The kitchen is often seen as the heart of the home and is one of the only rooms that is guaranteed to be used on a daily basis. It is the main location for entertaining and socialising with your loved ones, which means that it has its fair share of items, objects and appliances to store. Particularly if you have a smaller kitchen, the space can quickly become cluttered with belongings and finding storage that won’t take up valuable cooking space can prove somewhat tricky. Luckily, with the tonnes of different inspiration available on clever, discrete kitchen appliance storage ideas, homeowners are now able to use the space they already have to their advantage.
Clever Kitchen Appliance Storage Ideas
In the past, kitchen storage solutions lacked the aesthetic factor. While they served their purpose perfectly well, it wouldn’t be easy to find big enough storage that matched the colour theme and style of your kitchen. The only storage available would be bulky boxes which, unfortunately, were not the most attractive of additions to your home.
Thanks to the many different companies now specialising in building bespoke kitchens, it has now become an easy task to incorporate various hidden storage into your room which does not compromise any valuable space. As professionals in this particular area of expertise, we have many years of experience designing modern kitchens in Buckingham, which are filled with handy storage solutions. So, we thought we would devise a list of the top ten appliance storage ideas; some that require the assistance of an industry expert and others that can be achieved through super easy DIY methods.
1. Mesh Stacking Shelves
As one of the most basic of storage solutions, opting to fill your cupboards with mesh stacking shelves is ideal for keeping your appliances organised and ready to use whenever you need them. It can be easy when in a rush, to quickly pile items into the cupboard with the idea that they will be arranged when you have more time to filter through, however, this quickly causes the space to become increasingly cluttered.
A Place For Everything has many different size variations in stacking shelves so you can customise to fit your space. Many opt for stacking difference sized shelves to create compartments that perfectly fit its allocated objects. They are even capable of being folded down if, in the future, they are no longer in use, but you want to keep them for a later date. Mesh is also incredibly durable meaning that you don’t have to worry about shelves becoming damaging when filled with heavy objects.
2. Basket Storage Bench
Ideal if your kitchen is separate from your dining room, a basket storage bench is a fantastic piece of multi-functional furniture, acting as both a comfortable seat and handy storage.
When cooking a meal, particularly for many guests at once, it is unlikely that you will be standing preparing ingredients or over the stove for the entire cooking time, however, still want to keep an eye on the progress. This makes a basket storage bench super useful as it means, not only can you store larger appliances, but also have somewhere comfortable to sit while you wait for the cooking process to complete. The bench can be decorated with vibrant cushions to add a splash of colour to your kitchen and basket sizes can be based on the dimensions of the items you aim to store.
Sue Ryder Direct stock an affordable wicker storage unit which is not only neutral in colour, but also comes equipped with drawers.
3. Hanging Microwave Shelf
You would be surprised how much wasted space there is in a kitchen, particular below cupboards and shelves; all of which can be used to your advantage.
If you see yourself as rather creative with a more intermediate level of DIY skills, then trying your hand at building a hanging microwave shelf is guaranteed to prove incredibly beneficial. Due to the weight of a microwave, you will need to invest in sturdy materials including plywood, eyelet bolts and heavy duty screw hooks, along with a durable countertop or cabinet with enough free space underneath.
A full step by step guide on how to construct a hanging microwave shelf can be found on Instructables.
4. Designated Alcove
When designing a new kitchen, if you know that you simply cannot live without your coffee machine or would like allocated space for the toaster out of the way, then a designated storage alcove would be ideal.
An alcove is a part of the wall in the home that is built a little further back than the rest of the wall. They can be built into any area of the home, whether this may be to fit a wardrobe, mantlepiece or merely to add extra dimensions into a room. Traditionally, alcoves are kept with an organic, natural appearance, for example, leaving the brick or stone exposed depending on the materials used to build the property. Whereas, nowadays, many opt for plastering and painting the interior of the alcove to ensure that it flows seamlessly with the rest of the room. Particularly when building a kitchen alcove, you could consider tiling the space to make cleaning super easy.
Alcoves are mainly built open with no form of a door, which makes them incredibly beneficial to store everyday kitchen appliances. Countertops are often small and become cluttered with appliances that you wish could be tucked away, but would be too much of a hassle to get back out everyday – building an alcove is an effective solution to solve this storage issue.
5. Custom Corner Storage
One of the biggest culprits for wasted space in the kitchen is corner cupboards. While you are able to fill corner cupboards with as many items as possible, many avoid the hassle as when you want to use an item pushed to the back; it involves emptying the cupboard and refilling it.
There are now a plethora of different storage solutions built specifically to utilise every inch of corner cupboards, from shelving optimisers and carousels; all of which are built with mechanisms that allow them to be pulled out with ease. The type of appliances and kitchen utensils you plan to fill your cupboard with will depict the type of storage you opt for. Those who aim to store away larger appliances such as a slow cooker or food processor would benefit from ladder storage which consists of solid shelves capable of holding multiple bigger items. On the other hand, if you only want to pack away dining sets, then a carousel would be perfect as it can be rotated until you find the crockery you are searching for.
If you are interested in any of the corner cabinet storage mentioned above, take a look at Buller.
6. Floating Shelves
Although we are focusing on kitchen storage solutions, opting to construct and build floating shelves are, in fact, a fantastic option for any room in the home. Areas above the window, on top of cupboards and even around the circumference of the room are all wasted space that could be used to your advantage. They can be used to store larger kitchen appliances that you aim to keep, however, do not use as frequently, so would like to pop them out of site.
Floating shelves can be built through DIY methods using timber planks or picked up for an affordable price from reputable retailers such as Worktop Express. Many opt for using their own planks of wood to build shelves as it means that they can be painted to blend seamlessly into the kitchen wall.
7. Appliance Garage
If you’re keen on the idea of a kitchen alcove, yet hope to fit storage that is capable of hiding your chosen appliances, then an appliance garage would be ideal. An appliance garage enables you to keep units that are less visually appealing out of sight, yet still close to hand if you hope to use them several times a week.
The great benefit of an appliance garage is that they can be incorporated into your current kitchen cabinetry. In most properties, kitchen cabinets do not reach the worktops, and there is often a large space between the two; here is the perfect location for one or more kitchen garages to be fitted. Rather than organising many different items on show on the worktop, they can, instead, be neatly hidden away behind their own allocated compartment.
8. Pull-Out Pantry
Although the idea of a pull-out pantry is less appliance-based, it is an incredibly useful storage solution for smaller kitchens. Rather than fitting one large cupboard which can quickly become cluttered, instead, opt for multiple slide-out cabinets that are filled with shelves. As the pull-out shelves will be the height of a regular cabinet, they allow enough room for three or four shelves, ideal for tins, cans and dried good such as herbs and spices.
A narrow, pull-out cabinet could also be incorporated into any gaps that you have in your kitchen furnishing, for example, between the cooker and cupboard or along the side of the fridge.
9. Under Sink Storage Trays
While the cabinet under the sink does have limited space, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the cupboard must be ruled out as an effective storage solution. Whether you hope to stash away cleaning products or smaller appliances such as a blender, building a bespoke set of storage trays will allow you considerably more storage space than you would expect.
As each home is different, pull-out under sink storage trays will have to be designed, built and installed independantly using DIY methods. However, with thorough research, we have found a super handy tutorial on how to create your own on Family Handyman.
When adding trays to the cabinet under your sink, it is imperative to ensure that they are easy to remove if required. If in the worst case scenario, there is a burst pipe, your plumber will have to be able to get to the problem swiftly without having to disassemble trays.
10. Appliance Lift
If you’re hoping to improve the accessibility of your kitchen, then an appliance lift would be the perfect new addition. Opting to fit an appliance lift allow you to store heavier appliances, such as a mixer or blender, in lower cupboards out of sight, without having to bend down to lift them back out. It is a simple storage solution that requires little maintenance as it will be fitted in a way to ensure that as soon as you open the cabinet, the lift will begin to elevate to countertop level.
Fill Your Kitchen With Handy Storage Solutions!
Luckily, there are now tonnes of different kitchen storage solutions promised to solve every appliance issue you may have. Maintaining an organised, tidy and decluttered kitchen has never been simpler which means that you can alter every component to suit your individual requirements.
If you’re hoping to transform your space, Renov8 specialise in fitting bespoke kitchens in Towcester and if required, are more than happy to incorporate handy storage solutions into your design to maximise space and usability.
We hope that you found our guide to the best appliance storage solutions helpful. If so, why not share on social media?