Kitchen/Pantry
5. Spice drawer I love my spices, but when they are not organised properly, I just end up buying extra of what I already have and forget about some until they have passed their use-by date – I’m guessing I’m not alone. Looking down on the top of all your spice jars trying to guess which one is which as they sit on a shelf in your pantry is no fun. Instead, work a shallow drawer into your new kitchen design next to your stovetop and pop in a spice insert so the rosemary and thyme are always close to hand. There are several spice drawer inserts you can buy, which you could put into your existing kitchen drawers too. Check out the kitchen department in hardware or storage superstores, or if you are designing a completely new kitchen, ask your kitchen designer to suggest a suitable organiser they can supply and incorporate into your new cabinets.
Features: A pair of slender utensil and ingredient drawers on either side of the stovetop keeps cooking essentials handy while taking up minimal room.
Features: A triple-layer drawer with a single, fuss-free facing.
Features: Clever space planning means this small cupboard manages to squeeze in everything from spices, bottles and racks for plates to a chalkboard shopping list.
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Spice drawers
Installing a small drawer beside the cooktop to stash your everyday ingredients such as vinegar, oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper and other condiments. All the chef needs to do is keep the drawer open while cooking for easy access to everything, and slide it shut when they’re done. Easy.
This nifty set-up solves the age-old dilemma of how to store containers and their lids. Stacking containers in a cupboard or drawer typically has you wasting time searching for a matching lid, and stacking containers with lids attached wastes valuable space. Varying the depths of the shelves in this pull-out cabinet allows easy access to both.
Slim shelf under cabinets
Carousel section, hanger section for tablecloths etc, linen section
Consider pull-out storage If you’re lucky enough to have a pantry cupboard that goes from floor to ceiling, this idea will make life easier. Store all those heavy items, such as potatoes, in boxes on wheels at the bottom. In this pantry, the homeowners keep bulky goods in crates on castors, which can easily be wheeled in and out.
6. Turn around Bottles and small jars can be tricky customers when it comes to storage, as it’s difficult to locate an item at the back of a shelf without knocking over the others. In this situation, a carousel is your friend. These circular trays, like the ones pictured, can be spun all the way around, so you can position all your bottles and jars on top, and access each one easily.
5. Dedicate the door Don’t forget the cabinet door when it comes to making the most of every centimetre. You can buy shelf units that hang off the top of the door, or install a system like this with a track and some adjustable wire baskets. It’s important to consider the internal shelves when incorporating door storage, however. If the shelves reach all the way to the front of the cupboard, you’ll need to position the racks so they sit in-between them. Alternatively, you could ask a local carpenter to shave a few centimetres off one or more of the shelves.
Lazy Susan for tins etc - 4. Store like with like Small tubs and packets can be hard to store side-by-side, leading to a wobbly array of mismatched items. To keep everything tidy and easy to grasp, include small storage baskets in your pantry in order to group similar items together. Here, the homeowners have used white plastic bins and labelled each one. It’s particularly effective for those items that can’t be decanted into jars, such as noodles, or baking implements, such as cookie cutters.
3. Slot in an extra shelf Utilise space more efficiently in your pantry with a nifty shelf insert like this one. The extra surfaces here hold glassware, but the idea is just as effective for food items. If you have a large number of tins and jars stacked on top of each other, an extra shelf or two will help keep everything in order without items toppling over.
Chalkboard pantry doors - 2. Make a list It’s handy to have a surface to write on near your pantry, so it’s super-easy to note down the items and ingredients you’ve run out of. A blackboard on the door like this one is ideal, or you could hang a shopping list notepad inside your cupboard door. Take a couple of minutes every week to check the contents of your pantry cupboard and quickly update your nearby shopping list.
Appliance storage
Spice cupboard
Raised kitchen
Raised level
underfloor cellar/storage
Scullery chalk board
slightly larger benchtop
detachable/stretch tap
storage uner benchtop
14. Cleaning items Normally shoved under the sink in an unruly mess, your cleaning and/or laundry items can be organised into some semblance of order with a drawer divider system. Small compartments can be created to help larger, heavier bottles stay upright (and not leak through your cupboards), but also can be useful when you are trying to locate smaller items often kept here, such as bin bags, washing up brushes, sponges, and so on.
13. Bins and recycling Today we are much more inclined to consider ways in which we can sort our rubbish, recycle where needed, and compost what we can. The excellent set-up pictured here has a top drawer for fresh off-cuts which can be composted. There’s also a removable tray to make it easy to empty the drawer as it becomes full. Below are two separate bins – one for recycling and the other for general rubbish. This type of arrangement not only helps you help the environment, but it also saves you time when it comes to bin night.
12. Fruit and vegetables It’s often hard to know what to do with fruit and vegetables which are not stored in the fridge. They can go in the pantry, of course, but can look messy or be hard to contain. This example features a purpose-built unit inside a drawer, which segments the items used. It also incorporates a mesh insert at the front of the drawer to keep air flowing throughout and will maintain the produce stored inside for longer.
1. Cereal Pantries are great, but sometimes you want items that are used together to be grouped together. This fabulous example here has cereal stored in individual containers in the bottom drawer. The clear lids means it takes but a moment to locate your favourite breakfast food, and the standard sizing means it’s also a breeze to slot each container back into place. For extra organisation points, store bowls and spoons in the drawers above.
10. Bottles We all know the items used most regularly should be kept in the cooking zone, but who wants numerous bottles cluttering up the benchtop and encroaching on preparation and serving space. The answer is a drawer for oils, vinegars and sauces. Each drawer can be segmented to ensure the bottles do not bump into each other or fall over as the drawer opens and closes. Easy to grab and easy to put away, it’s the perfect solution for any budding MasterChef.
9. Cutlery Keeping track of more than just knives and forks, a well-organised drawer system also includes space to sort and organise utensils and cutlery for serving. Look for a system that’s flexible and can be tailored to suit your individual items. The cutlery trays should be fairly narrow so items can easily be found. A set-up such as the one pictured, with one larger drawer and an inner drawer, allows you to keep everyday cutlery at the top and utensils underneath.
8. Knives A properly set-up knife drawer is a delight to behold. Not only is it much safer, due to the knives being clearly laid out, the system makes it easy to pick up the knives and to put them away. They are stored with their sharpest points concealed, which is much better for the knife. When the blades are stored properly, there is less friction as the drawer moves, meaning the knives stay in good condition and take longer to become dull and need sharpening less often.
7. Utensils Drawers don’t always have to utilise a horizontal storage solution. In this example, deep ‘pockets’ have been installed to allow for the upright storage of cooking utensils. This arrangement makes the utensils easy to see and easy to pick up during busy cooking times. Using a number of smaller pockets also allows for similar items to be grouped together, which makes finding the one item you are looking for so much easier.
6. Professional bakery For those who bake daily, this drawer solution emulates a professional bakery set-up with space for tins and accessories on one side and stainless-steel bins on the other side, for basics such as flour and sugar. The location of this drawer has also been well-thought-out so it’s super simple to measure out ingredients as needed, without having to fetch a heavy container from the pantry which can take up valuable preparation room on the benchtop.
5. Trays Any serious baker knows that you need a reasonable amount of trays to ensure you have the right size for the job. Pictured here is a brilliant way of storing trays that not only makes them easy to spot, but stops all that banging and clanking that can happen as a tray is being retrieved. Note, too, that the space remaining above is used for casserole dishes and other baking items to ensure every centimetre is maximised.
4. Pots and pans Big pots, large saucepans and unwieldy frying pans are a storage nightmare in most kitchens. Simply utilising deep drawers can help, but may not be helpful enough when trying to locate the one you need. Pictured here is a brilliant storage solution: drawers with extra segmentation to keep the pots apart. Note how the segments only extend part of the way into the storage space, cleverly allowing for longer handles to protrude across.
3. Platters We’re used to our kitchen design incorporating kickboards, but we don’t always think about clever ways to utilise this ‘lost’ space. Why not consider including a kicker drawer in your next kitchen? Although shallow, a kicker drawer is fantastic for storing large flat items such as platters or trays that are not in regular use. They can be installed with push-to-open mechanisms or discreet handles, which are not seen when the kickboard is recessed under the cabinets.
Dan Kitchens Australia SaveEmail 2. Cups and mugs This drawer-behind-a-door solution is excellent for a retro-fit solution, or a good idea if you don’t want to break up a run of cabinetry with a drawer front. Although it requires two actions – open the door then pull out the drawer – this type of solution allows for three smaller drawers to be included, and these are perfect for items such as cups and mugs which aren’t so tall. The addition of the side rail keeps the drawer open enough to view the contents while ensuring taller mugs stay in place.
Swish extras Dedicating a corner of the kitchen to your personal passion, whether it’s coffee drinking, bread making or healthy juicing, always adds interest. Displaying a hero appliance brings an element of luxury to the space.
colour coded bins for recycling, bioderadables/compost and general waste
drawer above bins for liners.
Meanwhile, myownstyle13 has had a pull-out bin next to the sink for 20 years. “It is positioned where I do my prep work (between the sink and cooktop/stove) right under the [benchtop]. I prepare my food, pull out the bin, wipe it down – done! And no, there is no mess at all. I empty the bin every day; it is never overflowing. No smell, no mess.” Prep area being between sink and Stove is also helpful but cant watch tv while prepping then
Labeled drawers with dividers for packets etc
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