By Kathleen Aked from Sunday Interiors Studio
Storage! It’s the number one most important aspect of any house, whether it’s a large family home or a small apartment! When you don’t have enough of it you end up with a cluttered mess, no matter the size or contents of your home. And if I’ve learnt one thing in my time in this industry (or time living) it’s that you can quite literally never have enough storage.
The kitchen is always a good place to start, it’s the one place you never seem to have enough space and can be the most costly to make major changes to. So what if I told you that you didn’t have to go overboard to make the most out of your current kitchen layout?
Here are 5 ways to increase the storage in your kitchen
Corner Cupboards
If you have base cabinets which tuck away into a corner, these can often become wasted space or worse, be closed off completely. I recommend putting a Lazy Susan into this space. Most Lazy Susans come in 2 or 3 tiered options so you can tuck saucepans or pots away into the space and then pull them out with full access as needed. If on the other hand the corner cupboard is positioned on a section where you can access this from the outside of the kitchen, consider closing this off from the inside of the kitchen and access via a cupboard door on the outside.
Cupboards to the Ceiling
Most builders will provide a bulkhead from the top of your cupboards to the ceiling, but if you were smart enough to choose a builder who does slightly higher than average ceiling heights, you should consider taking advantage of this and adding the additional height to your kitchen cupboards and have them meet the ceiling. It gives the illusion of a larger and grander kitchen and is great for storing things like special glasses and plates and other items you don’t need access to all the time.
Island Bench
If you have a little bit of room in the budget and you have the space in the floor plan, consider making your island bench slightly deeper. An extra 300mm goes a long way. Not only will it give you more surface area to work on and prep meals but will provide under bench storage on the outer side of the kitchen which is perfect for storing vases and similar items that would otherwise take up valuable real estate in the more practical areas in the kitchen. Highly recommend this option if it’s possible for you.
Walk-in Pantry
This seems like a no brainer, right? A walk-in pantry doesn’t necessarily have to mean a butler’s pantry with an additional sink and cooking facilities though. A slightly larger pantry with 4 to 6 shelves and a door will do wonders to hide away those bulkier items which either sit on the bench top or take up an entire cupboard on their own (i.e., air fryers and kitchenaids). You’ll be surprised how much bigger your kitchen feels once you get those appliances out of the main kitchen and into their own designated spots in the pantry. (As an added bonus, it also means you don’t have to be bending down and trying to get them out from underneath the bench every time).
Bin Drawers
I know this isn’t really “adding” storage to your kitchen, but I’m such a believer in them adding so much ease to your life; and this is just my opinion but there is nothing less attractive in a home than the ghastly bin which sits just outside of your kitchen. There are varying options out there but my preference would be a double bin drawer; using one for regular rubbish and the other for recyclables. You can thank me later on this one!
When planning your new home, Don’t overlook your Kitchen storage requirements. Vogue-Homes has experts to help you choose the right design and inclusions for the Kitchen in your new home. Contact us to talk to one of our consultants today.
