16 Genius Storage Ideas to Ensure You Maximize Your Counter Space
Move the Microwave Down Low
Your microwave can take up a huge chunk of precious counter space, but it's not the type of thing you can pull in and out of a cupboard every time you want to use it. Young House Love has just the solution: Stick it in your island.
(Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott recommends a drawer microwave, which opens from the top if you hate bending down to heat your leftovers.)
Find out more at Young House Love.
Use Hanging Baskets
Hanging planters have been trendy for a while, but it's time to bring back the hanging fruit basket. This copper one will bring chic farmhouse vibes to your kitchen, even if you don't own an inch of shiplap.
BUY NOW Hanging Wire 3-Tier Fruit Basket, $70
Build in Appliances
Sure, built-in microwaves are common. But have you ever thought to build in your coffee machine? This space by designer Michelle Nussbaumer boasts one. It also has other built-ins like a water dispenser and speed oven to really save counter (and overall kitchen) space.
Make Your Sink Do Triple-Duty
If you're in the market for a new sink, consider one that truly makes your life easier. Kohler's Prolific line has mini ledges inside the sink, so you can easily pop in a drying rack, wash pan, or cutting board, making use of that 36-inch space normally reserved for stacking dirty dishes. (And, okay, actually cleaning them. At some point.)
BUY NOW Kohler Prolific Sink and Accessories, from $893
Move Items to Carts
If you have a spacious kitchen or even just a small empty corner, fill free space with old filing cabinets, work tables, or bar carts. This kitchen by designer Leanne Ford perfectly fits three stylish storage pieces. You can use them to host small appliances, cookbooks, extra mugs, and more.
Strap Cutting Boards to a Cabinet Door
Slim boards stay tucked away (but won't stop your cabinet from closing) in this clever storage spot.
Get the tutorial at Tikkido.
Or Turn a Drawer Into a Cutting Board
If you'd much rather have one cutting board that you can easily whip out, turn a drawer into one. This pull-out board designed by Alice Lane Interiors was strategically placed over a pull-out garbage and comes with a hole for easy disposal.
Give Your Bread Its Own Home
If you tend to keep bread on the counter and don't want to stick it in the freezer or even the fridge, give your loaves their own built-in baskets. Note: Be wary of this method if you have pets!
Use Your Pantry Door
You have an over-the-door organizer for your shoes, but you really need one for your pantry. Just think: With those shelves clear, you've got room to stow that blender, Crock-Pot, and bulky knife block.
SHOP ORGANIZERS Over-The-Door Cabinet Organizer, $49
Hang Cooking Utensils
Crocks of spoons and spatulas are easy to grab, but they get in the way. In this Scandinavian-inspired kitchen designed by Susan Serra, a few workhorse utensils hang neatly over the stove.
Stow Cereal and Snacks Out of Sight
There's nothing that cramps your granite's style like a row of ripped cereal boxes. Designer Karin Edwards found a solution with a handy pull-out cabinet loaded with matching bins from the Container Store.
Give Magazines Their Own Side Shelf
Unearth your favorite cooking mags from the pile of junk mail, and give them a dedicated place in your kitchen.
Get the tutorial at White Tulip Designs.
Put Shelves on the Side of Your Cabinet
You're not using that space for anything, anyway. Might as well make the most of it.
Find out more at The Chronicles Of Home.
Install a Built-In Fruit Bowl
We admit this idea is a bit high-concept–but isn't it totally genius? Designer Mick De Giulio revealed the built-in "bowl" in our 2012 Kitchen of the Year. As you prep ingredients for a recipe, you can just stick them there, so they won't roll around (and off the table) as you work.
Choose An Island With Open Storage.
This piece started its life as a sideboard. Repurposed as an island, the shelves provide a place to stash cookbooks and extra tools, keeping must-haves nearby but not scattered everywhere.
Find out more at Mom 4 Real.
Turn a Wood Pallet Into a Catch-All Organizer
A pallet's grid of slim slats provides a flexible storage station unlike any other—a magnetic knife rack can clip to a board, hooks can dangle in-between, and you can even clip grocery lists and cards to it.
Get the tutorial at Sch?n's Ideas.
Your kitchen never has enough space to cook. Until now.