How to Create More Space on Your Kitchen Worktop
Check out these clever ideas employed by Houzz professionals to help homeowners free up their worksurfaces
Are your worktops cluttered with pots of utensils, bottles of cooking oil, an array of small appliances…? Be inspired by these smart solutions to stop your counter doubling as storage space and give yourself the room to use it for its intended function.
Extend the utensil drawer
If you’re having a new kitchen, don’t scrimp on dedicated utensil storage. It’s obvious to build in space for small utensils and cutlery, but have you made room for tin foil and clingfilm rolls, large ladles, cheese graters and all those essential bits and pieces that might currently live in large pots on your worktop?
This wide drawer, designed and fitted by Schmidt Kitchens, is a good solution, with room for items that might otherwise sit in a jar or knife block.
Even if a whole new kitchen isn’t on the cards, you might find a consultation with a designer is worth its weight in gold, as they will often have ideas for revamping rather than ripping out an existing cook space. Meanwhile, could you commandeer an extra regular drawer and make compartments with drawer dividers as a short-term option?
Read how a kitchen designer can keep your project on schedule and on budget.
If you’re having a new kitchen, don’t scrimp on dedicated utensil storage. It’s obvious to build in space for small utensils and cutlery, but have you made room for tin foil and clingfilm rolls, large ladles, cheese graters and all those essential bits and pieces that might currently live in large pots on your worktop?
This wide drawer, designed and fitted by Schmidt Kitchens, is a good solution, with room for items that might otherwise sit in a jar or knife block.
Even if a whole new kitchen isn’t on the cards, you might find a consultation with a designer is worth its weight in gold, as they will often have ideas for revamping rather than ripping out an existing cook space. Meanwhile, could you commandeer an extra regular drawer and make compartments with drawer dividers as a short-term option?
Read how a kitchen designer can keep your project on schedule and on budget.
Stash kitchen stuff under the stairs
If you’ve opened up your ground floor, chances are your staircase may be close to or even part of your kitchen. This may make the space beneath it particularly suitable for kitchen overspill storage.
This example, designed by Blakes London, goes large on bottle storage, with a dedicated full-height wine rack. But this space could equally be designed for the storage of items such as cookery books, worktop appliances, tablecloths and napkins, special occasion tableware or large dishes and bowls, either behind closed doors or open, as here, depending on the objects – and whether you have the time to store them tidily!
If you’ve opened up your ground floor, chances are your staircase may be close to or even part of your kitchen. This may make the space beneath it particularly suitable for kitchen overspill storage.
This example, designed by Blakes London, goes large on bottle storage, with a dedicated full-height wine rack. But this space could equally be designed for the storage of items such as cookery books, worktop appliances, tablecloths and napkins, special occasion tableware or large dishes and bowls, either behind closed doors or open, as here, depending on the objects – and whether you have the time to store them tidily!
Slot in a slide out
If you can’t clear your worktop to create more space, how about extending it? This ingenious pull-out design, fitted by Schmidt Kitchens and cleverly positioned close to the hob, where it’s needed most, doubles a well-used section of worktop space.
Another solution, and one that could be added retrospectively, is to have a chopping board cut to size (and finished) so it fits neatly across an open top drawer. Pull the drawer out and you can use it for food prep; lift off the board and you can easily transfer ingredients to a pan, as well as access the drawer.
If you can’t clear your worktop to create more space, how about extending it? This ingenious pull-out design, fitted by Schmidt Kitchens and cleverly positioned close to the hob, where it’s needed most, doubles a well-used section of worktop space.
Another solution, and one that could be added retrospectively, is to have a chopping board cut to size (and finished) so it fits neatly across an open top drawer. Pull the drawer out and you can use it for food prep; lift off the board and you can easily transfer ingredients to a pan, as well as access the drawer.
Wheel in a trolley
In a compact kitchen, a trolley on wheels or a freestanding butcher’s block can be a useful spot for things you want to have to hand, but which take up too much room on the worktop.
Here, Sigmar has released otherwise unusable space in front of a radiator. This trolley holds drinks, but it could equally be a spot for small appliances, large bowls or chopping boards.
In a compact kitchen, a trolley on wheels or a freestanding butcher’s block can be a useful spot for things you want to have to hand, but which take up too much room on the worktop.
Here, Sigmar has released otherwise unusable space in front of a radiator. This trolley holds drinks, but it could equally be a spot for small appliances, large bowls or chopping boards.
Add a shelf
The shallow under-unit shelf is a stealthy worktop liberator. Here, it’s been designed by Jones Associates Architects as a ledge – part of a marble splashback. It provides a good spot for cooking oils, spices, chopping boards and other small cooking items.
It’s an idea that would work very well with deeper worktops (as shown in the first image). If you have standard-size worktops, a shelf rather than a ledge will give you more room, as the back of the worktop will still be accessible. It could also be installed retrospectively if your kitchen design allows it.
The shallow under-unit shelf is a stealthy worktop liberator. Here, it’s been designed by Jones Associates Architects as a ledge – part of a marble splashback. It provides a good spot for cooking oils, spices, chopping boards and other small cooking items.
It’s an idea that would work very well with deeper worktops (as shown in the first image). If you have standard-size worktops, a shelf rather than a ledge will give you more room, as the back of the worktop will still be accessible. It could also be installed retrospectively if your kitchen design allows it.
Drop a section
An island automatically gives you plenty more worktop to play with. However, because of the multi-functional nature of a typical family island, clutter is almost inevitable (at any one time, it could be a laptop perch, a place to sit with a cuppa and a pile of post, which gets left where it lands, a homework station and a phone charging spot).
This solution tackles that by dropping the part of the island’s worksurface that will be used for the above functions, keeping the food prep surface fit for purpose.
Browse kitchen designers and fitters in your area in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
An island automatically gives you plenty more worktop to play with. However, because of the multi-functional nature of a typical family island, clutter is almost inevitable (at any one time, it could be a laptop perch, a place to sit with a cuppa and a pile of post, which gets left where it lands, a homework station and a phone charging spot).
This solution tackles that by dropping the part of the island’s worksurface that will be used for the above functions, keeping the food prep surface fit for purpose.
Browse kitchen designers and fitters in your area in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Give your cookbooks a separate home
A worktop is no place for books to live, though many of us do find ourselves using our cook prep surface as a makeshift library for such a collection. Not only will they get grimy with food spills, they’ll also take up valuable space.
Do you instead have the room at the end of a run of cupboards or inside a stud wall to build in niche storage, flush to the surface, like this handy bookcase by Hill Farm Furniture? If possible, make it tall to maximise the available space.
Tell us…
How are your worktops looking? Share your inspiring/despairing descriptions or photos in the Comments section.
A worktop is no place for books to live, though many of us do find ourselves using our cook prep surface as a makeshift library for such a collection. Not only will they get grimy with food spills, they’ll also take up valuable space.
Do you instead have the room at the end of a run of cupboards or inside a stud wall to build in niche storage, flush to the surface, like this handy bookcase by Hill Farm Furniture? If possible, make it tall to maximise the available space.
Tell us…
How are your worktops looking? Share your inspiring/despairing descriptions or photos in the Comments section.
The worktops in this kitchen are not the standard dimensions: instead of the usual 60cm, these are 75cm deep. As architect and this kitchen’s owner, Sam Cooper at E2 Architecture + Interiors, explains: “[It] means you can have your kettle and appliances on the worktop and still have room at the front to work.”
As well as creating a more spacious worktop, this design also allows you to hide a non-integrated washing machine and tumble dryer behind closed doors, and leaves plenty of room for pipework. Bonus.
Read more about this modest extension that transformed a Victorian maisonette.