For many of us, our kitchen is the busiest room in the house, which is why it’s often referred to as “the heart of the home.” But if your kitchen isn’t organized, it can easily become one of the most chaotic spaces in your home, which makes meal prep and cooking a real chore.

Ideally, your kitchen should be a place where everything has a space to live, and organization plays a key role. A well-organized kitchen will make the time you spend there a lot more enjoyable.

At ShelfGenie®, we know a thing or two about organizing. And since we have no shortage of organization tips and advice to share, we’re going to take your kitchen from cluttered to organized with our 21 brilliant kitchen cabinet storage ideas. Don’t know how to make use of that tricky corner pantry cabinet? Unsure of how to deal with your overflowing cutlery drawer? Don't worry; we'll help you make better use of your space with a variety of examples that will transform your kitchen into a well-organized and stylish haven you’ll love spending time in.

How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets for Maximum Storage

Coming up with kitchen cabinet storage ideas that work for you doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. There are so many tools and solutions available to turn your utensil drawers, pantry, and cupboards into a pillar of organization. We’ll help you create a welcoming environment in your kitchen that makes cooking and entertaining a pleasure.

So, let’s dive right into ShelfGenie’s 19 storage ideas and tips to help you create the kitchen you’ve always dreamed of—along with some products that are sure to connect with the organizer in all of us.

Custom Kitchen Cabinet Storage Ideas

Pull-Out Storage Cabinets: Pull-out cabinets are a great way to store small bottles and jars so that they are organized and easily accessible. You can customize the height of your shelves to accommodate various containers, making these cabinets ideal for all your go-to cooking ingredients.
1. Wall or Door Spice Rack: Installing a wall or door spice rack is another clever way to save kitchen space and avoid the frustrations of trying to find the oregano among a sea of spices. A spice rack will enable you to store spices vertically, giving your kitchen a lively character while freeing up valuable counter space for larger items.
2. Multi-Storage Drawers: Use deep drawer dividers to separate kitchen utensils into different categories. This instantly makes any drawer, including your designated “junk drawer,” look tidier while maximizing your drawer space.
3. Utensil Drawer Insert: To prevent items in your drawers from being piled on top of each other and sliding around, use a utensil drawer insert. Utensils come in many different shapes and sizes, which makes them difficult to organize. A drawer insert will help you sort and organize utensils according to size. This will make it much easier to find what you need, when you need it.
4. Vertical Tray Dividers: Storing large, flat items like cookie sheets and cutting boards can be a hassle. Stacking them on top of each other is precarious and inefficient. Bypass this frustration by installing vertical tray dividers in your cabinets can help you easily tuck items away in organized categories. It’s like having a file folder for your baking trays!
5. Glide-Out Shelves: This may be one of the best pantry cabinet ideas out there. Deep cabinets can store a lot of food and appliances, but it’s difficult to retrieve items that are hiding behind everything else. Glide-Out shelves make it easy to access hard-to-reach spaces at the back of your cupboards. Now you can fully stock your pantry shelves without worrying about losing items that are stored out of sight.
6. Pull-Out Trash Can Cabinet: Make the most of your deep kitchen cabinets with this sleek upgrade. Pull-out trash can cabinets are a great way to keep kitchen garbage out of sight. This hidden in-cabinet waste solution conceals garbage and recycling bins while still allowing easy access. In addition, a pull-out trash can helps facilitate household waste sorting, like compost, recycling, and trash. This waste can solution also helps control odors and messes, keeping your kitchen looking (and smelling) fresh.
7. Two-Tiered Cutlery Drawer: While cutlery dividers can be very useful, what if you want to store lesser-used utensils like steak knives or parfait spoons in the same drawer as your forks and knives? This is where the two-tiered cutlery drawer insert comes in. This system allows for the top tray to slide back to reveal a lower tier of cutlery storage. This is the perfect storage solution for a small kitchen with a limited number of drawers.
8. Built-In Drawer Outlet & USB Port: It always seems like there is a shortage of power outlets in the kitchen. If you like to pull up recipes on your phone or iPad, or if your phone always seems to be low on battery, having a built-in outlet in the kitchen will come in handy. Stowing your electronics away while they charge will keep your countertops neat and tidy.
9. Toe Kicker Drawer: Sometimes, the best kitchen cabinet storage solutions are the ones that are hidden from sight. Toe kicker drawers are shallow storage drawers that are situated just above the ground and pop out when you push them in with your toe. These are great for efficiently storing flat trays or shallow dishes that do not get used as often as other items in the kitchen.
10. Glass-Fronted Display Cabinets: While being useful for storage, kitchen cabinets can also brighten the space and provide an aesthetically pleasing display for your favorite glassware and china. Plus, neatly showcasing your fanciest utensils can add a sophisticated stylistic element to your kitchen while functioning as extra storage.
11. Use Hook Hangs: Avoid an overflowing shelf of mugs and use hooks to hang them instead. This solution is an easy way to make use of empty space, plus it offers the perfect opportunity to put your favorite mugs on display.
12. A Riser Glide-Out: One of the most difficult cabinets to organize is the cupboard under the sink. If yours is jam-packed with bottles of detergents and other cleaning supplies, we have a simple solution. A Riser Glide-Out (Riser) are small, narrow units designed to be used in combination with a lower, full-size Glide-Out. Together, the two-tiered unit helps you take full advantage of lost cabinet space due to obstructions, such as water and drainpipes.
13. Diagonal Drawer Organizer: Utensil inserts can be great, but they aren’t as useful if you want to organize items that differ in size. Diagonal drawer organizers make efficient use of your drawers by creating space for small and large utensils to be stored side-by-side.
14. Glide-Out Shelf Risers: Shelf risers can double your usable space by maximizing the vertical space in your cabinets or pantry. They allow you to store items on top of each other without having to stack them haphazardly.
15. Utilize Storage Bins and Baskets: Another tried-and-true pantry cabinet idea that works wonders is utilizing storage bins and tubs. For all your odds and ends that clutter your cupboards and pantry, storage bins and baskets, tubs, and dispensers can keep everything in its place. They can hold your collection of dry pasta noodles, onions, potatoes, and more.
16. Dividers to Stack Pots and Pans: Using dividers to organize pots and pans makes them easier to find and access. Cabinet dividers are also great for stacking cutting boards and cheese boards.
17. Utilize Cabinet Doors: Don’t underestimate the usefulness of the inside of your cabinet doors. Install hooks or a rack on the inside of the doors to store pans, lids, measuring spoons, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, sponges, and more.
18. Corner Cabinets: Corner drawers are a unique solution to that unusable corner space. The corner drawer can be used in place of the lazy Susan. Installing a corner drawer that fully extends is a great way to store long utensils, spices, and measuring cups, just to name a few possibilities.

Create a Kitchen You'll Love with ShelfGenie Storage Solutions

As the 'heart of your home', your kitchen is the focal point for a lot of activities, meal prep, cooking, and family dinners. A well-organized kitchen will make the time you spend there easier and more enjoyable. The storage solution pros at ShelfGenie will work with you to find just the right kitchen shelves for your specific needs. Our storage solution designer will come to your home to assess your space, offer professional insight, and develop a personalized solution for your kitchen, and any other rooms you’d like to organize.

ShelfGenie’s storage solutions make getting and staying organized easy. As part of the Neighborly family of home service brands, all our work is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™, which guarantees your satisfaction. To learn more, find the ShelfGenie near you and schedule a free, no-obligation design consultation today!