My two favorites are my super Susan, which holds all of my small appliances, and my tray divider, which holds all things long and flat- baking sheets, muffin pans, cooling racks, cutting boards and placemats. So convenient to find and grab those things.

The best decision I made was to not do a pullout on a 9" wide tall cabinet between the fridge and the tall oven cabinet. I elected to save those inches that would have been taken up by hardware. I added extra shelves. I ended up finding some clear plastic bins that are just the right size for sliding in and out of that deep cabinet. I'll be able to see what is in them at a glance. I'm designating a couple shelves for dog food cans and soda. One type of item per shelf.

My favorites are above oven dividers for cookie trays/baking sheets, knife insert in drawer above trash, divided insert for cutting boards in drawer and my chefs drawer.

Stan: try this

http://www.kitchensource.com/cabinet-organizers/na-trasta.htm

My favorite storage solution is when I take a load to Goodwill and a load to the dump:)

That's one of my solutions, too.

The best decision I made was to not do a pullout on a 9" wide
tall cabinet between the fridge and the tall oven cabinet. I elected to
save those inches that would have been taken up by hardware. I added
extra shelves. I ended up finding some clear plastic bins that are just
the right size for sliding in and out of that deep cabinet. I'll be able
to see what is in them at a glance. I'm designating a couple shelves
for dog food cans and soda. One type of item per shelf.

Yeah, sometimes low-tech is best. Some of the Pinterest-Fabulous things we all see are perfect for the person who has a dozen items to organize and is willing to spend $2000 on custom cabinetry to do it.

Stan: try this http://www.kitchensource.com/cabinet-organizers/na-trasta.htm

That's a fair price too.

My favorite storage solution is when I take a load to Goodwill and a load to the dump:)

That's one of my solutions, too.

I've recently done a major clean-out in my living room /den ... and it'll be the kitchen's turn over spring break.

My areas of trouble: I own 7 sets of dishes and am not willing to part with so much as a saucer ... and I own 100+ cake pans (of course, I need all those sizes and shapes; for what I charge for a wedding cake, I'd better be able to produce a 14" hexagon shaped cake at a moment's notice) ... and then there are my cake stands.

and I own 100+ cake pans (of course, I need all those sizes and shapes

Oh I can so relate. I made a list and I hit around 150 and that doesn't count other bake ware like sheet pans, bundt pan and bread pans. Cake decorating was just a hobby but I have cake pans all over the house. I have a long drawer under our king sized dresser bed and huge plastic bins full. My solution is going to be to store just the basic rounds,squares and rectangles in the kitchen. We are doing floor to ceiling cabinets in the laundry room that will hold the rest. Still trying to come up with the best way to store all those odd shaped character pans in there. (stacked dividers or vertical?) Definitely will be labeled. I really should let them go but I know as soon as I do the grand kids will come up with a theme and that will be the pan I miss. ;-(

Watchmelol, I don't know if you're really ready, but when I moved into this house with a tiny kitchen and no storage, all of my shaped pans went into a high chair box in the garage. Haven't touched them since. For character cakes, I usually just use a frozen buttercream transfer. I've never looked back. When I reload my kitchen after the remodel is done, I'm planning on sorting all my cake supplies and selling (as a lot) anything I haven't used in the last 1-2 years. The shape pans will go. I'll keep my rounds, squares and sheet and nothing else.

Townlakecakes I am just about ready, but with preschool aged grands I will hang on to those shaped pans a bit longer. I am doing a lot fewer cakes now also. My alpine white buttercream is not tasting the same as before since they removed transfats from the high ratio shortening and fudge base. The mouth feel is off and it is greasy like store bought cakes. UGH So I am doing more baking with home style icings. Unfortunately those aren't very heat stabile in mid July outdoor heat although they are delicious. No more outdoor decorated cakes for us.

Shaped cake pans left when I did the big clean out at time of kitchen remodeling. I won't be baking anything heart shaped again!

But the 9 sets of china? Like you, MrsPete, I did not part with a saucer. Thank heavens for the huge corner cupboard we had built in for the TV 32 years ago, when the small room was our TV room. After my mother died in 1993, we took my DS's room (out of college and living elsewhere) and turned it into our library (built more bookcases) and turned the small TV room into a breakfast room. The cupboard us a perfect place to store many of the sets of dishes.

I have one of those towel drawers. It is highly underused. It is not as bad as it seems, as the rack slides out automatically when the door is opened. It is also intended to be used only when drying a towel, say at night after cooking is done. We only put one in because we were left with a small extra space.

I have too much kitchen stuff and really should downsize. My best storage solution was giving myself permission to put extra shelves in the basement and storing extra seasonal items or seldom used specialty items there (e.g., electric buffet server).

Seriously, though, small configurable storage shelves to help subdivide the space between shelves have been a big storage expander.

Still trying to come up with the best way to store all those odd shaped
character pans in there. (stacked dividers or vertical?) Definitely
will be labeled. I really should let them go but I know as soon as I do
the grand kids will come up with a theme and that will be the pan I
miss. ;-(

I don't have any shaped character pans (unless seashell cupcake pans are shaped), so I can't help you with that issue. I have 4" deep circles from 3" to 16" (multiples in 10" and 12", which I sometimes want to bake in multiples) ... so I can make a tiny tiered cake for an intimate wedding of 6-8 people ... or I can make a cake literally as tall as I am. I have every set of Wilton nesting wedding cake pans ... except Paisley -- just couldn't get on board with that. I have tiered sets with rounded edges. I have loads of tart pans and springform pans ... bundt pans in different sizes and shapes ... cupcake pans galore.

What I don't have is square pans. I will not bake a square cake for anyone for any price. Hate 'em.

But the 9 sets of china? Like you, MrsPete, I did not part with a saucer.

I only have 7 sets ... and my most recent acquisitions aren't truly full sets: I've stopped buying tea cups. I've planned loads of storage space for them!

Right now I pretty much have the opposite of storage solutions, but I am SO thrilled that I'll have a large spice drawer in my new house. I like to cook and I like spices, and right now they are stashed on risers in a 12" cabinet. I regularly have spice containers raining down upon my counter and whatever is on it.

I also have blind corners (hate them) and all my cookie sheets and a couple of pizza pans lay flat on top off each other, so I struggle to get anything out that isn't on top. So annoying. So, I'm also looking forward to large drawers and two areas of vertical storage.

I would arrange for as many pull out lower cabinets as you can. There does need to be a vertical cabinet for your cookie sheets and such. I have some really deep back upper shelves and I have to be very careful as to what I keep back there because otherwise I'll forget and buy it again.

I love our wall cabinet with door-mounted spice rack, with flour/sugar/rice, etc. in plastic bins.

Also happy with the chef's drawer.

Three of the best ideas I got from Kitchens:

• Drawers, drawers, more drawers! Much nicer & easier to use than roll out tray shelves or stationary shelves!

• Extra shelves to allow you to store dishes, etc., one-type deep so there's no moving things around to get to what you need

• Tray and platter storage over the double ovens, with the platter storage on the bottom, not the top! This gives you better access overall. For me, having trays in drawers would mean leaning down quite a bit, but that's b/c I'm relatively tall. I suspect drawers would work better for short people and above oven(s) would work better for tall people - if you're average height (<5'7" or so), take your pick!
  -- Tray storage in dividers: cookie sheets, cooling racks, roasting pan, roasting rack, etc.
  -- Platter storage (bottom shelf) has long platters and a griddle. these items are usually too "thick" to store in the tray dividers, so this is better storage.
  .
  Access:
  -- Trays...To take out a tray, you only need to grasp one side/corner, so you don't need to access the top. To remove a tray, you only have to grasp the bottom corner so, again, there's no need to access the top.
  -- Platters...by putting them on the bottom shelf, they're much more accessible than on the top shelf.

.

.

Drawers!

.

Shelves:

.

Tray Storage:

Anyone have ideas for storing casserole/pyrex dishes? What about lots of platters? Great discussion so far!

We don't have lots of platters that we use fairly often, but we store our oft-used rectangular casserole/pyrex dishes vertically (a terrific idea posted on GW a while back). We arranged divider slots at different widths to allow us flexibility if needed in the future.

Container Store's elfa door rack (drilled into the door not an over-the-door type thing). It sure beats trying to cram all my spices in a cabinet. Plus it accommodates the Costco sized containers and it's mostly at eye level.

Great job Matt but Star Anise is in the wrong place:-)

Looks like its under Anise not Star :)

My best storage solution was when I got a pot rack over the island to store pots and pans. They're handy and they don't take up valuable cabinet space.

Omg Matt! Come do mine !

Matt, "color" me impressed!

Matt E- if that is just for your spices, I have to see more of your kitchen. Very cool.

mrspete, that is a gorgeous pantry. Matt E, your spice storage solution is impressively satisfying to look at! Great job!

This thread is very timely for me. I am placing my kitchen order and looking forward to all my organization. Seeing the storage options for the cabinet above the fridge prompted me not to order dividers because they will be built in and not adjustable. Anything I need can be purchased after market or my husband can make. Right now I appreciate reading about what is working for you. I want to keep my options open. Thanks for letting me peek into your drawers and cabinets.

Here are some from our kitchen:

1. Custom maple drawer flatware insert from OrderlyDrawer.com (I have others for utensils, spices)

2. Custom coffee storage drawer from OrganizeMyDrawer.com

3. Custom lexan storage under oven for baking dishes from OrganizeMyDrawer.com (others for foil/wrap boxes, etc.)

4. Full height corner pantry (doors closed)

5. Full height corner pantry (doors open)

Here's a few of mine- drawer within a drawer, baking sheet pull-out disguised as drawers, drawers that incorporate toe kick for added depth, and a roll-out bin on the other side of the peninsula to make use of an otherwise 'dead' corner.

Mushcreek ... Great ideas! I like the hidden pullout.

mrspete, that is a gorgeous pantry.

Oh, let me be clear: that's a picture from my inspiration file ... not my current pantry. I didn't mean to give a false impression.

This is my appliance shelf in the pantry this space allows me to have quick access to my appliances without having ANY plugged in on my counters.

This is my paper towel hidey hole under the sink. We don't use them that often (95% of the time we use flour sack towels, draped on the dishwasher handle) but sometimes you have something that requires paper towels :)

This is all of my Tupperware. Pretty simple roll out trays, with a BB&B wood divider in the top tray.

I think that's it. Nothing genius, but all make life a little better than my previous kitchen. :)

I find this tupperware storage inspirational! Right now I store all of mine in a broken laundry basket in the corner. Finding a matching lid and bottom is always an adventure.

Amy: pic 1: yep, those knives inconvenient except to small children... Don't want that! Pic 2: Total waste of space.

I do see a lot of good ideas for storage in this thread. Unfortunately there are some places my GC didn't listen to me -- I wanted vertical storage for trays and platters, but this isn't entirely hopeless as the pantry isn't put together yet.

I'm seriously amazed at the many cake-making pans people here have - well, Mrs Pete does it professionally, which counts. I have... none. I could call into service a square or rectangular casserole dish if need be, but actually I'm more apt to make muffins or mini-muffins.

At the moment, I have components from four sets of dishware. I've moved the two that are very piecemeal up to my build, and when I sell the current house down here, I'll donate the piecemeal dishes to the local community center.

I have a half-sheet cookie tray. Several platters. I'd been storing most of this stuff in a drawer in a back bedroom since my current kitchen is vestigial in size. Indeed I am looking forward to upgrading to a real adult-sized food processor! Oh, and I want an Instant Pot!

I do have my mother's old Christmas cookie cutters... the designs are actually sharp and look like what they are supposed to represent, unlike the blob-like ones I see these days in shops like Micheal's or Bed, Bath and Beyond. I don't make cookies often, but I can see that these items are well-designed enough (and they don't take up much space) that I'm not ditching them.

Anyhow, I AM sending a lot of things to be donated or recycled... but most aren't from the kitchen. Other than, eventually and soon, the limited dish sets.

I will need a fair amount of space: I'll be rural, and the supermarkets aren't close. Plus, I'll be putting food by.

Anglophilia, where did you get the dog food bin? I love that.

MrsPete, may I ask where you found those triangular spice containers?

mushcreek, I love your roll-out bin on the other side of your peninsula. Could you share how it works?

It's simply a plywood box on four low casters so it rolls. I put beadboard and trim on the front to match the peninsula, and a matching pull like the ones in the kitchen. The dead corner was created by the dishwasher, so there's no access from the kitchen side. We use it for dog food (in a plastic bin inside).

I second Buehl. Drawers, drawers, drawers. I squeezed in 67 drawers in my kitchen and can't wait to organize. Some cabinets have 6 drawers but customized so each is fully usable.

If you don't have room for a pantry, a dedicated cabinet for food is necessary. However, you do have to plan out the interior. I replaced a 48" w full height pantry cabinet with a 36" one and I've squeezed more in two drawers than I did in the old one which had a pull out wire organizer.

It's not fully organized yet and the drawers are at least half empty with only the bottom one actually full.

Broom closet. I built this one in only 12" of space and it's still not full or organized yet. I'm still trying to figure out how to squeeze my shredder in there.

I'm seriously amazed at the many cake-making pans people here have - well, Mrs Pete does it professionally, which counts.

And I've been making wedding cakes since before I could drive, so I've been collecting these pans a long time.

MrsPete, may I ask where you found those triangular spice containers?

Mine are the Spice Care by Table Ware system ... but they quit making it. Joseph Joseph makes a very similar product, though I think theirs is either black or white instead of clear plastic and stainless steel like mine. I absolutely love mine and wish I could buy more containers (I have enough for all the spices i use, but my husband makes homemade rubs, etc. for his BBQ, and if I had more containers, those would be easier to store; I occasionally check ebay, but I don't expect to "win" that game.

I second Buehl. Drawers, drawers, drawers. I squeezed in 67 drawers in my kitchen and can't wait to organize

I'm going to have 14 drawers (14 individual drawers, not stacks). How can you possibly have 67? How big is your kitchen?

I know it’s been a while, but I just stumbled upon this thread. I’m hoping some of you are still active ”Houzzers”...

Hi @beachem -

Like @mrspete, ^^^ I am also dying to see pics of your megamulti-drawer kitchen! Would you mind posting a few? We are in the middle of a full-gut kitchen renovation and I thought I was planning to have a lot of drawers...but yours must be absolutely spectacular!

And @Matt E. -

Please forgive what might be an incredibly stupid question...but do you buy your spices, and then open them, and transfer the contents to your color-coded jars? And if so, don’t you always have a small amount left in the custom jar before adding the newly purchased amount...is that an issue? Also, did those jars come with the plastic holed/shaker thingy for under the lid (where appropriate), or are they the exact right size for you to have transferred those as well?

Its an ingenious solution, and I’m fascinated by your creativity!

Thanks to everyone who posted; even three years later these ideas are helping others!

Mary

Pardon the mess from the contractors on the counter. This is my favorite. I have a ridiculous about of spices, and I had 6” deep shelves installed under a breakfast counter to store them. I’ve already banged my head on hard quartz a couple times, but I’ll get used to that. I also have a magnetic strip for my knives over my sink that I love, and a holder for sponges and soap on the inside door of my base cabinets, nothing fancy but it’s useful.

@MaryBocaTX When I first did this, I bought 60 empty spice jars from Penzey's — 48 of their 1/2 cup A jars and 12 of their 1 cup C jars (which fit the bigger holes on the right and are used for the spices we got through a lot of) and then filled them individually with spices purchased in bulk (mostly in bags) also from Penzey's. This did mean that I had a box with a bunch of overflow spices I kept in our storage room in the basement — I'd use the extra spices there to refill the individual spice jars when they got low.

You can buy the empty spice jars here:

https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/empty-jars/c-24/p-1616/pd-s

However, conveniently the 1/2 cup A jars are the same ones you get when you order individual spices in 1/2 cup jars from Penzey's, so when I recently replaced a bunch of aging spices that were losing a bit of potency, this time I just ordered them in the 1/2 cup jars to start and swapped out the jars entirely — this is definitely easier than filling empty jars. And this also means that the spices come with the correct shaker top.

So, if I were to do this from scratch, I'd settle on the 1/2 cup jar size from Penzey's as being your base jar size, order all the spices you want from them in that size and just put colored labels on top of those already full jars, And then I'd order a handful of empty jars for spices that you already have or are getting from other sources.

That is so helpful - thank you so much @Matt E.!

I love my pull out drawers (Plain & Fancy cabinets made in 🇺🇸 America)❣️

Hi Mary I will post a few pictures later when I get to my house. We’ve been staying at in laws.

For spices, I use a lot so I buy in bulk from Winco or Penzeys or wholesale restaurant suppliers. I store my overflow in theses glass containers from the dollar tree.

Use real drawers, not pull out shelves behind a door.

Thank you @beachem - I can’t wait to see your amazing space!

All the talk about spices reminded me of a past discussion where it came out that most bottled spices lose their integrity after 6 months or less...after i threw away so many spices i began to look for recipes that required less spices and more fresh ingredients...herbs..etc...even planted a lot of herbs in my garden...some of which grow like weeds ...are always there to harvest...and are pretty enough to make a pretty ground cover and come up every year on their own....they also freeze well for soup stock....i now have a very limited amount of healthier specialty spices in tiny jars..and have learned that simpler dishes are my fave