These simple storage buys will transform your kitchen cupboards (2024)

Despite its reputation as the heart of the home, the kitchen is often difficult to navigate. We all know the pain of digging around at the back of a cupboard to find the right lid for a saucepan — and it’s never the first one you come across.

While a good clear out can help, in the kitchen it can sometimes be difficult to let go of clutter — it’s always handy to have spare plates and bowls, after all.

Fortunately, with a few simple tweaks, you can transform jumbled cupboards into easily accessible spaces — and store more at the same time.

Kitchen cupboard storage ideas: Food cupboards

You can quickly double cupboard space by adding a removable shelf. If you have deep cupboards, invest in some stackable ones to allow for three or more tiers.

An extra shelf can be handy for all cupboards, but especially those used for tins and small jars. Tiered spice racks and tin organisers can also help keep everything more visible at a glance.

Kitchen cupboard storage ideas: Saucepans

Rummaging through a messy cupboard for a saucepan lid is a sure-fire way to up your stress levels: we've all been there. Invest in a rack to keep lids and frying pans neat and allow more space for bulky saucepans.

Drawer dividers are also useful for separating pans from lids neatly. Should you have a large enough kitchen, a standalone pan organiser will take these bulky items out of cupboards entirely, leaving more room for appliances that don't live on the worktop.

Kitchen cupboard storage ideas: Glasses and mugs

The last thing you want is a glass to topple out when you open the cupboard. Prevent this by investing in an under-shelf hook — there are options for both mugs and wine glasses that slot onto your shelf, leaving room underneath for tumblers and cups.

Shelf inserts are also handy here, doubling cupboard space to allow for cups on one level and glasses on another.

Kitchen cupboard storage ideas: Under the sink

Diving into the cupboard under the sink can be an unpleasant experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Over-door organisers are great for sponges and cleaning sprays, or invest in some plastic boxes to stash items on shelves in an ordered way.

The sink’s u-bend can take up valuable space in some instances, but there are shelving units with removable sections that allow for a handy extra shelf while leaving room for pipes.

Kitchen cupboard storage ideas: Crockery

The easiest way to make these cupboards more accessible is to invest in some plate dividers. Like a shelf insert, these give you space to store large plates on the bottom, dessert and side plates in the middle, and bowls on top. There are also vertical racks for narrow cupboards.

Kitchen cupboard storage ideas: Boards, trays and containers

Nobody likes digging out an oven tray from the bottom of a precarious stack. To make life easier, keep chopping boards and trays in a divided organiser, or store them on the back of the door to save precious shelf space entirely. Storage baskets are also handy for corralling containers in a better looking way.