Plan Kitchen Storage Before Your Next Remodel
A beautiful kitchen that drives you crazy every morning isn’t a successful kitchen.
Doors, colors and countertops matter, but some of the smartest remodeling decisions happen before any of those selections. They begin with a much less glamorous question:
Where is all your stuff going to go?
If a kitchen remodel is on your winter project list, late fall is a good time to start examining how your current kitchen actually works.
Don’t start with cabinets. Start with your kitchen.
Dura Supreme recommends beginning the storage-planning process by taking an inventory of the current kitchen. That includes cookware and dishes, but also small appliances, frequently used food and drink items, outlets and even the places where paper tends to collect. [seigles.du…upreme.com]
That’s useful because storage problems aren’t always caused by simply having “not enough cabinets.”
Sometimes you have plenty of cabinet space, but the things you reach for every day are in the wrong places. Sometimes a deep shelf turns into a cave where three slow cookers go to disappear. Sometimes the baking sheets have somehow claimed half a cabinet.
Those daily frustrations are useful information for a designer.
Write down what’s annoying you
Before a remodel, pay attention to the moments when your current kitchen makes a simple task harder.
Dura Supreme specifically recommends considering what the new space needs and thinking through the frustrations you experience while preparing meals and cleaning up. [seigles.du…upreme.com]
That could mean examining questions like:
- Are frequently used items difficult to reach?
- Do trays, pans and cutting boards pile on top of each other?
- Are small appliances using prime countertop space?
- Does the pantry make it hard to see what you have?
- Is one drawer trying to do the work of three?
- Where do mail, keys and everyday household items land?
You don’t need to solve those problems yourself. The goal is to identify them.
Think about activities, not just objects
A kitchen works better when storage supports what you actually do there.
Dura Supreme suggests discussing specialized needs with a designer, including baking stations, beverage areas and dedicated places for other recurring household tasks. [seigles.du…upreme.com]
That changes the conversation from “How many cabinets can we fit?” to “How should this kitchen work?”
It’s a subtle difference, but an important one.
Someone who bakes every weekend may organize the kitchen differently from someone who wants an efficient morning coffee station. A family packing lunches every weekday has different needs from a household that frequently entertains.
The kitchen should reflect those habits.
There are more storage options than shelves
Modern cabinet planning gives you ways to use space that might otherwise be overlooked.
For example, Dura Supreme shows several approaches for organizing baking sheets, trays and cutting boards, including vertical dividers, roll-out configurations and drawer-based storage. [detailkitc…upreme.com]
The important part isn’t adding every clever storage accessory you see.
It is choosing features that solve your recurring problems.
A thoughtful storage plan should make routine tasks easier, not turn a kitchen into a collection of gadgets.
Layout belongs in the conversation too
Storage and layout should be considered together.
Dura Supreme describes five fundamental kitchen layouts: L-shaped, galley, U-shaped, single-wall and G-shaped. The company also notes that islands can add storage and counter space in layouts where sufficient room is available. [durasupreme.com]
MANS kitchen and bath designers work with homeowners on layout and space planning and can develop a preliminary design based on measurements, style and project needs. [manslumber.com]
That’s one reason it helps to arrive at the design conversation with more than a Pinterest board.
Bring your annoyances too.
Do a one-week kitchen audit
Before changing anything, spend a week noticing your patterns.
What’s always on the counter? What storage do you avoid because it’s inconvenient? Which drawer gets opened twenty times a day? Which cabinet is full but somehow still doesn’t contain what you need?
Write it down.
Those little observations can become some of the most useful information you take into the design process.
