A Place for Everything, and Everything in its Place
“Stuff has become the enemy. There always seems to be more of it than I have storage in my house.”–Rick Riordan, American Novelist
This is especially true in the kitchen. When starting to think about a renovation they are so many things to consider – cabinet materials and colors, countertops, appliances, and more. But one of the most important things to think about, that might not be so obvious, is storage – for items like dry goods, pots/pans, dishes/glassware, countertop appliances, and utensils. Everything has to fit.
But sometimes space is limited, especially if you also want every dream appliance. So that’s why you rely on your kitchen designer to make sure everything fits. The best way to start is by making a list of what storage you currently have and purge what you don’t think you need. One of the first things our designers do is talk to you about how you live – your daily routine; your kitchen goals (and dreams); do you entertain; are you an aspiring chef; and, how much “stuff” do you need to store. From there they design a space to make sure everything fits like a glove with no wasted space. They’ll also help you make sure it all makes sense – that everything is close to where it will be used. They’ll even include notes on your drawings about where everything will go so when you move back in it’s seamless. Following are some of the top storage offerings that will help you live a clutter-free life:
- Pull-Out Pantries & Interior Roll-outs
- Spice Drawers & Pull-out Spice Racks
- Le Mans Blind Corner Pull-outs
- Trash & Recycling Pull-outs
- Utensil Dividers & Knife Blocks
- Interior Wine Racks
- Open Shelves & Carved Out Niches
- Docking Drawers
Pull-Out Pantries & Interior Roll-outs
Tall pantries can be very useful for organizing dry goods, Tupperware, and more. Some have metal baskets attached to the door which slide out when opened giving you easy access to what’s inside. Others have interior roll-outs that hold quite a bit and allow for you to grab something without having to reach deep inside the cabinet. These interior roll-outs can also be used in base cabinets and store everything from mixing bowls to canned goods. There are even cleaning supply pull-outs that get installed under your sink to keep everything organized.
Spice Drawers & Pull-out Spice/Oil Racks
If you like to cook then you know how important it is to have all your spices and cooking oils at the ready. Lining them up near the range or cooktop creates clutter and, by piling them inside a cabinet, you can’t easily access them without moving everything else around. So what’s the solution? A spice drawer. These drawers have slanted inserts allowing you to neatly line up all your spices so you can see everything at a glance. There are also base pull-outs that you can have flanking your range with adjustable shelves to store spices and cooking oils.
LeMans Blind Corner Pull-outs
There’s nothing more wasteful than wasted space – like a blind corner in a kitchen. And nothing worse than having to get down on your hands and knees and reach way back inside a corner cabinet. That’s where LeMans pull-outs save the day. These kidney-shaped metal shelves sit tucked into a blind corner cabinet and swing out for easy access to mixing bowls, pots and pans, and more. They also have skid-free mats that keeps the items from sliding around. Move over Lazy Susan!
Trash & Recycling Pull-outs
One of the “must-haves” in a kitchen is a trash and recycling pull-out. A freestanding trash can or recycling bin can be so unappealing with food and grime dripping down the outside. Trash should be hidden. And, if space allows, there are interior drawers where you can store trash and recycling bags for easy access, or add a mechanism to hang a roll of paper towels inside instead of having them sit on the countertop.
Utensil Dividers & Knife Blocks
Ever try opening a kitchen drawer jammed shut with a spatula? Frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe it! This is how drawer dividers came to be. And there is literally something for every type of utensil or piece of silverware you’d want to store. There are drawer dividers that allow you to separate your cooking utensils from serving utensils. There are silverware inserts that keep the spoons with the spoons and the forks with the forks. There are even felt liners that can keep your expensive silverware from tarnishing. And of course, there are knife blocks with slots that keep all your knives neatly arranged and easy to grab. If you want to be extra organized, there are drawers that store it all in one space from knives to measuring cups to rolls of tin foil and saran wrap. Say goodbye to jammed drawers!
Interior Wine Racks
Everyone’s heard of a temperature controlled wine cooler. But what about those bottles of red that really don’t need to be in a wine cooler and they certainly don’t need to be sitting in an exposed wine rack – just more clutter. So how about hiding them away inside a cabinet on an interior wine rack? And with Bilotta, since everything is custom-made, you could even adjust the sizes of the slots to be able to store liquor there too.
Open Shelves & Carved Out Niches
Maybe sometimes there isn’t enough wall space for a full cabinet. That’s when open shelves come into play. On open shelves you can store cookbooks, dishes, baskets and more. Even decorative items. And sometimes there’s not enough room for a spice drawer or pull-out near your range, but there is enough depth for a niche that could hold exactly what you want to be able to quickly access while cooking. After all, you’re doing a kitchen renovation – you might as well use up every inch of possible space. Despite how large this particular kitchen shown below is, there was limited space near the range to store spices and oils that the homeowners frequently used when cooking. But there was just enough space for a stone-lined niche to store what they grab the most.
Docking Drawers
When you walk into any kitchen these days, every countertop is covered with all sorts of devices hooked to an abundance of tangled cords. This is how docking drawers came to be a necessity in every home. No one likes seeing wires hanging from every possible outlet and covering the countertop with phones, tablets and laptops. If you have the extra space why not incorporate a charging station drawer. That way everything is neatly tucked away while being charged.
Some Additional Ideas
Here are a few other things to consider when working with a custom shop like Bilotta:
- Bi-fold doors that tuck away countertop appliances or other items that might otherwise clutter a space.
- Hidden outlets that disappear when not in use.
- Pegs in deep drawers to keep dishes from sliding around.
Designing your kitchen space to make sure everything fits while leaving no wasted space takes some planning and organizing. Our expert kitchen designers are standing by prepared to make a place for all your kitchen storage needs. Ready to get organized?
