Tips Towards a Clutter-Free Kitchen
When your countertops are cluttered with too many items, it is hard to work around the mess, so use these handy tips to free up countertop space.
30/10/2021
Living in a kitchen with limited countertops space usually means having to continuously move things around to have enough space for food preparation. It is a fact that most kitchens not only serve as a place to prepare meals but also for the family to gather, perhaps mornings and evenings, and it is just a bad habit that things get left or dumped in the kitchen.
We turned to kitchen experts, EasylifeKitchens.co.za, for their tips on how to remove clutter from your kitchen countertops.
1. Make full use of every available space
pinterest.com/pin/1196337393483603/
In a kitchen, corners are very often overlooked and yet can be worked into a design to provide even more storage. Adding wall shelves above the countertop provides the perfect opportunity for additional storage for items used daily and they also offer a way to bring a few decorative accessories into a kitchen where countertops need to be free of clutter for an organised and functional kitchen.
pinterest.com/pin/8585055528747106/
Making or buying readymade floating shelves lets you make use of otherwise unused areas for storage, such as mounting shelves on either side of a kitchen window. This is the perfect place to establish an indoor herb garden that will get plenty of bright light from the window, as well as more storage space.
2. Get clutter off the countertop
pinterest.com/pin/744712488388510725/
Another place for additional storage that is often ignored is underneath wall-mounted cupboards, especially if there is quite a bit of space between the floor and wall-mounted cupboards. This space is invaluable for much-needed storage and will serve to house items that normally sit on the countertop.
Design and assemble box shelves, as shown above, that will complement the existing design of the kitchen or bring something new and different to your kitchen layout. Wood brings an element of warmth to any kitchen and pine is affordable enough and very easy to work with. When using pine, you can easily apply a stain or tinted varnish to highlight the natural grain of the wood.
pinterest.com/pin/691724824009600317/
When considering adding storage under wall-mounted cupboards, make sure that the style you select will blend perfectly with the kitchen design. You don't want to add storage that sticks out and spoils the overall aesthetic but rather one that blends in. Unless you are putting shelves on the wall for storage underneath wall cupboards, you will have to do this as a DIY option unless you know of someone who can do it for you. Making a basic storage cabinet is not that difficult and you only need basic power tools (drill - jigsaw - sander) to achieve this.
pinterest.com/pin/214835844699284453/
3. Retrofit cupboards with a storage garage
pinterest.com/pin/70437485214957/
This option had me a bit stumped, as I didn't know what a storage garage referred to, only to find out that it is a cupboard or cabinet that can be retrofitted into an appliance garage to house assorted small appliances. Ah-ha! I have previously referred to this type of storage as a 'station'. Now that you also know, a storage garage can be designed to fit into any new kitchen design or you can look at retrofitting an existing kitchen cupboard with additional shelves to house, perhaps, a microwave or coffee maker, a coffee station, baking hub, or just to store small appliances that would normally take up extra space on a countertop.
pinterest.com/pin/19421842133875641/
Having a kitchen cupboard retrofitted for garage storage can be done either as a DIY project or you can have a professional kitchen installer do the installation. The garage storage below shows how you can add on a garage storage solution by sacrificing a small section of a kitchen countertop to free up more space by storing countertop items out of the way.
pinterest.com/pin/703756183110346/
Take stock of a kitchen to determine where garage storage might serve you better, especially in a small or compact kitchen. Sometimes, you can make a few changes and replace dysfunctional cupboards with a practical alternative.
pinterest.com/pin/1266706135784858/
4. Seek out more storage space
pinterest.com/pin/645774034039822882/
Undersink storage is discussed often and is a simple way to organise this area. The space under a sink is normally crammed full of cleaning products and supplies that are disorganised. and it makes finding what you need a difficult task. If you have this situation in your kitchen, it's time to re-think the solution and replace a shelf with two pullout drawers. Doing this is not a difficult task and only requires the addition of a frame to support the drawers, making the drawers and fitting these with ballbearing drawer runners. You will find details on how I built my undersink storage solution here.
pinterest.com/pin/229472543499709341/
Bottom Line
With do-it-yourself becoming a popular pastime for guys and gals alike, acquiring even a little bit of knowledge on using power tools and accessories will not only save you money on making your own pieces, but it will also serve you well in making alterations and changes to your home. We aren't lucky enough to be able to pick up the phone to contact professionals that can make stuff for us - other than a local handyman - or we are unable to find online someone close to us, so taking up the challenge to do-it-yourself is the way to go.