How to Maximize Storage and Organization in Your Kitchen (2022)

One space in your home that has a lot of different categories of stuff and can be difficult to get organized and keep organized is the kitchen. Doing a proper analysis of your storage needs is key and super important if you are planning to renovate your kitchen. Depending on how much cooking you do and how much you have stored in the kitchen, your organization and design needs can vary greatly.

The best way to keep your kitchen organized is to be sure to buy the best organizing tools you can find. Everything from fridge organizers to drawer organizers to functional under-cabinet systems. I have many favorite products for customizing kitchens, but each kitchen is slightly different, so the solutions are rarely ever the same. Visit the Before and After page on my website for some of my favourite kitchen renovations.

Here are a few of the most challenging categories and a few of my favorite solutions. [All of these products are available through Richelieu].

Recycling And Garbage Solutions

In Nova Scotia we are excellent recyclers which is sometimes one of the most difficult solutions to design for the kitchen especially if space is limited. The best system is to have rollouts with two large bins, one behind the other.  If you’ve got room, you need two sets of those.

Three bins will be for recycling (one paper, one bottles/cans/cartons, one for refundables). And one bin for garbage. If you don’t have room for recycling bins in the kitchen look for a nearby closet and place them on the floor.  If you don’t have space for garbage in your cabinets purchase a good quality, attractive garbage can but be sure to get the right size and shape to fit in your kitchen. This is my absolute favorite garbage can because it is long and narrow and has the automatic open and close function – so convenient!

Ideas for Organizing Spices

Spices can be tricky to organize and depending on where you plan to store them, you’ll need a different solution.  I do love a spice tray if you’ve got the drawer space.  You can sort your spices alphabetically and you can see what’s in each bottle.

If you don’t have the drawer space a pullout rack or door-mounted rack either in a low cabinet or an overhead cabinet also works nicely.  Location is key – as close to the stove as you can get.

Keeping Utensils Organized

Utensils are also hard to keep organized if you don’t have the right solution.  Even though I am not a huge fan of stuff on the countertop, a utensil container next to your stove with all the ones you use every day is very practical. Then the ones you don’t use as often can go in a drawer with the proper dividers for the size and type of utensil.

Sometimes spring-loaded drawer dividers are the most logical choice. You can place them anywhere in the drawer and move them around if needed.

The utensil trays that are sold in many places sometimes don’t hold very large utensils. However, in general they work well and I like the expandable ones best.

Choosing Under-Cabinet Storage Solutions

Over the years I have organized dozens of kitchens and designed many from scratch for a full renovation. If you currently have lower cabinets with only a shelf you know how difficult it is to see what you have and to keep it organized. The best solution for lower cabinets is a combination of drawers and rollouts. And rollouts are absolutely essential in a pantry cabinet.

In that nasty blind corner cabinet, if you have the budget, a Lemans is your best choice. It does use up a fair bit of space but gives you access to everything in a flash.

Plan for The Future

Plan ahead by considering what your needs will be in your kitchen in the future as your family grows and changes. Try to purchase solutions that can be used currently and in a new house or in your new kitchen if you are planning to renovate.

Please, while you are installing your new kitchen organizing products, do a good purge!

If you have a kitchen design challenge, leave a comment and I will do my best to make a few suggestions.