remember simple storage rules:
- Infrequently used items can be stored up high or in another room.
- Heavy items should be stored low so that they can't hurt anyone if dropped.
Good kitchen storage ideas are those that match your lifestyle and allow you to work quickly and efficiently.
About the Author:
Scott Gray is currently a home improvement enthusiast and freelance writer who enjoys providing tips to consumers about do-it-yourself repairs for maintaining their homes.
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