HOW TO INCREASE YOUR STORAGE SPACE IN YOUR UPCOMING KITCHEN RENOVATION
If you are about to embark on a kitchen renovation we’ve got some tried and tested tips for you to help it not only look fabulous but function perfectly too. A kitchen is a heavily used space, even more so these days as they have expanded from being meagre places we cook our food into family & entertainment spaces so they need to work really hard.
When you begin the journey, consider what capacity of storage you already have in your kitchen, look at cabinet and worktop space you have and really think abut how much of the space you need Vs how much is filled with items you simply do not use, is there a pasta maker lurking at the back of a cabinet gathering dust? Do you plan to become a home made pasta kind of home once you have your new kitchen? If not, then donate it, if however that is a life goal, make a section in your new space where it is easily accessible and useable.
Your kitchen should work perfectly for you, it should consider how you use it, what you need at various times of the day and it should all be seamless, easy to access and easy to store away. Having accessible and functional storage considered with you in mind will mean your kitchen will not look or feel cluttered, it will be swift and simple to clear away ahead of turning the kitchen from a working to an entertaining space.
TIP #1: ENHANCE STORAGE WITH TALL UNITS
I cannot speak highly enough about tall cabinets, they offer a vast amount more storage than the previous base cabinet worktop wall cabinet combo and they hide the clutter. A wall of tall cabinets can contain appliances and storage all seamlessly in wall wall as bank of cabinets.
Opt for integrated appliances and use a tall bank to have all of your food storage right next to one another with a tall fridge, freezer and pantry all next to one another, perfectly zoning your cooking prep!
Pop your oven and microwave into a tall cabinet too and gain both eye level access to both (no more bending down to get the roast chicken out of the oven) and storage both above and below the appliance.
Dare to go all the way up to the ceiling with the tall units fitting top boxes with horizontal opening doors on for longer term storage - if you decided to keep the pasta maker regardless of my advice, it can hide in here! Running them all the way to the ceiling adds so much storage and stops the top of them becoming dust collectors too - double win!
If you are desperate for more chilled food space and thought the freestanding American Fridge Freezer was the only option then think again. Instead of a great hunk of shiny appliance (can you tell I am not a fan?) you can instead place 2 integrated 600mm wide fridge freezers next to one another with doors hinges to opposing sides so they open as doubles, and voila a space bigger then the stainless steal eyesore. Instead of which you have a simple bank of cabinetry with the function hidden, perfect. I simply love a tall cabinet, as well as all of the awesome storage and function they offer they also look far more up to date than the sea of countertop cluttered with appliances with wall cabinets above. Hide the clutter in these and opt for a kitchen that is both beautiful and functional.
TIP #2: CREATE MORE FUNCTIONAL STORAGE WITH CUSTOM UNITS
Taking the tall cabinets to a whole new level here would be to build into them working stations, bear with me here, it may seem a little new but honestly it is a wonderful addition.
Bring in a breakfast/drinks cupboard. Use pocket doors to your cabinetry and place inside a worktop, sink, kettle (or even a boiling tap for a little more luxe) and anything you need for breakfast. Hide it all behind those pocket doors and in the morning when you want your coffee and toast open it up, make what you need and then leave it closed and clear when it is not in use.
We can opt for something similar as a working cupboard. If you are keen bakers or home cooks and the kitchen aid / break maker / food processor / air fryer is in frequent use then we need them to be accessible. But we do not want your home to look like a local electricals shop with each of these slightly different items cluttering the side. Instead we create a working cupboard, putting these items into a tall unit with pocket doors on a worktop section so when you need them you simply open the doors, use then once you have finished cooking, wipe down and close off the clutter.
Multiple sinks in your kitchen will also make the world of difference. We often create varied zones, a sink in your breakfast cupboard, a prep sink close to where you’ll do all your chopping but here I want to talk about the ‘dirty sink’. This sink sits right next to the dishwasher and the bins, it is often also tucked away behind the trusted pocket doors and allows speedy and efficient clear up after cooking or serving dinner, scrape the plates, rinse, pop in the dishwasher all done whilst someone else makes drinks using the other sink - perfect.
TIP #3: INSTALL AN ISLAND OR PENINSULAR FOR EVEN MORE FUNCTION
Islands and peninsulas appear in many of our kitchens, and for good reason! They offer additional prep space, a focal point, an area to gather and share drinks and also bring extra storage to a busy kitchen.
The peninsular / Island works as a great central point in your kitchen, it is usually deeper worktop than the rest so perfect for prepping but also serving food. It will also have some natural pull inviting people to sit at it on tall stools whilst you prep in the kitchen. They do not intrude on the function of the kitchen but allow socialising in the space which we love.
As well as the social aspect of these, they also serve well for additional storage and function! On the kitchen side of the Peninsular we love to fill it with useful storage, drawers, an under counter fridge if space is tight, under hob pan drawers and where there is a sink on there too perhaps even some pull out bins. They create an additional wall run without the need for the wall.
To the more sociable side of them they are just brilliant for a set of tall seats to enjoy a swift breakfast or a pre dinner drink, display shelves for books and serve-ware and even a wine fridge for entertaining. Double sided, double storage and a little entertaining thrown in too, winning all day in our books.
BONUS TIP: USE DRAWERS, NOT DOORS FOR BASE CABINETRY
It would not be a Studio Dean kitchen guide if I did not wax lyrical about the benefits of drawers Vs cupboards! I am obsessed with ridding us of the crouch down and reach to the back of the cupboard and passionately believe in as many drawers as a kitchen can take!
These beauties may ba a touch more expensive Vs a hinged door but trust me future you will be so happy you paid the price! Use drawers everywhere, they are not just for Cutlery!
Create plate drawers with internal dividers
Use a wide drawer for storing all your crockery
Add an internal hidden drawer for all utensils close to the hob
Welcome spice drawers & make cooking a pleasure
Select deep drawers to the bottom and fill with your oven dishes (top tip, put dividers in and store these vertically not piled on top of one another for easy access to the one you need, when you need it).
A linen drawer for tea towels and oven mitts
Heck, even keep a junk drawer!
We just love them! They work so well as you can pull them all the way out and easily see what you have, grab what you need then close again and they are so much easier to tidy I cannot even begin to tell you how much they’ll change how your kitchen works. Convinced?
I hope you’ve found these tips useful, they’re just a snippet of what we do at the studio when we think about these hard working spaces but they are truly what makes a difference to how the room works. Our focus as a design team is always to consider how things work before we add any design to a space, functionally thought through spaces that are also beautiful are what we live for day to day.
If you’re about to embark on a renovation yourself and would like some professional assistance on making thinks work, beautifully, we’d love to hear from you. We love to solve any of your day to day dilemmas, so do get in touch and find out how we can transform your home with our signature style of quiet luxury.
Until next time,
