Storage Solutions – Making the most of the space available with fitted baskets and magic corners

It’s easy to fall into bad habits where the kitchen is concerned. Walk into practically any kitchen in the UK and you’ll find that it probably has one of those ‘special’ drawers where no end of paperwork and odds and ends are squirrelled away. Wires, adaptors, old toys and keys that we’ve long forgotten what they’re for all end up cluttering up our cupboards and drawers.

Not only do they take up space, but they can start off a domino effect; drawers become full of junk and items that we genuinely need find themselves without a home.

The more bits and bobs you have cluttering up your kitchen, the more likelihood there is of things getting knocked over, spilt or damaged. All this adds up to a kitchen that looks less than its best, with the cupboard doors, drawers and worktops bearing the brunt of accidents that could be avoided. While you might think that you need to overhaul your entire kitchen to accommodate all your knick-knacks, there are three much cheaper alternatives that will bring the whole room back to life.

Step One

The first thing to do is to go through those drawers and cupboards and have a cull! Look at those wires, chargers, letters and gadgets and work out what you can throw away. It’s best to be absolutely brutal; if it serves no purpose then bin it – you might even find this quite liberating. We all accumulate bits and pieces over the years, and too often we forget that they’re there.

Step Two

The next step is to prevent this from happening again; your kitchen needs a sense of order. Take a look around your kitchen and see if the space you currently have is being used to its full potential. Are there cupboards that could benefit from an extra shelf? Are there consumables jammed into cupboards? Do you have part of a unit that doesn’t have any shelves at all?

Fitted baskets and trays are a great way to use space more efficiently. These can be bought with runners and fitted into the required space, effectively giving you an extra drawer. Fitted trays can be removed and washed, making cleaning easier as well as giving you extra room in your kitchen. Suddenly all those things that clutter up your worktops will have a proper home.

Magic corner storage towers are a brilliant way of using dead space. They can be installed easily and give you a place to store anything from vegetables to those little items that you simply can’t bear to get rid of.

Step Three

The final step is to give your kitchen a makeover, without the expense and inconvenience of restoring it. Replacing the cupboard doors and drawer fronts allows you to restore your kitchen to its former glory within a day. There are plenty of styles and finishes available, so if you’ve decided it’s time for that long-awaited change, you can have your new-look kitchen in next to no time. Revamping your kitchen and making the most of the space you have doesn’t have to be a huge financial commitment and you’ll be glad you did it.