How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets

April 22, 2021

Regardless of the size of your kitchen, you can quickly feel like you’re running out of space if things are not organized well. Although cabinets are not the only storage components available for your kitchen, they are essential for storing things and keeping them organized. But, how you organize your kitchen cabinets, both in the placement of them in your kitchen and how you arrange things inside of them, makes a big difference. Here are some tips on how to organize kitchen cabinets for more effective storage:

1. Declutter Your Cabinets & Categorize What’s Left

One of the best things you can do to start organizing your kitchen cabinets is to declutter. Go through what you have and get rid of anything you don’t need or haven’t used for years. As you think about how to arrange and organize your cabinets, this allows you to focus only on the things you actually need to store and will use.

This also allows you to categorize what you have left by how you use it in the kitchen. Often, food tends to be stored separately from cookware or plateware. Also, consider how often you use certain items. Things you use more often should be more convenient and easily accessible while things you only use a few times a year don’t need to be as readily within reach.

2. Get Creative When Adding Cabinets

Having the right cabinets for your needs affects how you organize them and that starts with the design of your kitchen. In some cases, it can seem like you can never have enough cabinets. These storage spaces can fit almost anywhere and there are many kitchen cabinet styles to choose from.

But, that doesn’t mean you have to stuff your kitchen full of them. Instead, get creative when you are adding cabinets and don’t think you have to stick with something traditional if that’s not what works for you. Whether they are below your tables, above your counter, or placed somewhere else, cabinets can often be easily fitted almost anywhere.

In addition to storage, they can also serve as eye candy if they are well-decorated. Don’t be afraid to bring a portable step ladder into your kitchen to be able to use higher spaces for ingredients, cookware, or other items that you don’t need to use frequently.

3. Add More Shelves to Your Walls

Empty wall space can be a great place to add shelves. Open shelves are a popular choice and tend to look great and work well with traditional cabinets and other styles.

Plus, you can pair open shelves with containers and racks to create even more space while storing loose items, like spices or utensils, more efficiently.

4. Use Hooks to Save Space

Hooks are another great item that can help you reduce what you need to store inside cabinets and they can be used to better arrange things within cabinets as well. If it has a handle, you can use a hook to hang it.

Hooks can be useful for hanging measuring spoons, cups, or similar items. You can also use them to hang mugs or cups with handles inside a cabinet or even underneath them to free up even more space.

5. Include Baskets and Bins to Increase Storage Capacity

Baskets and bins can be placed just about anywhere to add more storage to your kitchen. But, they can also be used to increase storage capacity inside your kitchen cabinets and drawers. They allow you to group or stack similar items to organize them more conveniently.

You can also use bins or racks to store dishes, cutting boards, etc. vertically to help save space and store these items in a more efficient and convenient way. Although baskets and bins take up cabinet space, using them effectively can end up freeing up more space in your cabinets.

6. Organize Things Effectively With Container Systems

Baskets and bins can also be used to help you create a container system. This is one of the reasons they are so useful when it comes to organizing your kitchen cabinets more effectively.

Whether you’re storing food, utensils, plates, etc., a well-organized container system is one of the pantry organization tips you can use to keep everything in your cabinets in its place, maximize the storage space you have available, and access it more conveniently.

Additionally, you can include tiered organizers inside your bigger cabinets to give you the convenience of shelves and levels of storage space. This can be helpful in organizing pans, food storage containers, drinkware, and more in a spacious cabinet.

7. Maximize Available Space With a Pull-Out Pantry

Pull-out or slide-out kitchen pantries give you all the convenience of a regular pantry without taking up as much space. They function similarly to cabinets, but slide out of the walls or between sections of your kitchen.

The beauty of slide-out pantries is that they are versatile. They can be narrow to fit between the fridge and the counter or another area or as big as the walls of your home allow. And, they can be made to match your cabinets so that they blend right in.

8. Opt for Slide-Out Kitchen Cabinet Shelves

A twist on the slide-out pantry that you can use inside your kitchen cabinets is a slide-out kitchen cabinet shelf. These are essentially drawers that sit on rollers inside your kitchen cabinet and can slide out.

This makes it easy to pack a shelf full of items, use every inch of available space, and still be able to easily access the things in the back; all you have to do is slide out the shelf. Just make sure you pay attention to weight limits to the shelves you use and do not overload the shelf.

9. Make Use of the Corners

Corners can be inconvenient for storage and difficult to access. But, by adding a multi-tier lazy susan or corner shelves for easier access, you can store more in these areas and still reach everything easily. Built-in corner shelves are also one of the vertical storage ideas for your kitchen that can give you a better way to use an empty corner of the room.

When to comes to how to organize kitchen cabinets, effective storage is about where they are in your kitchen design as well as how you arrange things inside them. Getting creative, making the most of the space you have available, and being intentional with how you store items inside cabinets can help you organize kitchen cabinets to maximize space and store your things more effectively.

You can always remodel your kitchen or redo your cabinets. But, if no amount of remodeling is making your current house work for you, it may be time to consider investing in a custom home that is designed and built to suit your needs and style.

If you’re ready to get started on your own custom home, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090! We can help make your dream home a reality!