Eight of the Best – Kitchen Storage Solutions

A kitchen is more than just a set of cupboards. It is the heart of a home, one of the biggest storage areas you’ll have in the house and, often, the place where everyone congregates. So, how do you ensure your new kitchen looks good and increases kitchen storage? Whatever your needs, remember that if the storage solution is not functional; it won’t be useful.

There are numerous hardware options available that improve kitchen storage, increase access to storage and provide a sorting system for things like kitchen waste and recycling. All of these items are immensely useful, the hard thing is deciding which to choose! Let’s have a closer look at some of the more popular options.

Bins

Every kitchen needs a bin. The best bin for your kitchen is the one that sorts your waste to the level you require. In some areas of Australia, recycling services are more specific than others. Most areas will have a combined paper and plastic recycling service on top of the usual garbage collection, if you have a compost bin in the back garden, that makes three separate bins. The major kitchen hardware suppliers have integrated bins available. Here are two we think are great options:

Häfele have many different bin configurations and capacities. Blum also has a few options for waste management. Blum servo-drive technology allows you to open the bin fully with just one light touch.

Hafele Cargo bin unit

Tips for integrating this idea into your kitchen:

Combine a waste sorting system with a Blum Servo Drive sensor to effortlessly open and close your bin without having to use your clean-for-cooking hands!

Make the door front look the same as the surrounding units to disguise the functionality that hides within.

Assisted Opening Technology

for improved access to kitchen storage

Blum Servo-Drive technology is an excellent access solution for those who want the highest quality, high tech, most functional kitchen and also for those who due to pain or limited ability are unable to perform the necessary repetitive movements required to open doors and drawers.  A simple light touch is all it takes to open and close drawers and flap-style doors.

Tip for integrating this idea into your kitchen:

If your movement is limited consider applying this access solution to each drawer and flap style door.

Pull out Storage

Pull out spice storage right where you need it.

Pull out spice racks

These are a Smith & Smith favourite. Spices get frequent use, but the jars are typically tiny and easy to lose amongst other pantry items. Pull out spice racks keep them all together and within easy reach.

Tip for integrating this idea into your kitchen:

If you have cabinetry around your range, consider a Smith & Smith spice storage area for access to spices right where you actually use them.

Pull out pantry

In a well-stocked kitchen, the items at the back of the pantry can get lost. Not so with a pull-out pantry – this solution allows easy access to all items within. Pull out pantries increase kitchen storage because they allow you to use all available space efficiently.

Tip for integrating this idea into your kitchen:

Ensure you get the best quality unit you can afford as cheaper models do not glide as easily or have a decent weight load limit, as a result, they can become burdensome to use.

Pull out table

For those who have large kitchens, this idea will make no sense at all! However, in many apartments these days there is rarely room for living space as well as dining space. Bench space is also limited in apartment kitchens. This handy feature offers an alternative to a fixed bench. It saves space while still being readily accessible. With a 100kg limit, your most courageous cooking effort can be accommodated. At approximately 420x800mm, it is just the right size for an intimate dinner for two. While it extends to 800mm, it rolls ingeniously into a regular 600mm cabinet and is hides inconspicuously behind a regular drawer front.

Tip for integrating this idea into your kitchen:

Ideal for apartment kitchens as additional bench space or dining area.

Kick Drawers

Why not make use of this space that often goes to waste? Kick drawers provide unobtrusive storage in the kick boxes that support the lower cabinets in your kitchen. This storage solution is useful for platters and other large items, and so readily accessible! What’s not to love?

Kick drawers are barely visible below the base cabinets, but they can increase kitchen storage by up to 25%.

Tip for integrating this idea into your kitchen:

If space is limited, consider having kick drawers to increase kitchen storage by up to 25%!

Corner Access

Many kitchen layouts require a corner unit. The trouble with corner units is that they make accessing the area very difficult for two reasons. First, the opening is relatively small. Second, the corner is set diagonally opposite the opening, meaning that the area you need to reach across to access the back is much further than the rest of your cabinets. Thankfully this problem has a variety of solutions. The solution you choose will depend on what you would like to store in that cabinet.

Those clever hardware companies have come up with a variety of kitchen storage solutions to ensure you can effortlessly get out what you put in and they can be tailored to your storage needs. For instance, if you have an abundance of appliances you wish to store in the corner cabinet, there is a shelf style storage solution that provides easy access to them. If you have many small items to store, why not turn it into a uniquely shaped set of drawers.

Revolving or pull out shelf style corner access

Great for storing larger items such as pots, small appliances and awkwardly shaped objects. These corner systems allow an impressive amount of storage and some bring the items right before you without having to get down on your knees and reach awkwardly into the cabinet.

Drawer style corner access

For storing food, small or flat items, a corner unit with drawers is ideal. Drawer access is less common as it leaves a higher portion of the unit unused compared to the shelf style units. When practicality is paramount, the amount of space used may be of lower priority. Blum’s Space Corner is a stylish drawer style corner access system.

Hafele Kesebohmer LeMans II corner access

Tip for integrating this idea into your kitchen:

Talk to your designer about which storage solution suits your needs best.

In the Laundry

Pull out laundry hamper

One option in pull out laundry baskets is to have solid plastic laundry baskets that sit on a platform or runners. Another option is to have washable nylon bags that attach to a frame.

Tilt out laundry hamper

Tilts out for quick, effortless access.

Tip for integrating this idea into your laundry:

Install two hampers side by side for instant separation of white and coloured loads.

Foldaway ironing board

Every laundry has an ironing board. The trick is to make accessing it a breeze. Foldaway ironing boards are popular because they are close at hand, they don’t need floor space and the iron can be plugged in right nearby without the potential tripping hazard the cord may cause. They are available in shelf-mounted or neatly tucked behind a drawer front. There is also a fold-down option for wall mounting. Folding ironing boards conserve space and are convenient to use as they are easily accessed and just as easily stored again. No more scratched floors or broken nails from setting up a portable ironing board!

Broom holders

Side by side laundry baskets for instant separation of white and coloured loads.

If your laundry is where you store your brooms and mops; broom holders are a cost-effective and functional addition. They keep your laundry tidy and prevent a jumble of poles impeding your access to the area.

Tip for integrating this idea into your laundry:

Mount broom holders behind your laundry door to keep brooms and mops safely out of walkways – and out of sight!