KITCHEN STORAGE

Wellborn Cabinet showcased several storage systems, including this pull-down option, which allows a user to bring items in upper cabinets down to a more reachable level. Grip the handle and pull, and the shelves swing out and down for easier access.

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Hardware Resources launched the pullout shown here. It comes in 5- and 8-inch widths and has a magnetic knife storage insert, utensil cups and other storage features. The unit is available now.

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Cabinet Storage 8. Drawer and cabinet organizers. It’s getting rare these days to open a cabinet and see a basic cavity with a shelf, or a drawer that’s merely empty space. Inserts, rollouts, pullouts and dedicated dividers maximize capacity and organize everything efficiently. Rev-a-Shelf’s new 4WTMD drawer system is intended to get a household’s junk drawer in order. The natural maple tiered insert fits standard 24-inch-wide and 22-inch-deep drawers and has pull-up trays and adjustable dividers.

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Door-Mounted Storage Mounting towel rails or racks to the inside of doors is an easy and inexpensive solution. It’s also a great place to store sponges and damp cloths, because they can dry out faster here. Tip: If you have a decorative or routed door front, compare the thickness of the door and the length of the screw to make sure you don’t drill straight through.

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A simple drawer at the bottom of the cabinet is handy for storing items that aren’t used frequently. The drawer will be in an area where someone is often standing, so consider whether that’s practical. Note the steel rod running the length of the upper cabinet — it’s a simple and space-efficient way to hold towels.

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Slide-Outs at the Bottom Most undersink spaces are obstructed by pipes and other plumbing. Adding sliding storage to the lowest part of the cabinet is a great way to provide access to hard-to-reach areas. This is especially true if you have a shelf in the middle of the space. Slide-out bins come in many depths. Tip: Consider practical issues when deciding on the size and placement of a bin. Under the sink may not be the ideal location if you have a large family or a very busy kitchen.

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The narrow section in front of the sink is often overlooked, but converting it into a tilt drawer creates a great spot for storing frequently used small items. Tip: It’s important to check a product’s hardware materials and warranty to make sure it’s suitable for wet items. These space-saving storage options can be pricey, so you want your investment to last.

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These U-shaped wire drawers provide more air circulation and better drying for sponges and wet items. This solution is a little less flexible and will require mixing and matching to make the pieces fit around the sink. Tip: As noted earlier, regular chromed or coated steel (as opposed to stainless steel or aluminum) carries the risk of rust.

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Special Drawers A U-shaped drawer can be made to fit your sink, creating storage in the nooks on either side of the sink that would otherwise be wasted. Tip: If the drawer is wood-based, make sure the edges are kept as dry as possible (or sealed) to prevent water damage.

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This shallow tray swings out from a corner cabinet.

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Corner Shelf Systems Corner systems like those made by Rev-A-Shelf, one of which is shown here, are good options for blind corners. These sturdy metal systems feature wire racks on rollers that you can slide and pull out of a tight, deep corner cabinet.

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Here, a wooden box within a drawer stores lids and small containers above larger containers. The box can be slid back and forth or taken out entirely.

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Wooden dowels are another good way to go. These allow you to quickly and easily adjust the space inside your drawer to accommodate storage containers as you replace your containers with ones in different sizes or shapes.

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Similarly, this slim pullout shelf stores lids above a container storage drawer.

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Here, a custom drawer with custom dividers snugly stores containers of various sizes. A slim pullout shelf above holds flat lids.

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Custom adjustable stainless steel inserts like these, manufactured by Blum, are a smart option. You can pop out these inserts and put them in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. A good kitchen designer will take an inventory of all your utensils, pots, pans, appliances, storage containers and the like, and develop dedicated storage right down to the inch for each item.

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Keep in mind the depth of your drawer in relation to your storage containers. Tall soup containers take up more vertical space than other container types, so you’ll want to work with your kitchen designer or cabinetmaker to create a drawer that can fit them.

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Three dividers can create two slim slots for lids and two wider areas for containers to maximize organization in a small drawer.

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Here, two wooden dividers separate lids from containers, creating an incredibly simple but effective organized system in a standard-size drawer.

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But you don’t have to get too fancy. Try playing with the number of dividers before committing to a solution to see what works for you. Here, one divider at the back of a drawer holds lids, while the larger front area provides space for stacking containers.

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This wide, deep drawer shows how adjustable inserts can organize dozens of pieces.

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Drawers With Dividers If you’ve got a rather large collection of food storage containers, then a better and more flexible option is a drawer with adjustable dividers. This allows you to create customized slots for organizing containers and lids, and gives you the freedom to store other vessels, tops, trays and other random pieces that tend to accumulate in a kitchen. Drawers are by far the best solution for storing food containers. Lightweight plastic food containers and lids get knocked around if stored on a shelf in a regular cabinet, and tend to eventually end up in a jumbled mess at the back of a cabinet. So all the solutions in this article involve drawers or rollouts.

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Here’s an interesting option that puts to use the storage at the back of an island that might otherwise go to waste.

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In the island might be a good option if you tend to stage your cleanup on the island countertop.

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Or maybe you prefer storing your containers near your range so you can easily grab them to put away food left on the stove.

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Next to the sink is another good option, offering handy access for someone who cleans and dries containers there.

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You’ll want to give some thought to the location of your food storage as well. Here, rollouts near the fridge are convenient for when someone is putting food away.

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But you can also specify a deep rollout that functions like the divided-drawer systems shown above in this article. Again, talk with your kitchen designer or cabinetmaker about which system is the right fit for you and your space.

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If you don’t have deep kitchen drawers, a rollout system might be for you. These systems can replace shelves behind cabinet doors, allowing you to store containers and lids deep inside a cabinet box but still conveniently pull them out. Typically these systems are configured with two rollouts: one near the bottom of the cabinet for storing larger containers and one near the top for storing lids and smaller containers.

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Here’s a similar rollout. This unit features small angled shelves for organizing lids and a shallow cubby below for containers.

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