10 Ways to Make Your Kitchen Cabinets More Functional

A good kitchen is where every nook and cranny are fully-utilized, filled with kitchen cabinets containing every useful ingredient and tool needed in creating tasty creations. A good kitchen doesn’t have to be big and airy. All it really needs are well-designed and stocked kitchen cabinets to help make cooking easy and enjoyable.

In this article, we’ll help you achieve just that by giving you the 10 ways that you can make your kitchen cabinets more functional.

1. Use kitchen cabinet doors for storage

It’s important to utilize every inch of space for possible storage and this includes the very doors of your cabinets. Racks can be built into them for spices, condiments and even the lids of pots and pans. There are also racks available in the market that can be hung on the inside of cabinet doors for extra storage.

Man opening cabinetwith storage in the doors
Image by Ruta Celma

2. Store like items together

This is not only aesthetically pleasing and great for organization; it also makes tasks a lot easier. If you know where something is without having to root around for it, you end up saving time. Plus, if you give your flatware or ceramics their pride of place, they can double as a display for visual appeal.

Plates and bowls stacked together neatly in cabinet
Image by Brooke Lark

3. Keep things within reach

Spices, condiments and other basic ingredients should be kept within reach. However, for those of us who do not have the luxury of a lot of counter space, the cabinets end up being the solution. There are a lot of ways to organize a spice cabinet and once done, you can cut your meal prep time considerably.

Cabinet full of spices and condiments
Image by Unsplash

4. Use baskets to organize your kitchen cabinet

No matter how hard you try to keep cupboards organized, things can get lost especially when things get hectic in the kitchen. Rein the chaos in by using baskets to keep shelf items in order. This also works well if you have loose items or leftovers.

Organized cabinet shelves with baskets
Image by Joanna Alderson

5. Label everything

No one needs the hassle of having to open jars to survey and sniff its contents to find out what it is. You don’t even need a label maker for a task such as this. Even some masking tape and a marker can work wonders in making sure you’ll know what’s what with just one glance.

Pantry cabinet of labelled containers
Image by Flickr

6. Organize using dividers and trays

There are a few things more impressive than opening a drawer and being greeted by order. Trays work well for drawers that house silverware and other tools you need for cooking. They also help keep the kitchen safe by avoiding injury that can be caused by having to root around for things.

Drawer full of organized silverware in cabinet
Image by Jarek Ceborski

7. Use risers and dividers

Risers and dividers are not only great for display cabinets. They also help keep your cabinets functional by making good use of every available space and keeping clutter to a minimum.

Cabinet shelves of dinnerware cookery and books
Image by Brooke Lark

8. Make lazy susans work

If you’re tired of having to spin cans and jars around or removing one after the other from a shelf just to find what you’re looking for, consider using lazy susans to organize the contents of kitchen cabinets.

Canned goods organized in a cabinet
Image by Flickr

9. Eliminate dead space with swivel baskets

Over the years, more and more innovative solutions have come up to solve the problem of dead space in cupboards. Turntable shelves and wire mesh baskets that swivel out do well in maximizing available space and keeping everything organized.

Corner base cabinet with swivel storage
Image by Flickr

10. Get everything built in

Good storage is clever storage and this includes allotting space for anything and everything you may need in the kitchen. The dishwasher is a standard in kitchen built-ins but you can also make space for trash bins and even sponge holders and cleaning supplies. To do this, it will require the skills of professionals who can build custom kitchen cabinets.

Compartmentalized cabinet
Image by Wikimedia Commons

BONUS: Go vertical!

Not all of us have the luxury of all the cabinet space they need which is why it helps to be creative when looking for storage solutions. Make good use of the vertical space available in the kitchen to store cooking essentials like utensils and cookware.

Hanging storage of cookware in white kitchen and cabinet
Image by Dinh Ng

The kitchen can be a sanctuary, a place of zen, and creativity as long as everything is organized and well-kept. Making sure your kitchen cabinets are functional can be easy thanks to the many storage solutions available in the market today. All you need is a little innovation and some thinking outside the box (or cabinet, in this case!) to find the perfect mix of form and function.

Uma P
I’m a amarteur flute player who gets more notes wrong than right. When I’m not performing for my nieces, I love making the fam’s house look spic n’ span.