If your kitchen is anything like every other kitchen on the planet Earth, you could use more storage. From cooking gadgets to cups, plates, cutlery, spices or even your own in-home wine cooler, there’s never enough space for all that good stuff.
Here are 5 insanely clever storage concepts that you can either make or buy to clear up the clutter in your work area.
1. How about an extra set of shelves…
…on the counter.
It’s so brilliant and so simple yet most people never even consider amplifying their countertop space by heading up instead of spreading out.
This two-tier countertop shelf is perfect for those without extra kitchen floor space for a full free-standing shelving unit. The stainless steel finish matches any kitchen décor and is easy to clean and keep looking new. The unit provides ample clearance to prepare food on the countertop underneath the shelf.
And guess what? It’s under twenty bucks, to boot.
2. Peg boards aren’t just for the garage
With a little paint and an empty wall, you can transform the classic pegboard tool storage system into a nifty display rack for serving spoons, spatulas, colanders, whisks, frying pans and more. If it’s got a hole you can hang it from a pegboard.
One of the great advantages of this technique is that nothing is permanent. You can mix and match pegboard accessories and easily rearrange items until you find the perfect formula.
As an added bonus, consider hanging wall mount baskets or metal racks from the pegboard for additional storage.
3. All aboard the diy express: magnet spice rack
Part of the reason spices do such a number on our storage space is the fact that they come in so many different sizes and shapes of containers.
Build this magnet spice rack by Instructables and a jumbled spice collection will be a thing of the past. Finding the herbs and spices you need will be a breeze as you can easily organize by alphabetical order, food type or however you wish.
4. A simple wicker basket can work wonders
Ever wonder what to do with all those large, flat objects that just won’t stay upright in the cupboard?
Stack all your cutting boards, cookie sheets and cooling racks into a large rectangular wicker basket to be placed at the end of your countertop or in an unused corner or nook.
5. Good enough for the office—good enough for the kitchen
Some of the most innovative kitchen storage concepts revolve around repurposing items originally meant for organizing your office desk. Check out Office Depot’s accessories page and let your creativity run wild.
What’s better is that you’ll pay a lot less at an office supply store for the same exact racks and baskets than you would for those marketed to the family chef.
The same goes for industrial-styled metallic shelving units. There’s no reason a rack designed for the supplies’ closet can’t double as a pantry organizer!
