Rustic Kitchen Storage Ideas

15 Minute Read

However big your kitchen is, if you’ve landed on this post, there’s a good chance that you’re struggling to get the right kitchen storage solutions so you can use the space most effectively. There’s a lot to think about, and while in some cases, the right answer is to add more cabinets, or to redesign the space entirely, that isn’t always possible. If a complete kitchen redesign isn’t on your agenda, but you do need to organise your kitchen, you’re in the right place to find some of our favourite rustic kitchen storage ideas.

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Our favourite rustic storage ideas for your kitchen

As we’ve just mentioned, it might be that you need an entirely new kitchen, or maybe you just need one more cabinet – and if that is in your budget, and you can work with a kitchen designer, you’ll end up with kitchen storage solutions that suit your needs. But that’s not feasible in many cases, so it is a case of streamlining the space you have, and using kitchen cupboards and drawers more creatively. We’re sharing some of the best ways to use your kitchen cupboards, and to create additional storage here.

Maximise kitchen storage space in your cabinets

Kitchen cupboards can get messy very quickly. But with a little research, and measuring carefully before you buy, whether you’re organising food cupboards, kitchenware, under the kitchen sink, or your kitchen drawers, you’ll be able to have everything much neater in no time. Whatever kitchen storage you have, these tips and tricks are perfect for making the most of it.

Food cupboards

Food cupboards are notoriously tricky to keep in order – which leads to food being wasted, or you end up buying duplicates of things you already have, and neither of those things are ideal. The problem with food cupboards is that smaller things get tucked behind, and then get missed. Here are some of the best ways to avoid those issues.

1. Add extra shelves inside your cupboards so that you can see tins and jars better. Additional shelves are easy to find, and can be found in plenty of different shapes and sizes, as well as being made from different materials to suit your preference.

2. If additional shelf storage inside your cupboard doesn’t work, then consider a Lazy Susan turntable organiser. These round, rotating organisers mean that you can see whatever is stacked on them simply by turning them.

3. It isn’t just cupboard shelves that can be used better. There’s a lot of wasted space in most cupboards, so look for kitchen storage ideas that use the insides of cupboard doors – there are spice racks that fit to doors, as well as baskets that can attach to doors to hold kitchen foil and baking paper.

4. The space underneath shelves is another spot to add kitchen storage to. There are drawers that can be added to the underside of shelves, as well as wire baskets that simply hook onto the shelf. Perfect for inside your cupboards – as well as any shelves on the wall!

5. If you’re looking to free up space in your food cupboards, then look for storage jars for dry goods like flour, pasta and rice. Using these mean that you can get those packets out of your cupboards, and up onto a shelf, where they look great. The added bonus here? No more waste and clean-up because someone forgot to use a clip to seal the spaghetti or rice packet!

6. Inside your fridge can get cluttered too – and there are some brilliant acrylic stackable boxes (that can be used in cupboards too) that are on the market. Whether you’re stacking fruit and vegetables, or cans of drink, these can help to maximise the space inside your fridge, and help you see what you have.

Crockery and pans

Plates, pans, and oven trays take up so much space in kitchen cupboards – and that’s before we even think about the nightmare that is Tupperware and takeaway box storage!

Plates can easily take up much less space with plate racks, and depending on how many plates you have, you can choose from wire racks that allow you to keep the plates flat, or ones that stack your plates vertically. If you’ve got larger plates, look for adjustable racks – there are plenty of styles available that can fit your needs.

Pans are an investment, so you don’t want them getting bashed up as you’re rummaging around. Cabinet pot rack organisers can be found in all shapes and sizes, so you can find the right size and shape for your kitchen cabinets. However, if you’ve invested in a gorgeous set of Le Creuset or similar and are looking for kitchen storage ideas, you might decide to have them on display on a pot rack, on shelving, or hanging from a ceiling rack – they don’t have to be tucked out of sight!

Pan lids take up a lot of space too. Luckily, there are loads of options for pan lids – you can find pan lid holders that are adjustable and sit on flat surfaces, over the door designs for inside cabinets, and racks where the pan lids sit upright.

Baking tray storage is a nightmare – especially when you have several! Make the most of your kitchen storage by investing in upright wire racks. Rather than having them lie flat, you’ll be able to slide the one you need out easily, without the crashing and bashing that normally happens.

Organising kitchen drawers

Kitchen drawers are often a messy affair – especially the ‘everything’ drawer. Typically, most of us have cutlery organisers to help keep silverware organised, but beyond that, disorganisation can quickly get out of hand. Drawer dividers and low profile baskets are great ways to help you keep things in place in kitchen drawers – and there are plenty of bamboo and wood options.

Under the kitchen sink

Under the kitchen sink is a difficult cupboard to get right - You’ve got the U-bend taking up space, and you’re more than likely keeping cleaning products that are different sizes. Make the most of the backs of the doors with racks and wire baskets, and keep everything organised in baskets. Plastic baskets can hold cleaning products, and make for easy clean up in case of spillages – and you’ll be able to use them forever.

How do I add more storage to my kitchen?

If you have a small kitchen, or your kitchen cabinets are already full and you can’t streamline your crockery and food cupboards any further, then it is time to look at alternative ideas to store things in your kitchen. This means you need to find ways to add storage that don’t include cabinets. Luckily, there are plenty of kitchen storage ideas that don’t include adding more cabinets.

Shelves

You might be wondering how adding shelves to your kitchen is any better than adding another cabinet – but hear us out. Adding more cabinets equals more storage, but if the kitchen is already feeling cluttered, then another cupboard is going to make it feel even more cramped. Choosing to add a shelf (or several) is a great option for a rustic kitchen storage idea, and help the space to look more open – as long as you place the shelves carefully! With everything on the shelf on display, you can’t just throw a mix of stuff on there as it will start to look cluttered. Luckily, we’ve written about decorating your shelves before. It isn’t as tricky as it might seem, and the best thing is, you can switch what is on your shelves regularly.

Kitchen shelves can be used to store larger items. A great example is a collection of spirits – with so many bottles looking pretty, it makes sense to have them on display. If you’re partial to a cocktail, get your cocktail glasses out of your cabinets too, for even more space. Our wine glass racks work perfectly for martini glasses, so with bottles of spirits on the shelf and your glasses hanging underneath, you’ve created a mini bar area, and freed up valuable space in your cabinets. It makes sense to do this when you’re close to the freezer for ice! Fancy a new cocktail? Check out our collection of Christmas cocktails for inspiration.

Hanging rails

The underside of shelves offer further opportunities for storage. Maybe you’re short on drawer space, or maybe you’re fed up with the drawer getting stuck because the potato masher gets shoved in wrong. You could use a caddy on your counter top for storing those bulky utensils, but if you don’t love that idea, then adding a hanging rail underneath a shelf can give you the space you need. This works well if you’re going for the rustic kitchen look, and it keeps those items easily accessible – you can just grab them, rather than having to rummage around in drawers.

If you’ve installed a shelf above your kettle or coffee machine, then make the most of a hanging rail by using it to hang mugs on. If your most used mugs aren’t matching, hang those pretty but not-quite big enough tea cups there instead, to free up space.

Wine glass rack

Stemmed wine glasses are delicate and take up loads of space. Adding one of our wine glass racks to a kitchen shelf can give you a better wine glass storage solution. Simply screw into place, and you’ll have space for a number of glasses. Storing your wine glasses this way allows you to show off glasses with pretty designs, and they’re much less likely to be knocked and broken, compared with when they’re being stored in cupboards. That’s not to mention that they’re within easy reach when you need one after a hard day! We’ve made our metal wine glass racks available in three different sizes, so you can get the right one to fit your shelf – and store as many glasses as you need.e as many glasses as you need.

Baskets

Storing items on shelves works brilliantly until you want to keep smaller items, or things that aren’t quite so pretty on them. When that’s the case, a beautifully made basket can help to keep those bits and bobs together meaning you can hide things in plain sight without compromising on the aesthetic. A natural home storage basket can be the perfect addition to shelves, and are brilliant for storing things such as tea towels and cloths – keeping them nice and handy for when you need them, and freeing up space in drawers. And because we know that the perfect basket for certain spots is an elusive thing, we’ve made our baskets available in small, medium, and large sizes.

Baskets don’t just sit on shelves; they can hang too! Our range of hanging storage baskets are ideal for adding a bit more storage to kitchens and will really elevate your kitchen storage ideas. Our small hanging baskets can be hung anywhere there’s a hook, including on a hanging rail under a shelf – which means you can squeeze another bit of storage if you’re installing a new shelf. What to store in a hanging basket? Small cloths and towels, as well as utensils, stuff for washing up, even dishwasher tablets all sit well in our small hanging baskets.

If you need a bigger basket, then our natural hanging storage baskets can be a great addition to kitchens too. They’re great for use as an extra laundry basket, but they’re perfect for other uses too. If you’ve lots of reusable shopping bags, kitchen towels, or cleaning products, and a bit of wall space and a hook, a hanging basket is a great kitchen storage idea.

Time to find the perfect rustic kitchen storage solutions

Finding the right kitchen storage ideas for your space can take a bit of time and research, but it is easier than it has ever been to get your kitchen organised. With so many brilliant products available to build the look you want, even in tiny kitchens, you’ll wonder why you ever thought you needed a new kitchen to get more space! If we’ve inspired you in this post, tag us in your Instagram posts @bensimpsonfurniture – we love to see your gorgeous homes, and to share them with our followers.