Whether a kitchen is large or small, storage that’s well-organized and logically placed is key to the space running smoothly and efficiently — and looking neat and tidy. With that in mind, these pros (including one found on Houzz) not only added more storage when renovating, but also made that storage smarter and harder-working, with specialized drawers, space-saving designs and other clever and clutter-busting solutions. Check out their ideas below, and see more of each kitchen by clicking the link at the end of its description.
Before Photo
Becky Harris
Photos by Adam Kane Macchia
1. Made to Measure
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Mamaroneck, New York
Size: 238 square feet (22 square meters); 14 by 17 feet
Designer: Sarah Robertson of Studio Dearborn
Before: Although this kitchen was in good shape, its layout didn’t work well for the homeowners, who love to entertain. The rarely used built-in desk also wasted space. So they hired their friend and neighbor, kitchen and bath designer Sarah Robertson, to redesign it.
To ensure that the various components wouldn’t end up in the landfill, Robertson hired an organization called Renovation Angel to remove them for resale and reuse, with the profits going to charity.
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Studio Dearborn
After: Robertson pulled in the blue, white and walnut color scheme from the rest of the house and sprinkled in some industrial elements to add personality.
The former kitchen lacked sufficient food storage space, so she replaced the desk with a pantry and fridge wall. Moving the refrigerator to the other side of the room made space for bigger windows over the sink; new glass cabinets on either side hold attractive dishware and let the sun shine through.
Robertson custom-designed a zinc-and-brass range hood as the new kitchen’s focal point. On either side of the range, pullouts keep utensils and cooking supplies at the cook’s fingertips, and the drawer beneath the countertop cabinet holds herbs and spices.
Blue cabinet paint: Ocean Floor, Benjamin Moore; white cabinet paint: Calm, Benjamin Moore; Prouvé counter stools: Industry West; rug: Old New House
Studio Dearborn
A new island measuring 3½ by 8 feet and topped by the same Jet Mist granite used on the perimeter cabinets adds even more storage space.
Instead of using all lower cabinets, Robertson opted for drawers, which she says are more efficient and ergonomic.
She took a careful inventory of everything her clients wanted to store, then fitted the drawers with inserts. For example, slats in this drawer keep food containers and lids organized.
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Studio Dearborn
Angled slats in this drawer divide and store pots and their lids.
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Before Photo
Vermont Interior Design
“After” photos by Spencer Davis Real Estate Photography
2. Pulling Out the Stops
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Mike and Olivia Sprague and their dog
Location: St. Albans, Vermont
Size: 189 square feet (18 square meters)
Designer: Britt Mee of Vermont Interior Design
Before: Mike and Olivia Sprague had great mountain and lake views from their 79-square-foot kitchen. But its G-shaped layout offered limited counter space, and its cabinets, appliances and finishes were aging poorly.
They hired designer Britt Mee to design cabinets and a cabinet layout to improve flow and storage space. Mike, who works for a custom builder, handled the structural changes.
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Vermont Interior Design
After: Despite the similarities, this photo was taken from a totally different vantage point than the “before” photo. In fact, what you’re seeing here was once the dining room. Mee and Mike swapped the kitchen and dining areas and took down the range wall between them to expand the kitchen by 110 square feet.
New custom frameless maple cabinetry is painted a blue-gray (Cadet by Sherwin-Williams) and topped with white marble-look quartz countertops. The kitchen’s expanded L-shaped layout with an island features much more counter and storage space.
New European oak flooring adds warmth to the cool color scheme.
Custom cabinets: Bouchard-Pierce; paint: Super White (walls and ceiling) and Swiss Coffee (trim), Benjamin Moore
Vermont Interior Design
The cabinets conceal all kinds of smart features. For example, this pantry area to the right of the sink has a countertop cabinet for small appliances and other items. Pullouts below make it easy to see all of the stored dry goods.
Vermont Interior Design
Blind corners often have underutilized space. That’s not the case in this cabinet to the right of the range, which features kidney-shaped pullouts holding pans and a teakettle.
Other hidden storage features include a two-tiered drawer for utensils, a specialized spice drawer and a divided cabinet for baking sheets and other tall items.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Before Photo
Becky Harris
“After” photos by Sheldon Ivester of Ivester Creative
3. Everything in Its Place
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Rancho Santa Fe, California
Size: 284 square feet (26 square meters) plus pantry and breakfast room
Designers: Bonnie Bagley Catlin of Signature Designs Kitchen Bath (kitchen design) and T7 Architecture (architecture)
Before: The kitchen was part of a larger remodel aimed at giving this 1980s-era ranch house a warm, modern style. But it wasn’t just the existing kitchen’s style that didn’t match the owners’ vision — the layout didn’t work with their lifestyle, either. They cook with their extended family, and this peninsula hemmed in the work area and blocked easy access to the refrigerator behind it. Kitchen and bath designer Bonnie Bagley Catlin came aboard the renovation to tackle those issues.
Signature Designs Kitchen | Bath | Interiors
After: Catlin created a zoned layout with multiple areas for prep, cooking and coffee, plus a large island in the center of the kitchen. The island has seating, an ice maker, a second dishwasher, open shelves for cookbooks, specialized storage and a prep sink.
The new cabinetry is laminate that looks like wood. The perimeter cabinets are topped with light-colored quartz counters. Black Portoro quartzite with a honed finish tops the island.
Signature Designs Kitchen | Bath | Interiors
To maximize windows and counter space, Catlin made the lower cabinets along the perimeter and in the island as efficient as possible.
For example, across from the main sink and dishwasher, she outfitted the island’s drawers with inserts and dowels for utensils, plates and other items. A built-in knife block drawer is next to the island’s prep sink.
Signature Designs Kitchen | Bath | Interiors
To the right of the refrigerator, a lighted coffee station includes one of the room’s two upper cabinets with glass doors framed in black aluminum. The coffee maker sits on a shelf that rolls out for easy access, and there’s an outlet next to it. A custom drawer insert holds coffee pods.
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Before Photo
Knocknock
“After” photos by Olga Soboleva of Rave Photo
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two kids
Location: Piedmont, California
Size: 185 square feet (17 square meters)
Designer: Nadja Pentic of Knocknock
4. Each Inch Pinched
Before: Lighting in unprofessional “before” snapshots rarely does a room any favors. But even the best lighting couldn’t have helped the skimpy broken cabinets, old appliances and cluttered, hard-to-clean tile countertops in this L-shaped kitchen.
The owners wanted to keep the layout but add improved storage, updated appliances and a more streamlined, midcentury modern look. While gathering inspiration photos on Houzz, they found designer Nadja Pentic.
Knocknock
After: Pentic transformed the space with sleek, all-new appliances, flat-panel white upper cabinets and walnut lower cabinets and a polished marble backsplash in a modern geometric floral pattern.
By moving the washer and dryer out of the kitchen, Pentic could extend the run of cabinets the full length of the window wall. A blind corner cabinet to the left of the range has a two-tiered pullout to help use the space efficiently.
Knocknock
The addition of a pantry pullout to the right of the fridge added a ton of easy-to-access storage. Below it is a pullout trash and recycling center.
Knocknock
On the adjacent wall, across from a new wine fridge, white glass doors hide another pantry that’s deep enough to be useful but not so deep that food gets lost in the back. A yellow interior adds an energizing jolt of color.
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Your turn: What’s the most clever storage or organization solution in your kitchen? Post a photo and share a description in the Comments.
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