Whether your current home doesn’t have kitchen cabinets, or you’ve just reached a point where you can’t fit anything else in them, the lack of cabinet space can be a big problem in many kitchens.
Everyone seems to have their own solution – some people widen their pantry, some people turn to wall shelves, some people just give up and start keeping their extra groceries out in the garage where it’s cold enough to keep them safe. Recently, though, we’ve seen a number of homes turning to a solution that we like a lot – using the kitchen counter!
Your countertop can serve as a new source of both horizontal and vertical space if you know how to use it. Start by thinking of the sort of things you usually keep in your kitchen cabinets – dishes, seasonings, maybe a selection of canned goods for easy access. If all you want is a little more breathing room for stuff like that, your countertop can easily become the home for pantry organizers that you’d normally use elsewhere. Things like dish shelves can easily be placed on counter surfaces to help organize the goods you would keep in your kitchen cabinets – you know, if you had any.
But maybe the problem goes beyond that and you need to start thinking vertically. Lately, a lot of modern homes have been turning to using home wire shelving right on top of their countertops to organize everything. By playing a 2 shelf wire shelving unit or one shelf wire shelving kit on your kitchen counter, you can create an easy way to store ingredients, organize dishes, or even hang pots and pans through the use of J-hooks. This will require you to have a lot of vertical space that you can easily access on your countertop, but if you have the room, a lot of modern kitchens have started to benefit from this more commercial kitchen-esq approach.
And if you’re totally lacking in cabinets altogether, the more crafty among you can create your own without having to be an expert woodworker. One of our favorite recent examples of DIY kitchen cabinets is the use of mini lockers either mounted directly into the wall or kept atop a cabinet to create extra closed storage. We recommend caution with this approach, of course, but if you’re comfortable drilling into your walls, these can become an eye-catching and extra-durable replacement for kitchen cabinets, if you’re feeling adventurous. Mount a locker or two on the wall or on your cabinet and you may just have an easier time getting organized.
By using your kitchen counter space as effectively as possible, you’ll be able to compensate for the lack of cabinets in fun and inventive ways!
