Kitchen Shelving Ideas: Functional Storage Solutions
No matter the size of your kitchen, keeping it functional and organised can be a challenge.
Whether it’s large, small or somewhere in between, maintaining kitchen organisation and order can be difficult! In the majority of kitchens, shelving is a prominent storage solution and one which can be tricky to get organised well.
Whether you’re dealing with a lack of space, disorganised pantry shelves or tricky to utilise spaces, the following kitchen shelving tips and storage solutions should help you get your kitchen organised and functioning well.
Below are our favourite kitchen shelving ideas to maximise space and help to bring order, function and style to your eating area!
Introduce open shelving
One of our favourite ways to up storage space whilst adding to the aesthetic style of your kitchen is to install some open shelving into your kitchen. Open shelves are a great way to utilise vertical space, so if you’re short on cupboard space this is the perfect way to gain slime extra storage and display space - any blank wall will do!
The simple addition of shelves can transform any unutilised blank wall in your kitchen into a stylish storage area for everything from cookbooks, to crockery to decanted foods.
To fully maximise storage, why not add hooks to the bottom of the lowest shelf from which you can hang utensils or mugs.
To make maximum use of shelves, add hooks to the bottom of the shelves to hang mugs or utensils or any other hangable kitchen items you might need easy access to.
Add turntables to corner shelves
Organising pantry shelves can be tricky, especially those corner shelves that are difficult to access or deep shelves where items get pushed to the back and forgotten about.
This not only leads to food waste, when items expire without being used, it can also result in overbuying when you end up purchasing duplicates because you can’t easily see what you have on your cupboard shelves.
Turntables are the perfect solution for shelves that are difficult to access. Perfect for categorising items such as oils, vinegars and condiments, they can often fit a surprising amount and all you need to do to find what you’re looking for is give it a spin!
You can place the turntables on their own shelf If you have the space, place the turntables on their own shelf, however don’t hesitate to double up by placing some taller items or back stock items behind the turntables; you can easily lift the turntable and its contents out of the way if needed.
Decant foods items in your pantry
To free up space on pantry shelves, decant items such as flours, pastas, grains and other dried goods that tend to come in bulky packaging.
Removing these items from bulky packaging and storing them inside clear airtight containers will not only help them to stay fresher for longer, they will be easier to access during the cooking process and can be organised neatly on pantry shelves for an aesthetically pleasing look.
Create zones on pantry shelves
Organised pantry shelves are not only a thing of beauty, they can help you to reduce the amount of food that you waste too!
Creating organised shelves begins by setting out zones in your pantry for food categories. Here’s a list to get you started:
Spices
Canned goods
Snacks
Bread
Crackers
Savoury spreads
Sweet spreads
Dry ingredients
Cereal or breakfast items
Baking
Pasta
Condiments
Perishables
Add labelled bins to your pantry shelves to contain items within each category, keeping items you use often at eye level. Doing so will enable you to always find exactly what you’re looking for. You can even create a ‘use first’ category or shelf within the pantry for items that are expiring soon.
Top tip: as you sort through your food categories, discard all expired products. This is a really quick way to instantly reduce clutter and free up extra storage space on your pantry shelves. If you come across an item that doesn’t have an expiration date and you can’t remember when you last used it for something, that should be discarded too. By doing this, you can start with a clean slate and be sure that you’re only organising fresh, edible items.
Take a look at our organisation shop to discover our favourite bins and baskets!
Add shelf risers
A great way to maximise space on your kitchen cupboard shelves is by adding shelf risers which doubles up your vertical storage space.
The addition of shelf risers will allow you to fit more into a small space; think mugs above plates in your crockery cupboards or eggs above cans in your pantry.
Shelf risers are available in many different heights and widths so be sure to shop around to find the ones that suit the items you want to store on them and fit the size of your cupboard.
Protect shelves with shelf liners
In order to protect your kitchen cupboard shelves from moisture and stains, it’s always a good idea to add removable and wipeable shelf liners. Not only will shelf liners help to keep the shelf surfaces clean and free from damage, they will ensure that any dust, crumbs and spills are far easier to clean up!
Consider switching to slide out cupboard shelves
Slide out kitchen cupboard shelves are a fantastic organising solution if you find that items tend to get lost at the back of your cupboard shelves. Swap out fixed cabinet shelves for ones that simply slide out.
The benefit of having sliding shelves in your kitchen cupboards is that you can see and access items at the back of the shelf as items at the front. Win, win!
Use the space beneath each shelf
In many kitchens shelf space is often far too high inside cupboards to be easily accessible, which can mean a lot of wasted space. To fully utilise this extra space in your kitchen cupboards, add under shelf baskets.
An under shelf basket is such a simple addition and they look great too! Just select a colour that fits with the aesthetic of your kitchen and slide onto the cupboard shelf - you’ve already doubled your storage space!
Remember to measure the space you’ve got available so you can select the correct height for the basket.
Display recipe books organised by colour
To create a recipe book display that’s accessible and looks great too, why not organise your collection by colour. Plus, take this opportunity to declutter any recipe books you no longer use.
Keep shelves clutter free
Ensure your shelves stay looking their best by keeping them free of unnecessary clutter.
If your kitchen is large with plenty of inbuilt storage, open shelving can be purely decorative, However if your kitchen is on the smaller side and you’re short on cupboard or drawer space, consider baskets on open shelves to store kitchen textiles such as napkins and tea towels, food or other kitchen items that need a home.
Choose baskets that fit with your kitchen’s aesthetic and thus will provide decoration as well as a functional space to store kitchen items.
Utilise under counter shelving
Under counter shelving can be easily forgotten but it’s valuable space, especially in a small kitchen, that needs to be made the most of!
This space is great for storing larger items such as kitchen appliances and pots and pans that would otherwise take up a great deal of valuable space in smaller kitchen cabinets or clutter up countertops.
Conduct a monthly maintenance tidy
It’s common for shelves to become disorganised over time, but with a good organisation system in place this should be less likely to happen!
However, in order to keep your kitchen shelves neat and organised, we recommend a monthly maintenance tidy where you spend 30 minutes auditing your kitchen shelves, decluttering items that don’t belong and returning out of place items to their home.
Find your kitchen shelving solutions today!
Happy organising! We hope you have fun implementing these kitchen shelving organisation tips to help improve functionality and storage within your kitchen.
If you would like professional support in getting your kitchen or any other area of your home home organised, don’t hesitate to get in touch - Homefulness is here to help!