Hidden Kitchen Storage

Sharing the hidden storage we had built into our kitchen when we remodelled without sacrificing design.

When we designed our kitchen, I wanted to make use of every bit of space in there. Coming from a small kitchen and recently having our 4th kid… I knew cupboard space would fill up quickly. Actually I thought I would manage cupboard space really well but it sure did fill up quickly ;) I worked closely with the cabinet company, asking if we can make the cupboards a little bigger or add some extra storage around areas that usually would just be closed off. Today I’m sharing some of these ideas with you! If you’re designing a kitchen, I can’t recommend these 3 hidden storage spaces enough!

We also maximized the bay window cupboards so every inch of space there is cabinet space. It makes the side cupboards a bit of an odd shape, but those odd corners are perfect for those less used pieces like my tea pot and my backup bags of coffee. But that’s not hidden storage, just a little tip if you’d like to maximize a bay window!

Range Hood Surround Storage

When we wanted a built in range hood, I expected that to be all we were getting. I asked for our range hood built in to span the entire bump out, even though that’s wider than the oven and range hood. I just loved how that looked visually. The cabinet company suggested we put hinges so it could open to hold things on either side. We’ve been using this for liquor storage and it’s the perfect hideaway for that, out of reach of children. This uses those magnetic push latches.

Peninsula Storage

If you’ve ever been irritated by the option of a lazy suzan or awkwardly shaped corner cupboard… you might love this! Bonus, it will save you money! I first saw this idea at my sister-in-laws house. Instead of a corner cupboard, leave that space empty from the front and use it from behind if you have a peninsula or L shaped kitchen that isn’t on walls on every side. This allows for a ‘secret storage’ cupboard that looks like cabinets for you to store things that are handy to have in your kitchen but not every day things. This is where we store some food we purchase in bulk as well as party supplies, and paper plates. this again uses a magnetic push latch to keep it seamless looking.

This also helped me keep the awkward shaped kitchen look uniform, keeping the fronts all drawers.

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If you have a panelled island you’d like deeper than standard countertops, you can also do this by adding ‘upper’ cabinets to the backside of your island like we did in our last kitchen using IKEA cabinets. We just left the hardware off and opened them from the bottom to keep a panelled look- you could also add the magnetic push latches. I wasn’t a home blogger back then, just crafts, really… so I didn’t get a great photo of what this looks like practically, but the cupboard doors along the back of my island opened up to store vases, cook books and party supplies!

Hidden Broom Closet + Chemical Storage

When we were designing the kitchen, we opened up the wall between the kitchen and dining and took up more room for the kitchen. This kitchen backs onto a fireplace that had only been finished partway on the backside so on the wall with the full height pantry and fridge, the wall is 3 different depths- finished fireplace, cinderblock, and drywall. To make the most of that, we had cabinets made in the depths of the space available.

That allowed us to do a full depth fridge with extra deep cabinets above. BUT when it got down to just the drywall portion of the wall… those cabinets would be so deep they are unusable. SO it was suggested we just do a standard depth cabinet and block off that dead space. Instead, I asked if we could add a cabinet that opens from the side. We did this as a flat panel cabinet with a magnetic push latch as well so it blends right into the cabinets. It’s the perfect solution for brooms, stick vacuums and the top shelf for all my chemicals to free up space under the sink (because I use that for other things!).

So there are three ideas for hidden storage in your kitchen. If you’re looking for more kitchen organization and storage tips, I recently wrote a mega organize your home post and video where I have a section on kitchen that includes our junk drawer location (you can’t see it by looking around our kitchen!), where we keep kids crafts in the kitchen, our coffee pot appliance pull out, and more!

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR FULL OLIVE GREEN KITCHEN BEFORE AND AFTER

PIN THIS FOR LATER!