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When planning the layout of your new kitchen, choosing the right kitchen storage options will be at the very top of the list of things you and your designer will want to consider. Well thought through and accessible storage is crucial to a good kitchen design. The kitchen is often the control centre of our homes - a meeting point where the family comes together at the end of the day - so it's important to create a well-organised space that is not only a pleasure to use but also assists our increasingly busy lifestyles.

The Importance of Storage

Storage is critical to the design of any new kitchen and with the trend towards more open plan living spaces, the kitchen is always on show and it's more important then ever to make the right decisions to ensure a clutter free environment. We suggest you start by breaking down the layout of your new kitchen into different areas, identifying those used for the preparation of food, cooking, washing, dining, relaxing or working and you'll soon see that storage plays a different role within each area. The kitchen has to accommodate everything from the storage of dry ingredients through to fresh food, herbs, cooking oils, crockery, cleaning materials and cooking utensils such as pots and pans.

Where possible, you need storage to be flexible and it's important to utilise even the smallest of spaces to ensure the design of your new kitchen is intuitive and it's a pleasure to spend time there. Here we look at some great examples of clever storage that will help you to achieve your perfect kitchen.

Pantries

It seems that more than any other kitchen storage solution, people buying new kitchens today want an organised walk-in pantry. People love these because they house everything in one place and replace the need for dry goods being stored across multiple cabinets. Of course, not everyone has the space for a walk in pantry, so there are a range of modern day alternatives, which are the perfect solution for dried foods, tea, coffee and sugar canisters, which would otherwise take up valuable worktop space. A pull-out pantry organiser, coupled with cabinet door racks, is also very popular, using storage on the doors to keep everything organised and within easy reach. Double-door larders and breakfast cupboards can also be used to house the toaster, coffee machine and other items that would normally be cluttering up your work surface.

Open Shelving

Replacing wall cabinets with open shelving is one of the most popular trends today. It creates space and light, particularly in smaller kitchens and the shelves can be used to display decorative accessories as well as storing plates, dishes and bowls that are used on a regular basis. Open shelving provides a warm and welcoming feel, everything is easily accessible, can be better organised and you know from all the images on Pinterest and Houzz, that the final look can be stunning. It's also a very cost effective way to design a new kitchen as shelves are much cheaper than cabinets and they're also quicker to install. Everyone worries about the dust, but to be honest, if the plates and bowls are being used regularly that won't be an issue and a monthly clean with a Swiffer duster will remove any surface dust quickly and easily.

Clever Corner Storage

If you're planning to have an L-shape or a U-shape kitchen, you'll have corners, which can tend to make storage rather difficult, especially when it comes to a smaller kitchen. With every bit of storage space crucial. there's no reason why you should lose space in a corner cabinet, as there are a wide variety of clever solutions for both base and wall units.

There are a range of clever storage options available including easy-action carousels that can rotate 360° and swivel out from the cabinet when the door is opened, making it quick and easy to find what you need. They can also be used to store small appliances such as juicers, blenders and mixers, which frees up much needed space on the worktop. Other options include drawers that run diagonally into the corner, which makes them deeper than most and therefore lets them pack a bigger storage punch. Curved cabinets and worktops are also one of the latest trends in kitchen design, especially for island units, so a bespoke corner system can be created to suit.

Multi-Purpose Drawers

If you currently use your kitchen drawers to store just cutlery, t-towels and food bags then get ready for a surprise. What we can now store in drawers and the options available are fundamentally changing the way we plan and design our perfect kitchen. It's obviously important to think about the type and location of your cutlery drawer, but you can now store herbs, spices and even flour and sugar in easily accessible drawers that do away with the need to store items in cabinets. There are drawers to store baking trays, pull out waste and recycling bins, special drawers to store your utensils and even drawers to store wine bottles.