You can maximize the space you have in your kitchen by converting uncanny areas into a functional storage. These are spaces you have that are often overlooked. You might be surprised to know how much added space you can acquire from these areas. Check these hidden storages around your kitchen and enjoy the extra space.

18 Hidden Kitchen Storage Ideas you Forgot About

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1. Maximize the base of your existing kitchen storage cabinets

The base of your furniture or cabinets is convertible storage. You just have to seek help with a skilled carpenter or a furniture expert to do this. Don’t worry about the stability; it won’t have any effects on its solidity. The skilled worker you hire knows what he is doing.

2. Kitchen Storage Pantry Ideas: Build vertical spice cabinets

If you look into your kitchen, there’s an empty space left in between cabinets. This space can be used for vertical drawer for your spices and condiments. The narrow space that you have can actually accommodate a lot of kitchen essentials. This idea provides utmost convenience in doing your chores. You may love this kitchen storage spice rack tutorial we featured on Stagetecture.

3. Explore under your kitchen sink storage areas

Don’t forget the space underneath your sink. Build some drawers for your dishwashing soaps, refills for liquid hand soap, toothpaste and other items. This will provide great comfort and convenience for you to work on your kitchen chores.

Make sure to hire only a skilled person to do these ideas. This will ensure safety and beauty of the hidden storage that you plan to have.

15 Kitchen Storage Ideas from our Blogger Friends

1. How to Organize a Pantry
2. Tips for Kitchens With No Storage
3. Pantry Organization Labels
4. DIY Dish Drawer Organizer
5. DIY Knife and Cutting Board Drawer
6. Quick Tips for Organizing Food Storage Areas in Your Kitchen
7. Wasted Spaces
8. Corralling the Clutter
9. Organizing Your Pots & Pans
10. DIY Rolling Jar Storage
11. Kitchen Spice-Up
12. Upcycled Old Rake to Rustic Utensil Holder
13. 5 Easy Steps to an Organized Pantry
14. 10 Minute Organization Ideas
15. DIY Spice Drawer Organizing Ideas

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Kitchen Organization For A Stress Free New Year

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Home Organization: Arrange Pots & Pans Near The Cooking Range

This New Year choose to be a smart worker rather than a hard worker. Try and keep the cooking pots and pans near the cooking range so that the utensils are within a hands reach when you start cooking. This will help you be efficient in the kitchen and will prevent unnecessary running around looking for pots, pans and lids.

Declutter for Useful Kitchen Organization

Just like the New Year, kitchen organization efforts must begin on a clean slate. A clutter free, clean look is something that I would love to suggest. And with great cabinetry solutions that take in all the kitchen paraphernalia, a clutter free look shouldn’t be a difficult thing to achieve. Besides keeping in all the crockery and knick-knacks, you can even create a shelf exclusively for the electronic items and save so much on the otherwise permanently occupied counter space. You will pat yourself on the back, for achieving a spic and span look, with the advantage of ‘it’ all being at one place.

Pantry Organization: Keep your Kitchen Safe

Safety, is something we should all try and achieve this New Year, be it in the kitchen or our lives in general. As far as the kitchen is concerned, sharp things are the ones that scare me, especially with the little ones getting more and more inquisitive. Wouldn’t it be great to tuck away the knives and other sharp objects at one place, away from the mind and sight of kids!

Pantry Shelving: Keep Produce Fresh

With the decluttered and safe kitchen part being taken care of, there is one more thing in my wish list for a great kitchen. This year I would love to purchase fresh greens from the market and cook healthy for my family. Having the veggies in sight, rather than in the fridge can provide an area for them to be accessible while cooking! Look to options in pantry shelving to keep your produce fresh and organized.

My mantra for this New Year’s kitchen organization regime would include a clutter free look, a safe work environment and to include something that inspires the ideas of healthy living. Needless to add that innovative design ideas and ingenious storage solutions can provide an array of options to choose from! Of course there is so much more that one can add to the list above. It would be wonderful to hear from you on how you plan to organize your kitchen this New Year. Please do share!

Click here for more kitchen organization ideas.

There is something about grabbing onto a cabinet knob or handle that feels like it’s been designed just to conform to every curve of your hand. That is the feeling of Du Verre Hardware’s new line – Botero.

Cabinetry hardware that sets all of your senses into motion. Over the last month you have seen all of the wonderful highlights from #BlogTourLA and today I feature Du Verre Hardware, a company steeped in tradition and quality.

Du Verre’s New Botero Hardware

Designed by the amazing designer and thought leader William Harvey, this new collection is subtly inviting – pleasing to the eye and hand.
Harvey had this to say about his inspiration of the new collection “Designing this collection was a journey I followed as my hands slowly sought the essence of new form.

After many days of work, the sinuous, curvaceous and generous forms slowly emerged from hard wax. The forms were then painstakingly honed to a finish that only a dedicated craftsperson can achieve. Botero is living form.

Experiencing the Botero Hardware

“To touch it, is to love it!” Gina Lubin, CEO of Du Verre says. “When I got my first prototypes of the Botero collection in hand, I was so excited. Bill Harvey had shown a sexy, sensuous side of himself that I loved immediately. The curves, the beautifully proportioned shapes work beautifully. I especially like the 17” pull which is just fantastic!”

Crafted entirely from recycled aluminum, BOTERO features a small knob, a large knob (which also makes a great hook), a 4” pull, a 9” pull and a sensational 17” pull.

In addition to their well known finishes such as Oil-Rubbed Bronze, Polished Nickel and Satin Nickel, BOTERO is also available in White.

Experience Botero in your home:

• Du Verre Hardware is a leader in quality and original design for contemporary cabinet hardware. With an outstanding roster of award winning designers, Du Verre Hardware collections are an indispensable resource for design loving consumers and professionals alike.
• Du Verre Hardware can be found in some of the most beautiful interiors being created today.
• Du Verre Hardware is environmentally friendly. The cabinet hardware is made from recycled aluminum and is compatible with LEED objectives. All items are in stock for quick shipping. Du Verre ships around the world.

For more information about BOTERO or any of Du Verre Hardware’s other collections you can contact them at DuVerre.com.

For more BlogTour LA Highlights on Stagetecture, click here.

When you think about the sheer number of items stored within your kitchen cabinets, the task of organizing it all can be a daunting one. But, a clean organized kitchen saves time, energy—and even money!—in the long run, so taking on the challenge will pay big benefits in the long run.

So, where to start? Well, before the real work begins, take the time to evaluate a few things.

Image via: Observando

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• Do you really use all of those pots, pans, small appliances, plastic storage containers, utensils, etc.?

If you haven’t used an item within the last year, it’s likely you never will. If you must keep it, find a home for it elsewhere in the house. Otherwise, donate the items to your favorite charity or put it in a ‘sell’ pile for your next garage sale.

• Does everything in your kitchen cupboards really belong there?

Many times it’s simply easier to open a cabinet door and stash item there when they really belong somewhere else. Take an inventory of all of those items—medicine, sunglasses, receipts, small tools, whatever—that have taken up residence in the kitchen and put them away.

• Can you rearrange the cabinets to ensure those often-used items end up in the most convenient spaces?

Some professional organizers prefer to separate the kitchen’s content into zones for efficiency’s sake. Only you can decide what might be right for you, but some general zones include food storage, food preparation, cleaning, cooking and serving. Separating these items and putting them away in their own areas will save time when you’re carrying out each of these tasks. In addition, you will always know exactly where to go for an item, i.e. small appliances will be grouped together, etc.

• Do you have the tools you need to be as efficient as possible?

Before you get started, make a trip to your local home improvement store. You will be amazed at the huge selection of kitchen organization helpers currently on the market. Slide-out or stackable shelving, pot racks and lid holders, sliding recycling bins and/or garbage receptacles, lazy susans, and other storage solutions can help you maximize the space you have. There are a number of appliances designed to be mounted under cabinets as well.

Image via: Bhg

Starting the organizing

Once you’ve dedicated some thought to the above, it’s time to simply roll up your sleeves and get to work. If possible remove everything from the cabinets and wipe them out with soap and water.

Group your items by the zones you have determined and place them near the cabinets where they will be housed. In general, you’ll want to try to place heavy or bulky items in lower cabinets and lighter, smaller items in your wall cabinets. Cookware, for example, should be stored down below in the cooking zone while spices and utensils can be stored up top. If you have items used only occasionally, you’ll want to put those in your harder-to-reach cabinets or toward the back.
Don’t forget about the empty or “dead” space many of us have between the top cabinets and the ceiling. Surely you may be able to find a new home for decorative serving ware, appliances and other seldom-used items that can be held in decorative baskets.
You’ll be surprised by the satisfaction you’ll get living in your well-organized kitchen. Now your challenge is to keep it that way!

Alexandra Kelly is a school teacher and devoted mother with a passion for writing. She is also a grammar fanatic and refuses to let her children submit any homework without using a grammar checker to proof it first. She often says there are only two things in life she really needs – her children and her makeup.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Given how small powder rooms typically tend to be, they can be tricky when it comes to accommodating all the things a good powder room needs, and storage is one area in particular that can prove quite challenging. However, with a little bit of planning and creative thinking you can make the most of the limited space available.

Image via: House Beautiful

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Firstly, it’s important to remember that powder rooms are quite often used by guests as opposed to the regular members of the household and therefore the room should be relatively clutter free. Guests don’t want to see your toothbrushes and hair combs lying around and you certainly won’t want to be running around the house looking for items that should actually be in the main bathroom. So keeping your powder room free of personal items is a good start as there is less to store in the first place.

So what does need to be stored in the powder room and therefore what is the right storage solution for those items?

All powder rooms need a good supply of hand towels, face washers, soap and toilet paper so guests are never left in the awkward position of having to ask. Tissues are another thoughtful addition as is a waste bin for your guests.

If you’re a very busy person with a powder room that gets used quite frequently by guests and even family members, you could benefit by storing your basic cleaning items within the powder room itself too. That way, as soon as things get grubby you can give a quick swish and swipe and keep the powder room ‘guest ready’ virtually all the time.

Image via: House Beautiful

So what is the right storage solution for this array of items that need a permanent place in the powder room?

Well when it comes to items that your guests need to use, it really is a nice idea to have them stored in a way that guests can see them or find them easily. Most visitors won’t feel comfortable poking around inside cupboards or spending longer in your powder room than is necessary, so make it easy for everyone to find supplies, they’re sure to appreciate it.

A bathroom accessories set that includes a large luxurious soap dispenser and toilet roll storage container is a perfect way to ensure guests have what they need. Even a large cylindrical glass vase can make for a wonderful toilet roll storage vessel that can be placed in a corner that is not a focal point but not hidden completely from view either.

For all those plush hand towels and face washers that are at the ready, open shelving is a great way to store them. For soaps, why not select a large style soap dish to store extra bars of delicate soaps on.

As for any cleaning products you might like to keep stored in the room, it’s important that these items remain out of sight. Most powder rooms are so small however that a floating hand basin is usually a preferred option to a vanity that would normally offer a good amount of storage. One clever way to tuck your cleaning goods out of sight but still keep them handy, is to choose a deluxe mirror that includes a storage solution at the rear. Many good bathroom supply stores will have a range of options such as this for you to choose from. If you want to go a step further, why not choose a unique mirror and then have a cabinet-maker marry it with a wall mounted ‘secret cabinet’.

Finding the right storage solution for the powder room isn’t difficult, it just requires a little bit of thought about who will frequent the room regularly and what functions the room needs to deliver on for those users. You can be certain that whatever your storage needs are; there are solutions at all good bathroom supply stores to serve your every desire.

Tauseef Hussain is an interior decorator and social media blogger for Bathroom Furniture, the online shop for Bathroom Storage and home décor fixtures (for UK citizens)

For more bedroom & living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Are you looking for a fast and inexpensive way to give your kitchen a fresh new look? Consider building new cabinets. Cabinets can be relatively simple to build and install yourself, and it is a great way to improve the look and functionality of your kitchen, while increasing your home’s value.

Image via: Bungalow Jax

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Plan ahead! 

It’s important to never “wing” any home improvement job, no matter how simple it seems. Purchasing your materials and starting construction will inevitably lead to multiple attempts and a lot of wasted time and materials. Carefully measure the space you need for your new cabinets, drawing out a plan if possible. You may be able to find generic plans complete with measurements for common cabinet sizes online.

2. Gather your tools and materials

Once you have your measurements and are confident in your plan, it’s time to go shopping.

Image via: Ceramic Creation

You will need:

1. Drill
2. Stain for sure, maybe paint. If you want to paint your cabinet
3. Screws, preferably flat-head. You will want to be sure you have enough so get several dozen. Screws are cheap and even if you have some left over chances are you will need them for something someday.
4. Sander or sand paper
5. L – Brackets. Consult your plans and see how shelves your cabinets will have and multiply this by two – than buy a few extra just in case.
6. Choose the type of wood you want and buy according to your measurements. Some home improvement stores will be able to cut the proper size for your, otherwise be sure you have a power saw.

3. You should have two side pieces, a back piece, the top and as many shelves as you are going to place within. It may be useful to mark each piece “top” “bottom” “shelf” etc to ensure you are cutting the right piece. Cut each piece to the size specified in your original plan.

4. You want to be sure your edges are smooth, so use a sander or cut the corners of the top and bottom pieces into rounded edges.

5. Set down your back piece and mark where you will be screwing in the side panels, measuring to ensure you are screwing it in evenly, and then use your screw driver to affix the side panels.

Image via: Vignette Design

6. Next it is time to insert the shelves. Accuracy is even more important here so measure and mark where you will be screwing in your shelves with a pencil. Fix two L-brackets for each shelf evenly, once affixed lift the cabinet and set the shelves in place to make sure they are even.

7. Remove the shelves, then carefully measuring screw in the top and the bottom of the shelves. Now everything should be sturdy.

8. Now use your stain and paint if applicable. Make sure it dries completely before using the shelf.

9. Affix the cabinet to the wall. Marking with a pencil where it will be placed beforehand to ensure it is even. Place the shelves within.

That’s all there is to it. Now you have beautiful new open shelves for your kitchen.

Jeff is an internet marketing consultant, part time blogger and he often writes about home improvement and DIY topics. Currently he is a writer and content contributor at Queens Condos.

For more kitchen cabinetry ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Best of 2010 – #5

Guest Blogger: Innovative Cabinet Hardware to Make Life Easier

Today, we start the Best of 2010 on Stagetecture. Starting today through Friday December 31st, the top 5 blog posts on Stagetecture will be featured. These are based on the posts that received the most views from you, my readers.

We start off with #5, Cassandra Miska’s guest blog about her innovative cabinet hardware. Cassandra’s post was popular by many and enjoyed! See how her innovative kitchen cabinet hardware made the best of Stagetecture 2010!

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Original Entry – Guest Blog Entry #16, Entry #242, August 12, 2010

Kitchen cabinet hardware are one of those details that are often over looked.  They obviously help for the functionality of

opening and closing cabinet doors, but they are also a decorative way of adding beauty and aesthetics to the kitchen.

Today, my guest blogger Casandra Miska has invented cabinet hardware that is versatile and doesn’t require any drilling into your cabinets!  EZ Slide Cabinet Hardware is a perfect idea for apartments, home staging, and home owner’s that don’t want to put holes into their cabinetry.

How many people really enjoy measuring, drilling and screwing around with Cabinet Hardware, like pulls, knobs, and handles? I don’t know anyone, unless they are getting paid good money to install. So, I invented an EZ alternative solution called EZ Slide Cabinet Hardware. This solution removes the frustration of installing your own cabinet hardware, no drilling!   My stylized design slides on, and adheres by tension to the drawer or cabinet door. Many of my patented products are made from recycled materials, which make them eco-friendly.

One of the easiest and most inexpensive way to do temporary kitchen remodeling is to update the cabinet hardware.  I frequently hear from renters concerning this issue.   They want to personalize the kitchen, but don’t want to do any damage to the cabinetry by drilling to install cabinet handles.  So, there is a great alternative to drilling!  Use slide on cabinet hardware!  You never heard of it?  Well, that could be because they are new to the market, and have recently been accepted as patentable by the US Patent Office.

These patented products became available this year on line, and are marketed at www.EZSlideCabinetHardware.com .  They are also eco-friendly and are made from recycled plastic, or recycled aluminum.  The handles and pulls come in a variety of colors, which certainly provide a temporary kitchen ‘pick me up’, for a small investment, starting at $1.99 per handle.  Metal finishes such as oiled bronze, or brushed nickel are the most popular in early 2010.

If you’re interested in being a Guest Blogger on Stagetecture, click here.

I always love talking about kitchens on Stagetecture.  From innovative plumbing fixtures to countertop materials, the kitchen is the #1 room that home buyers make a decision about buying a home or not.  In the past I did a post about choosing the right kitchen cabinetry color for your home.

Today, our guest blogger from Instock Kitchens joins us and discusses the importance of buying good cabinetry that is affordable and looks great!

The kitchen is probably the most used space in the home. With the formal dining room virtually extinct, the kitchen is becoming the focal point of the home; a place to spend family time and to entertain. With that said, it is no wonder that the kitchen is the first on the “remodel list”.

All those that have done a kitchen remodel know that the bulk of the cost is in the kitchen cabinets, and rightfully so. Kitchen cabinets are the main feature that defines the style of the space. It adds to its functionality and aesthetics thereby making it one of the main decisions. Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn, many cannot remodel as originally planned. The good news is that it can still happen! In the last decade a new fad ofRTA(ready- to-assemble cabinets) has gained popularity for their numerous style options available, durability and perhaps most importantly, fabulously low price.

In recent years RTA cabinet manufacturers have been improving their cabinets by making them comparable in quality to custom cabinets. Dovetailed drawer boxes with soft-closing under-mount glides in a solid wood and plywood cabinet is now a typical description of an RTA cabinet.  In addition, in order to compete with custom cabinet manufacturers, RTA cabinets now offer a variety of matching decorative cabinets and unique storage solutions. Those that prefer a simple and functional kitchen may opt to go with a shaker style cabinet with deep drawers which easily maintains and organizes the items stored there. The avid cook may prefer a lazy susan and large drawers to house pots and pans as well as a cutlery divider to organize cooking utensils. Those that bake will benefit from an appliance garage and narrow base cabinets to organize baking sheets and pans. Spice racks, wine racks, turnposts and plateracks are all now available to match. In addition, decorative moldings such as various sizes of crown molding, light rail molding to hide undercounter lighting, dentil molding, furniture base moldings, corbels, fluted fillers, decorative end panels and overlays are offered to complement every kitchen style.

After listing the advantages that RTA cabinets offer, you will be happy to hear that they are extremely economically priced. It is not uncommon for RTA cabinets to cost 30%-50% less than custom cabinetry or even stock cabinets.  It is possible to find cheaper cabinets constructed from particleboard but be wary. The old rule of “don’t judge a book by its cover” is very much applicable when it comes to cabinets. Particleboard may look just as nice when purchased but will begin to wear early on as it tends to sag and swell easily due to moisture. This in turn will cost more due to the frequent repairs it will require.

Instock Kitchens both manufactures and distributes their own line of cabinetry direct to homeowners. In addition to their own lines, they distribute cabinets from another manufacturer, JSI International. Their goal at Instock Kitchens is to provide homeowners with solid wood and durable designer cabinets at wholesale prices. Their complete line of cabinets can be viewed on their website, instockkitchens.com. You can also visit their showroom at 915 Pennsylvania Ave, Feasterville, PA  19053.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Last week I had a guest blogger on from EZ Slide Cabinet Hardware, and this week I thought I’d have a guest blogger on that

showcases kitchen cabinetry. Not just any kitchen cabinetry, but bamboo – that is eco-friendly, renews quickly in nature and is gorgeous to the touch and eye.

Guest blogger Joseph Freenor from CFT411 – Cabinet and Furniture and Information, shows us how a California cabinetry maker utilizes eco-friendly bamboo in their beautiful cabinetry. By the way, Joseph is a wonderful cabinet maker too!

I don’t normally write about other cabinetmakers, and I extra especially do not write about cabinetmakers in Southern California who aren’t named Joe, but every now and again, something comes along that makes a firm rule develop a bit of flexibility. And Laguna Bamboo is very much a case in point. What first piques my interest in them is their use of bamboo, as my partner uses this material whenever he can, such as in his bamboo shoe benches—and does so for the same reason that Laguna Bamboo does so. It is environmentally sound, by which we mean that the use of it does little or no damage to the environment.

Any forest, once cut, requires replenishment, and under the right circumstances, this can be arranged. A hardwood forest of oak, for example, once harvested is not forever lost. It can be re-grown. The problem, though, is that it takes many decades for this forest to re-grow, and if it is to be characterized as “old growth,” it must be left alone until the growth is old—several centuries. Bamboo, by way of distinct contrast, reaches full growth in four years! That is not a misprint, not a forty or four hundred that somehow became a four. It is four years.

Laguna Bamboo 3 The other part of the equation that makes bamboo particularly attractive is that it is both very hard and very capable of being shaped into a product that is usable by woodworkers. When we first started this website I wrote a lengthy nine-blog dissertation on the need for bamboo plywood and its many uses, but let me just summarize that here by saying that it is now possible to get plywood sheets that are not plywood at all in the traditional sense of the word. They are made up of bamboo that has been sliced into strips and glued into sheets. These sheets are then glued together just as traditional plywood would be—each sheet positioned at 90° to the preceding sheet—and the result is actually stronger than regular plywood because bamboo is so hard. It can be milled like wood, finished like wood, and used like wood, but it does not grow like wood. At four years of age bamboo is harvested. The mighty oak tree at that age, by way of distinct contrast, is mostly just thinking about becoming an oak one day. You might also check out my partner Joe Dusel’s discussion on bamboo plywood.

These pictures, as I indicated earlier, are from Laguna Bamboo, and those of our readers who are in the Orange County area may want to check out this company for their kitchen projects. But I cannot close this blog without urging my San Diego area readers to check out Woodistry, as my partner has also done a lot of innovative work with this product. That’s the thing with an idea whose time has come. No one ever corners the market on it!

For more echo-friendly ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

In kitchen design, the use of color is sometimes stayed away from.  Although, in modern trends the use of color has made a huge return back to kitchens and dining room spaces.  I found some kitchens that command your attention, and would be a joy to cook in. From the cabinetry color, backsplash tile or the wall paint, kitchens are a great place to express yourself and your love for your home.

Let me know what you think!

In this kitchen the breath taking painting technique on the barrel vault ceiling is gorgeous! I think I would burn my food, daydreaming out that window…

How would you feel about alphabet frosted glass cabinet doors? It would fit for some, for others maybe not. I love how they took advantage of the height in the kitchen and extended the cabinets and color all the way to the ceiling.  Then they made the ceiling a mix of neutral tones that make your eyes marvel at the ceiling. Check out the red framed windows at the sink.

There is something so sleek about lacquer finished cabinets in the kitchen! I love the cobalt blue and white combination. The only thing you should do in this kitchen is fix a beautiful blue cocktail and pose!

If I had a chance to re-do my kitchen once every year – this year it would be this chartreuse green. I like the glossy tile, coupled with the withe cabinetry and trimmed windows. The dual colored counters are a treat too!

For more inspiration for kitchens, visit Stagetecture’s kitchen area!

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.