Kitchen Storage Ideas - Solutions for standard cabinet units

When you add up all the food, crockery and all those fancy gadgets, there is a lot to fit into your kitchen. Whether you have a large kitchen that you want well laid out, or a small kitchen that you want to squeeze every last ounce of space available, selection of storage fittings is very important. All our fittings are designed to fit inside standard British kitchen cabinet units such as those made by Wickes and Howdens. We are going to write a serious of posts to help you decide which kitchen storage solutions best keep your kitchen organised, clean, easily accessible and aesthetic. Each week we will cover all the aspects of kitchen storage and units that can be utilized.

In our first edition, we will focus on storage solutions for standard kitchen units (carcasses for us in the trade). While many of you may choose to simply keep the shelves that come with the unit, here are our storage solutions that can be retrofitted. We will explain that for the purposes of load capacity, accessibility and practicality, why ad hoc storage solutions are preferable to maintaining shelves.

Standard and Pot Kitchen Drawers

Samet Soft Close Drawer

Samet Soft Pot Close Drawer

The most standard form of creating storage within cabinets, kitchen drawers allow you to store heavy loads that can be pulled out from a drawer front. Our Samet Complete Soft Close Drawers are pre-assembled with soft closing function, an apparent requisite in the modern kitchen trade. With a 40kg load capacity, these drawers are durable and built to last. They come with a reliable 18mm base, that has an aesthetic grey speckled melamine finish. The pot drawer comes with an extension panel, to facilitate larger storage of pots and pans. Also, unlike wirework, having a solid base removes the problem of spillage. Soft close function activates at 10mm before it closes. Believe us when we say, we have tested with all our strength! All our drawers are to fit standard kitchen units ranging from 300-1000mm. They can fit carcasses with a board thickness(gable) of 15-18mm. There is an adjustment on the side to facilitate gable movement. If you have none standard kitchen units(bespoke), we also stock Unassembled DTC Drawer Kits. With this version, you can install a drawer regardless of width by cutting your own base and fitting to kit. These drawers also facilitate some very useful additions such as cutlery inserts and plate stacks.

Soft Close Pull Out Wire Baskets

Pull out wire baskets are a wonderfully practical and cost effective way of utilizing space in your kitchen units. A standard unit is usually about 690mm high. So you can fit 4 of these baskets inside and still have plenty of space. They are easy to install, have a 30kg load capacity and have soft closing effect. Unlike a drawer, you have a choice of method for pulling out basket. These baskets are installed via runners attached to the side of unit. From there, you can either pull out each basket separately, or with frontal clips provided, you can have an opening like a drawer. As a storage solution, it is an excellent mixture of quality and cost effectiveness. Our baskets facilitate standard kitchen units ranging in size from 300-1000mm and come in a stunning chrome finish. One issue that may come to mind however, maybe spillage of food stuffs such as rice and flour. Acrylic liners for larder units can be cut to size, to remove this problem. Installation is as simple as installing runners and clipping baskets on! There is a greater gable adjustment on these baskets compared to drawers with a 15-20mm range.

Kitchen Wicker Baskets

Plate Stack Peg Base

The plate stack peg base for drawer inserts, is a wooden board with grid perforated holes, that you place wooden pegs inside to form a frame for holding plates, bowls and cups, in a fixed position. It is a great way to keep plates organised and clean with zero movement. We have bases to fit flush inside drawers that fit 800, 900 and 1000mm units. However, if that sounds like you are limited to larger units only, think again. The beauty of these boards is they can be cut down to size with a jigsaw blade (image above is a plate stack inside a 600mm unit). If you have drawers in upper storage units, you might prefer the plate stack to prevent plates falling out onto the floor. Each plate stack comes with 12 pegs that can be adjusted on the board according to the size of your plates and bowls.

Cutlery Inserts

We have cutlery trays in both plastic with metallic finish, and wooden made with a better quality beech finish. Our inserts fit standard units ranging from 300-1000mm. The metallic inserts are a simple and effective way of storing cutlery within drawers, while the wooden version greatly enhance the theme of shaker kitchens.

Optimizing Additional Storage Space

Door Mounted Spice Racks

150mm Mini-Base Unit

In many cases, even after fitting baskets or drawers to a standard unit, there might be some empty space left that is another opportunity to optimize your kitchen storage. Here are two recommended items that can utilize any remaining space in standard units.

Door Mounted Spice Racks

Most standard kitchen cabinets, are 510mm in depth while our pull out baskets are all 450mm. You may think that leaves 60mm of open space but we meant it when we said we have a storage solution for every empty space! By installing spice racks on the inside of kitchen door, you will be utilizing that final 60mm. Available in single and three tier, and available for 300, 400 and 500mm doors.

150mm Mini-Base Unit

There are many instances (especially for bespoke units), where there might be leftover space in kitchen units. The 150mm Mini-Base Unit is the perfect final space utilizing fitting. It is fitted on two side runners meaning it is perfect for any empty remaining space. The Mini-Base Unit is convenient for storing smaller items like spices, bottles of water or condiments.

Our next post will cover storage ideas for kitchen corner units. Hope this was helpful

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