5 ways to maximise your kitchen storage
As a London-based kitchen supplier, we are experienced in the art of designing kitchens where space is scarce. For 15 years we’ve practiced the skill of balancing functional layouts, with generous storage and of course, attractive aesthetics.
What we’ve learned is, maximising storage isn’t about having more storage, it’s about having efficient storage. It’s about maximising every spare centimetre, reorganising areas that don’t work as hard as they could and adding smart solutions. With careful planning, a tiny space can transform into a tardis.
Here are five of our hottest tips to make the most of your space with sensible storage:
1. Get your layout right.
The first step is understanding how you use your kitchen, and where everything needs to be. Storing items by how regularly they’re used is a good place to start, ensuring that everyday items are easy-to-reach, and special-occasion pieces are stored away.
Consider all the items you need storage solutions for. From food prep and eating to lounging and doing homework with the kids, the kitchen must accommodate everything from foods and crockery, to stationery and electronics.
Therefore, a well-designed layout is built around your lifestyle and workflow. For example, if you are right-handed, having spices and condiments to the right of your hob makes sense for instant seasoning. You may want to keep your plates near the dishwasher for convenient unloading, and baking trays close to the oven.
In this Finsbury Park kitchen, we installed bespoke spice drawers close to the cooker for convenience, but also to ensure the workspace of the small kitchen was clear.
The point is, before you splash out on storage, first discover whether you are maximising the available space around your key task areas in a way which works for your kitchen workflow. Smart storage planning can make your homelife effortlessly easier - especially for smaller London kitchens!
2. Smart Storage Solutions.
Who doesn’t love a kitchen that uses savvy ideas that are both space-saving and stylish? Here are some of our favourite smart storage solutions.
Pull-out base cabinets
Occupy tricky spaces by installing pull-outs. This storage solution is both accessible and ergonomical to workflow as you can instantly find what you’re looking for. They can be fitted in otherwise unused areas, such as the space surrounding the sink. Here’s one we installed in Walthamstow, placed next to the oven for efficient seasoning!
Larger-than-life Larders
Clear valuable worktop spaces with bespoke larders, which help to organise and declutter your kitchen, whilst keeping items easy to reach.
Here’s one we installed in Leyton, complete with bespoke spice racks, organised drawers for dried food, and LED lights which turn on upon opening.
We installed a double socket in the back so the interior worktop can be used for small appliances too.
Corner Cupboards.
Make use of every inch, including awkward corner cabinets, with a special corner solution. We installed a 360˚ carousel cabinet in a Clapton kitchen - where often difficult to reach pots and pans reveal themselves in a single convenient movement. Say goodbye to digging for those elusive frying pans!
Secret Appliance pull-up shelves
Keep your workspace clutter-free with dedicated appliance shelves for those less everyday items. We built a bespoke storage solution for a customer’s bread mixer, which emerges on a hinge, plugged in and ready to go for those speedy sourdough moments.
Wall storage
Make use of your vertical space by accessorising splashbacks with hanging rails for utensils, and pinning knives on a magnetic rack near your food preparation area. Here’s a utensil rail we installed in a cosy Finsbury park shaker-style kitchen.
Kitchen Island Storage.
Don’t forget the space inside your kitchen island! Not only can you display favourite items such as cookbooks and artwork, you can also opt for built-in drawers and cupboard space. Here’s an open shelving unit we installed on the end of a customer’s kitchen island, making everyday items easy to reach, as well as featuring heaps of personality:
Floor-to-ceiling cabinets
Floor-to-ceiling cabinets provide ample storage, which disappear against white walls for ultra-inconspicuous storage solutions. Here’s one we installed in Shoreditch, which blends seamlessly due to its handleless aesthetic. Hidden behind the doors are shelving, brooms and other tall items, shoe racks and even a hanging rail for guests’ coats.
3. Space Hacks.
Pop-up Plugs
Modern kitchens aren’t just spaces for cooking - but working and lounging. So it’s likely you’re going to require ample electricity. Why not install a ‘power tower’, as we call it - a discrete pop-up plug socket which emerges when needed.
Turn the Sink into a Worktop
Sinks can take up lots of space in the kitchen. Make them work harder by adding a snugly-fitting sink cover on top - doubling up as a chopping board. This simple addition can transform the area into a food prep spot, allowing you to wash, chop and clean all at once, as well as saving worktop space.
Above is a bespoke oak sink cover we designed and built for a Leyton kitchen, maximising space and adding an aesthetic edge.
4. Space Illusions
While not directly storage related, there are tricks to give the impression of space, even if you only have a small space to work with.
Colour
Colour can have a massive impact on how big or small a kitchen feels: the right shade can expand a space. Light colours tend to make rooms feel bigger and brighter - with white being the most effective. But equally light tones such as off-white and pale blue have the same enlarging effect.
We chose white cabinetry, and a pale blue splashback in this Peckham kitchen to expand an otherwise small room into a deceptively larger space.
Reflective surfaces
Glossy surfaces and splashbacks also emphasise the illusion of space - because light bounces off them onto other surfaces. In this East Molesey kitchen, glossy Quartz surfaces bounce the natural light throughout the kitchen, amplifying a spacious, airy feel.
Natural light
We installed slide and fold glass doors which open the kitchen to the garden space in this Walthamstow kitchen. They fill the space with natural light and expand the kitchen space to the outside - perfect for entertaining.
Natural light is fantastic for creating a clean and breathable kitchen. Consider installing french doors and skylights to maximise its effect, and be sure to keep windowsills clutter-free to allow for boosted light.
Lacking ample natural light as small London kitchens often do, you can be clever with artificial lighting. Get a lighting designer to help with this, as a combination of various types of lighting in different areas can really bring a small space to life.
We installed LED lighting in the rail space under the worktops in this Bermondsey kitchen to create the impression of a larger kitchen by directing the eye’s attention to areas of greater space.
5. Small & Smart Appliances
Multi-functional appliances are a savvy route to freeing up storage space. This may be a washer-dryer, or a combined microwave oven. For smaller spaces, you may consider smaller appliances, such as a compact oven or dishwasher.
In this Bermondsey kitchen, we installed a built-in boiling water tap, removing the need for a kettle, and also a Bora induction hob, which features integrated extraction, eliminating an otherwise clunky cooker hood, and giving the impression of more space.
Looking for bespoke kitchen storage inspiration for your space? We’re pros at optimising every inch of small kitchens. Get in touch for a free 30-minute consultation.