6 Expert Tips for Reducing Clutter in Your Kitchen
Feeling overwhelmed? Let these designers show you how to create a calmer kitchen space
Storage is an essential element of a well-functioning kitchen, but it can be tricky to get it just right. Knowing how to create spaces that feel calm and organised is a skill these designers all share. From big ideas to smaller organisational tips, find out how they’ve brought order to these schemes.
2. Squeeze in under-bench drawers
As well as the wall and base units and the full-height cabinets in this kitchen, designer Jo Llogarajah of Studio JKL had a clever idea to pack even more storage into this compact space: the area under the window seat has deep drawers all the way around.
If you want to try something similar in your own kitchen, aim to make the window seat as deep as possible to allow for maximum comfort as well as maximum storage.
“For a window seat to be comfortable, go for a 500mm to 550mm depth,” Jo says. “This one is a little deeper because of the window being a bit set in.”
This will allow plenty of room for stashing shoes, garden bits and pieces, toys, or anything else that tends to accumulate in a busy kitchen space.
See more of this kitchen design.
Ask your home professional if they use Houzz Pro software. Tools such as 3D Floor Plans and Mood Boards can help you visualise designs for your space.
As well as the wall and base units and the full-height cabinets in this kitchen, designer Jo Llogarajah of Studio JKL had a clever idea to pack even more storage into this compact space: the area under the window seat has deep drawers all the way around.
If you want to try something similar in your own kitchen, aim to make the window seat as deep as possible to allow for maximum comfort as well as maximum storage.
“For a window seat to be comfortable, go for a 500mm to 550mm depth,” Jo says. “This one is a little deeper because of the window being a bit set in.”
This will allow plenty of room for stashing shoes, garden bits and pieces, toys, or anything else that tends to accumulate in a busy kitchen space.
See more of this kitchen design.
Ask your home professional if they use Houzz Pro software. Tools such as 3D Floor Plans and Mood Boards can help you visualise designs for your space.
3. Zone your storage
It can be tempting to pack in as many cupboards as possible, but thinking carefully about how you plan to use the space can help to ensure the design is perfectly tailored to your daily routine.
The initial design for this kitchen by PlaceDesign Kitchens and Interiors had all the units running down the long wall, until designer John Place suggested zoning the storage space to have a bank of appliances to the left of the doorway.
This meant he could keep the main cooking area light and open, with just two tall cupboards either end. Each of these cupboards is designed to store the items that will be used in that part of the kitchen.
The left-hand tall cupboard on the sink run, situated closest to the appliances, is a pantry with reduced-depth shelves to accommodate spice racks on the doors. “This also holds appliances such as the toaster,” John says, which keeps the worktops free.
Meanwhile, the cupboard on the right, closest to the dining table, just contains shelves and is designed for crockery.
Look around the whole of this kitchen and the adjoining boot room/utility.
It can be tempting to pack in as many cupboards as possible, but thinking carefully about how you plan to use the space can help to ensure the design is perfectly tailored to your daily routine.
The initial design for this kitchen by PlaceDesign Kitchens and Interiors had all the units running down the long wall, until designer John Place suggested zoning the storage space to have a bank of appliances to the left of the doorway.
This meant he could keep the main cooking area light and open, with just two tall cupboards either end. Each of these cupboards is designed to store the items that will be used in that part of the kitchen.
The left-hand tall cupboard on the sink run, situated closest to the appliances, is a pantry with reduced-depth shelves to accommodate spice racks on the doors. “This also holds appliances such as the toaster,” John says, which keeps the worktops free.
Meanwhile, the cupboard on the right, closest to the dining table, just contains shelves and is designed for crockery.
Look around the whole of this kitchen and the adjoining boot room/utility.
4. Maximise unusual angles
Thinking creatively can sometimes be the key to maximising storage in a small space. In this clever design by Wise Owl Interiors, an awkward sloping ceiling is turned into a design feature thanks to the bespoke wall cupboards, which were designed to fit flush to the ceiling, giving a clean, streamlined look and ensuring every inch of space is utilised.
Bespoke doesn’t have to mean super-expensive, either; the kitchen furniture shown here is a combination of bespoke ply fronts and shop-bought carcasses to save money.
“Using off-the-shelf carcasses shaved about £5,000 off the overall bill, so it was worth it,” says designer Nicole Burnett, who used Houzz Pro tools to upload and share each new detail with the owners.
Take a full tour of this city flat.
Thinking creatively can sometimes be the key to maximising storage in a small space. In this clever design by Wise Owl Interiors, an awkward sloping ceiling is turned into a design feature thanks to the bespoke wall cupboards, which were designed to fit flush to the ceiling, giving a clean, streamlined look and ensuring every inch of space is utilised.
Bespoke doesn’t have to mean super-expensive, either; the kitchen furniture shown here is a combination of bespoke ply fronts and shop-bought carcasses to save money.
“Using off-the-shelf carcasses shaved about £5,000 off the overall bill, so it was worth it,” says designer Nicole Burnett, who used Houzz Pro tools to upload and share each new detail with the owners.
Take a full tour of this city flat.
5. Build a ‘storage wall’
If you’re planning a full kitchen renovation, take inspiration from this thoughtful kitchen scheme by Studio Fabbri. Designer Gemma Fabbri had a run of floor-to-ceiling cupboards fitted to hide away appliances, food supplies, the boiler and everyday clutter that might otherwise drift onto work surfaces.
“I wanted to get things off the worktop, as it’s mostly on the island and I didn’t want much on there,” Gemma says.
The tall run of units has two standard Ikea cabinets on the left, one of which contains the fridge-freezer, then two wider, 800mm ones, which were made bespoke. One is a double-door larder cupboard containing a coffee machine and toaster.
Every member of the family has been considered, too; when Gemma was left with a slim space next to the boiler cupboard, she decided to make a cat tunnel. “The panel pops off so you can get in there to clean it, and there’s a piece of carpet in there so their feet dry a little” she says.
Learn more about this kitchen renovation.
If you’re planning a full kitchen renovation, take inspiration from this thoughtful kitchen scheme by Studio Fabbri. Designer Gemma Fabbri had a run of floor-to-ceiling cupboards fitted to hide away appliances, food supplies, the boiler and everyday clutter that might otherwise drift onto work surfaces.
“I wanted to get things off the worktop, as it’s mostly on the island and I didn’t want much on there,” Gemma says.
The tall run of units has two standard Ikea cabinets on the left, one of which contains the fridge-freezer, then two wider, 800mm ones, which were made bespoke. One is a double-door larder cupboard containing a coffee machine and toaster.
Every member of the family has been considered, too; when Gemma was left with a slim space next to the boiler cupboard, she decided to make a cat tunnel. “The panel pops off so you can get in there to clean it, and there’s a piece of carpet in there so their feet dry a little” she says.
Learn more about this kitchen renovation.
6. Choose storage drawers
With a growing family, the owners of this home in Lewes, East Sussex, had a list of essentials for their new kitchen. One of the top asks was lots of storage.
The owners were also happy to invest in a kitchen that would stand the test of time. “They wanted a quality kitchen with solid oak drawers and dovetail joints,” designer Robert Nye of Herringbone Kitchens says. And it was these storage drawers that were key to the design.
Situated in the large central island, the deep drawers feature internal drawers to subdivide the space and ensure everything has a home, from plates and cups to pots and pans. There’s even a dedicated drawer just for spice jars, ensuring nothing gets lost at the back of a cupboard.
See the whole of this kitchen.
Tell us…
Which of these storage ideas has inspired you? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
With a growing family, the owners of this home in Lewes, East Sussex, had a list of essentials for their new kitchen. One of the top asks was lots of storage.
The owners were also happy to invest in a kitchen that would stand the test of time. “They wanted a quality kitchen with solid oak drawers and dovetail joints,” designer Robert Nye of Herringbone Kitchens says. And it was these storage drawers that were key to the design.
Situated in the large central island, the deep drawers feature internal drawers to subdivide the space and ensure everything has a home, from plates and cups to pots and pans. There’s even a dedicated drawer just for spice jars, ensuring nothing gets lost at the back of a cupboard.
See the whole of this kitchen.
Tell us…
Which of these storage ideas has inspired you? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The kitchen is often the heart of a busy family home and, as such, all kinds of unrelated items can drift onto surfaces and the floor.
Designer Mia Spencer of House by Mia had the perfect solution for this family kitchen redesign: a slim storage unit topped with a cork noticeboard and named the ‘family hub’. “The corkboard is for paintings, the family calendar, messages from school and stuff, so they’re available to them but tucked away – you can’t see it from the dining table and don’t have to have bits on the fridge,” Mia says.
Below this, she designed a bespoke cabinet with a basket for each member of the family to store their items. “The idea is that bits and pieces – swimming goggles, keys, pens etc – can go into the baskets instead of cluttering the worktops,” she says.
This storage unit also made great use of otherwise unused space, as it’s only 25cm deep.
Take a tour of this kitchen.