11 Kitchen Storage & Pantry Design Strategies That Actually Work
Having a beautiful kitchen is one thing, but having one where you can find everything makes life so much better.
The most effective kitchen storage is built into the kitchen design from the start. When storage is planned around how you actually entertain, cook, and eat, your kitchen can hold everything it needs, where it needs it, without looking cluttered.
Details like custom cabinetry, pantry planning, and organizers can make a kitchen feel calmer, more functional, and personalized to how your household lives. Here are some of our favourite ways to rethink your kitchen design so it stays organized in a way that actually works:
1. Before You Do Anything, Evaluate What Kind of Kitchen You Want to Have
Designing the perfect kitchen for you starts before it's built. The first question you have to ask yourself is: What do I want to use my kitchen for? Kitchens for entertaining have different workflows from those for a small family or a couple doing day-to-day meals. Thoughtful design takes into account how the kitchen will be used, so the storage solutions and features you want work for your lifestyle.
Do an audit of what you have in your current kitchen, what you wish you had in a different one, what accessories and appliances are the most important to you, and how you plan to eat meals with your family.
2. Put Storage on the Sides of Your Island
Most kitchen islands have storage on only one side, often with deep cabinets where things get lost. If your island has seating, the back side can include shallower custom cabinetry for table linens, board games, extra glassware, or the things you do not need every day but still want nearby.
On the kitchen side, there is still lots of room for dishes, pots, and everyday cooking tools. This is one of the many ways well-planned kitchen millwork can make a difference.
3. Reclaim Wasted Space: Drawers & Turntables
Corners and lower cabinets with fixed shelves always seem to become a bit of a black hole.
Turntables and lazy Susans are great solutions for corners. Replace fixed shelves with drawers to make everything easier to see, reach, and put away. Wide drawers beside the range for pots, pans, and lids, or a stack of drawers for everyday dishes, mixing bowls, and food containers, make things easy to access.
These swaps are also easier on the body, since you can easily open and turn them instead of getting down on your hands and knees to look into those awkward, deep, forgotten spaces.
4. Add a Full-Height Pull-Out Pantry Cabinet
Full-height pull-out pantry cabinets are great for using tall, narrow spaces in a kitchen and for seeing what you have. They give you plenty of storage for dry goods, cans, and snacks without having to dig through a deep shelf to find one particular ingredient. They are a great option for all kitchens, especially those that do not have room for a full pantry.
Pull-out shelves bring everything forward, so there are fewer forgotten bags of pasta hiding at the back. They work especially well in narrower pantry cabinets, where you can see the full contents from either side.
5. Create a Pantry Room Where You Can Close the Door (If You Have the Space)
We have all seen those picture-perfect pantries with everything perfectly sorted and organized, but in real life, that is not always the case. That is why a pantry where you can close the door and sometimes hide what is going on inside can really improve the aesthetics of a kitchen.
A walk-in pantry or butler’s pantry is great for busy households, avid cooks, or anyone who would rather not have cereal boxes, countertop appliances, and grocery bags on display.
It is a great place to store the day-to-day things that make a kitchen feel busy: small appliances, snacks, bulk groceries, paper products, and the inevitable collection of water bottles and lunch containers. Add a counter to your pantry for the toaster or coffee maker, and suddenly your kitchen feels less cluttered. For clients planning a larger kitchen renovation, this type of secondary storage is often one of the most worthwhile layout decisions.
6. If You Have a Pantry, Do Not Make the Shelves Too Deep
Maximum depth is not ideal for a pantry where you store food. Deep pantry shelves make it easier for food to get lost. We recommend shallower, open shelves that keep the things you need right in front of you and easy to see.
It is important to have enough room in your pantry to move around and use the space, rather than filling it with shelves you cannot reach the back of. Save deeper storage for lower cabinetry with pull-out drawers. High shelves are ideal for serving pieces, seasonal baking supplies, and anything you do not need every week.
7. Give Small Appliances a Home
Small appliances like coffee makers, toasters, blenders, and air fryers are an important part of a kitchen, but they all take up real estate on the counters. An appliance garage or dedicated pantry counter lets you keep them close at hand without taking up valuable counter space and making things look cluttered.
An “appliance garage” is typically a section of counter with cabinetry above and a door that lifts or slides out of the way. They usually include outlets inside so the appliances can stay plugged in and ready to use. It is a simple detail, but it makes a big difference to how tidy the kitchen feels.
8. Divide and Organize What’s Inside
Large drawers and storage spaces in your kitchen can benefit from drawer dividers and organizers, like a utensil tray! These come in many shapes and sizes and are great for keeping your smaller items sorted instead of all jumbled together.
Vertical dividers can help keep cutting boards, baking sheets, and serving trays upright and easy to grab. Organizing bins and trays give spices, food wraps, cleaning supplies, and even your junk drawer a designated zone. Even the cabinet under the sink can be designed around the plumbing, with pull-outs or organizers that make the most of an often-overlooked space.
9. Add Built-In Garbage, Recycling, and Organics Bins
Waste is not glamorous, but it is important to think about. Having an easy place to put your bins without them being in the middle of the kitchen helps keep things looking tidy, reduces odour, and encourages you to do more composting and recycling if the bins are easy to access right next to where you are preparing your food.
A pull-out drawer near the sink and prep area keeps garbage, recycling, and organics out of sight while making it easy to sort things as you cook. Depending on your space, you can include two or three separate bins and skip the floor bins altogether.
10. Make a Zone for Your Coffee or Beverage Station
A coffee or beverage station is a nice little luxury if you have the space. This does not necessarily need to be in your kitchen; a nearby dining area or pantry also works. You can group mugs, coffee, tea, glasses, and other beverages that would otherwise take up space and create clutter in the kitchen in another space.
It can be as simple as a dedicated cabinet with shelves above, or as complete as a pantry counter with a sink and bar storage. Either way, it keeps the morning coffee rush or post-dinner drink-making from taking over the entire kitchen. You can even have one person making coffee in that zone while someone is cleaning in the kitchen after a meal, without bumping into each other.
11. Take Cabinetry to the Ceiling
Avoid the unused storage-space gap between the tops of your cabinets and the ceiling. If you are updating your kitchen cabinetry, taking it all the way to the ceiling makes the kitchen look more finished and adds storage for the things you only use occasionally.
This could include serving dishes, holiday pieces, extra glassware, or the oversized platter that only comes out a few times a year. Cabinetry that reaches the ceiling also eliminates the need to dust above them.
Need Help Making Your Kitchen the Best Version It Can Be?
Rochelle Cote Interior Design (RCID) is a highly qualified and experienced group of Calgary-based interior designers, specializing in high-end residential interior design.
We are one of Calgary’s premier residential interior design firms and help clients with interior selections, custom millwork packages and interior finish drawings for new builds or renovations.
If you’re thinking about a kitchen renovation in Calgary or building a custom home, we’d love to help you create a space that works for your family, looks great and is built to last.
