Your Favorite Kitchen Storage + Organization Ideas on Instagram
If there’s one topic that’s always popular on Houzz, Pinterest, and Instagram, it’s home organization and storage ideas and tips. While we want everything from closets to bathroom cabinets organized, keeping things thoughtfully arranged is especially critical in the kitchen.
It seems as though there’s never quite enough space in the kitchen, a multi-purpose room for everything from cooking and eating to paying bills and feeding pets. Plus, it’s not just a workspace; these days kitchens are the heart of the home and they have decor to match.
Adding more storage is one of the top requests from my kitchen design clients, so I’ve spent a lot of time finding ways to use every inch of space. If you’re as keen as the rest of us to find the best ways to organize every part of your kitchen, keep reading for the best kitchen storage and organizing ideas from our own design practice and other favorite designers on Instagram.
Spice Route
We do lots of spice drawers because they’re one of the best ways to have everything at hand. And in a drawer, you actually can see all your spices instead of digging around in the back of a cabinet. I love the way the matching bottles and labels in this spice drawer by Jennifer, the home organizer behind The Orderly Space, make this drawer look perfectly pulled together.
Top Drawer
For some reason, pot lids never seem to stay put inside a cabinet with the rest of the pots. They slide around, falling out when we don’t need them. And then when we want a particular lid, it requires taking everything out. This angled drawer was a personal solution for storing lids and shallow sauté pans, and I like the way it keeps lids from getting scratched.
Mis en Place
This idea comes straight from professional restaurant kitchens, where having everything in the proper place is key to creating hundreds of meals efficiently. The team at Toronto’s Watchtower Interiors is showing these drawers with bins for vegetables that don’t need refrigeration. But you could also fill them with containers of rice, beans, pastas and other non-perishable items you need close at hand.
Taking out the Trash
No matter how nice a trash can looks, it’s just not something anyone wants on display in the kitchen. And ditto for the recycling bin. That’s why this custom pullout cabinet that hides both receptacles has been so popular. We’ve also designed versions with a composting bin. The paper towel roll drawer, either above the trash or nearby, is convenient for cleaning up messes that don’t make it into the trash on the first try.
A Tight Corner
@odysseyofdesign,
Finding the best way to use that deep corner in the kitchen can be such a challenge. You could put a cabinet up on the wall, but it’s often difficult to reach anything in the back. That’s why I liked this approach by Stonington Cabinetry and Design. An open shelf that’s used to group decorative items and books that aren’t used every day is a winning idea.
Disappearing Dish Rack
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know one of my pet peeves is seeing a messy dish rack sitting out on the counter of an otherwise stunning kitchen. Before I designed my all-in-one sink and dish drain, I used a narrow sliver of space between cabinets to create a slot for a walnut dish rack. The homeowner loved it and now I want one too.
Pantry Pride
With all the interest in British-style kitchens, it was only natural that the pantry would make a comeback. This hidden pantry lined in stone by Life Kitchens is beautiful and compact, creating a space to store and prepare food that can be easily closed off when company arrives.
Cat and Dog
You wouldn’t think cat food would be all that appealing to dogs, oh but it is. Or at your house, maybe it’s a cat-on-cat issue, with the bigger kitty eating the kitten’s kibble. Either way, if you have more than one pet, you’ve probably dealt with squabbles when Pet A eats food intended for Pet B. And here’s the solution: Using the space under the cabinets for a drawer that keeps food bowls under wraps until dinner is served.