buggered for kitchen storage

[thruppence]

I need some help with my kitchen. I have too much stuff and not enough cupboard space. I can't see a way of getting more space. No room for shelves or extra as every spare bit of wall is either doors or windows. (big French doors, plus 2 windows, plus double doors to family room).

We have a sideboard in the sitting room with the dinner service but I just want to feel like every cupboard and drawer isn't overflowing.

any nifty tips?

[thruppence]

just to be dull, I'm going to list what I have.

1 double cupboard which has food in it.
1 single cupboard for plates and glasses
1 low level cupboard with those wire pull out shelves for more food.
1 thin cupboard
3 x deep drawers
4x shallow drawers
2 x saucepan drawers
1 broom cupboard with small cupboard on top for mugs.
2 x high level small cupboards, one with baking stuff and more food, 1 with tea, coffee etc.

[thruppence]

I have too much food don't I?

[onepieceofcremeegg]

What takes up the space? Is it food, or crockery or gadgets or what?

If you haven't already done so, have a ruthless declutter.

Perhaps you need to cut down on your storecupboard items unless you can store them elsewhere? e.g. tins and long life packets could perhaps go in a box in a loft/shed if not damp in there?

Also if you have crockery that you use infrequently, either put in the sideboard or again box it up. I store extra washing powder boxes etc under the stairs.

Extra supplies of tea towels, tablecloths etc can be stored with other clean textiles (such as bedding) assuming you have room to do this. I only have about 4 teatowels and 4 kitchen handtowels in the actual kitchen drawer for example, but spares (that I never use!) somewhere else.

Would it help if you have an extra shelf or two put in certain cupboards?

[onepieceofcremeegg]

You don't seem to have much cupboard space.

Maybe you have too many saucepans if you have 2 saucepan drawers? I only have 2 saucepans with lids in active use, plus another small lidless one.

[thruppence]

Food I think. I have a Le Creuset casserole dish which is permanently on the work surface and I have 4 saucepans, 2 frying pans (one big) and a griddle pan. They actually don't fit that well in the drawers so they are always a mess. Also has graters, scales etc.

We have a paninni press and a deep far fryer which take a lot of room in the only real cupboard we have. I have nowhere to keep serving platters adequately.

I think I need to utilise the tops of the cupboard but worry that would look messy.

Would love to have a new kitchen but not sure I'd end up with any more space.

[onepieceofcremeegg]

We have a medium sized kitchen (not sure of measurements, but to give you an idea if it was a bit bigger we could fit a table in, but we definitely couldn't at the moment)

Anyway, we had a new kitchen a few years ago (properly fitted) and it made a big difference. For example, before we had it done, there was no room for a fridge freezer (we had a separate freezer in the hall and a under-counter fridge) and no room for tumble dryer.

I had the cupboards all changed so they reach the ceiling. Partly for laziness reasons (I hate seeing a load of usually very dusty tins or gadgets on top of cupboards). By having them to the ceiling, we gained an extra smallish shelf in each which is handy for delicate items not used much (posh wine glasses) and also keep the tablets well out of reach. Also before it was fitted there were lots of odd little gaps, but when it was done it was more streamlined and every bit of space used meaning we probably gained an extra cupboard.

[senua]

You started off listing your cupboards and what was in them. You then got to "1 thin cupboard, 3 x deep drawers, 4x shallow drawers" but didn't mention what was in them. Is this a clue to them being under-utilised? Is this where you can somehow get extra usage.

Is there space for one of those butcher's block, free-standing things with extra storage?

I store things on top of cupboards - bulky, not-so-frequently used things like serving dishes.

[senua]

LOL just read onepiece's comment about 'very dusty tins or gadgets on top of cupboards' but I have a cornice to hide them.

[thruppence]

Thin cupboard has deep fat fryer and then all the serving/oven dishes but they don't fit well particularly.

Deep drawers have paninni press in one, overflowing tupperware in the other. and children's bowls and plates in the top one.

Ooh, and I have another thin cupboard I had forgotten about which has MORE FOOD IN IT Breakfast cereals, oils and vinegars.

[senua]

I used to have a deep fat frier of the old variety. It was probably as big as your Le Creuset casserole dish, if not bigger. I replaced it fairly recently and the new one is much more compact - about 9"x9" - although it doesn't hold as much.

You probably need a tupperware declutter. Show me a kitchen that doesn't!

[onepieceofcremeegg]

Maybe you do have too much food, but it's quite a personal thing perhaps. (not as in private, but how much you like to cook, how many ingredients you use etc)

For example, I like to stock up if stuff is on offer so one week I might get 8 tins of beans and of course they take up space. You mention oils and vinegars, well I literally have 2 types of olive oil and that is it. Don't really use vinegar. I do have a small plastic basket of dried spices etc, but only stuff I use regularly.

[onepieceofcremeegg]

senua lucky you with the cornice.

[BoffinMum]

Appliance garages?

This is when you hollow out a bit of wall to contain your kitchen appliances, and put a little roll up door in front. Then you get back worktop space.

TBH I would not give kitchen space to a deep fat fryer in your shoes, or a pannini press

[BoffinMum]

Can you have a larder cupboard in the garage or a shed for non perishables?

[thruppence]

We do actually use both fairly regularly (DH makes excellent chips).

Could maybe get some attractive boxes/ baskets for tops of cupboards.

No room in shed.

Love the idea of an appliance garage, although not sure if I could fit one.

[PorkChopSter]

Can you hang things from the ceiling? (this and (this)

Is there room for shelves above the door frames? (this)

Can you put anything on the back of a door? (this)

Add a shelf inside the cupboards? (this)

Can you hang glasses or mugs or utensils under the wall units? <a class="break-all" href="//(www.amazon.co.uk/Large-Under-Cabinet-Stemware-Rack/dp/B0018ALSJ8?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">this and this)

And lose some of the things you don't use very often

[MamaChocoholic]

PorkChop, I am suffering like the OP. over door shelf and back of cupboard door spice racks are great ideas. do you know of anything like the spire rack but with deeper shelves? we do have a small pantry, and could fit something on the back of the pantry door.

[PorkChopSter]

here

or here

Oooh looky here

or this

[ruddynorah]

My kitchen is tiny. Oils live on a wooden cheese board on the counter by the hob.
Double wall cupboard plus thin wall cupboard holds food.
Below that double base cupboard holds crockery, pans, ovenware, baking paraphernalia.
Single wall cupboard that has fuse box in holds cordials, tea, coffee and medicines.

That's all the cupboards!! We have two shelves for glasses and mugs. Small amount tupperware lives on top of fridge freezer. We have second freezer in the garage, where we also keep bulk non perishable food on an old bookcase.

[MamaChocoholic]

porkchop- thanks - you're good at this!

ruddy, I think we have the same amount of cupboards, our glasses and mugs are on shelves too. except we are lucky to have a small pantry cupboard too where food is kept. where do you keep cleaning stuff? our under sink cupboard is full of it!

[thruppence]

pork chop, this is excellent!

love the spice things for inside the doors. Thank you

[ruddynorah]

Oh yes under sink cupboard how could I forget that?! There we have cleaning stuff, wash tablets, bin bags, dustpan, and cans of soft drink. When we bought this house we actually opted for one less cupboard so we could have a dishwasher fitted!

[MamaChocoholic]

aha - then you have more cupboards than us! but I still think I'd rather the pantry

good idea to stick the soft drink in there though :wanders off to see what else can be fitted in there:

we do have a little extra wall space and I'm really tempted to put one of those wide but short cupboards there, but it's over the hob and dp is convinced it'd be a fire risk.