Getting a handle on the kitchen is sometimes easier said than done. After all, it’s one of the busiest rooms in the home.
Dishes and utensils can get out of hand in no time if each member of the household isn’t on top of their chores. Meanwhile, clutter tends to pile up in the form of mail and other paperwork. As a result, your kitchen can appear messy, causing unnecessary stress.
Sound familiar? With these DIY kitchen storage ideas, you’ll be on your way to a more organized kitchen in a flash! If you’re feeling extra crafty, we threw in a DIY kitchen island tutorial you can design yourself to give your family additional storage to work with.
DIY Kitchen Storage Idea #1: Labels
Label as many things as you can! When things are labeled, it is so much easier for you (and the kids!) to put things back in their spot. Buy huge jars and add vinyl lettering to label these jars for flour, sugar, rice, snacks, etc. Label bins and baskets in your fridge or pantry.
Putting groceries away will become so much easier. It also makes compiling your grocery list go a lot faster. If your bin is empty, you know you need to add that item to your list.
DIY Kitchen Storage Idea #2: Make the most of your fridge.
A fridge covered with papers not only looks messy, but it also isn’t the best way to organize your paperwork. I found these magnetic file folders that stick right on the side of my fridge. I made folders for each of my kiddos, one for bills and other important papers.
As soon as things come in the mail or are brought home with my kiddos from school, they get filed away. I love how this easy DIY kitchen storage idea helps keep the front of my fridge clean & free from all the paper clutter.
Now, all my papers are organized, and I don’t have to hunt around for the right ones. It’s also handy to keep a pair of scissors here, along with my planner, pens and pencils.
DIY Kitchen Storage Idea #3: Consider adding a Lazy Susan.
Whether in a cabinet or on the kitchen table, a Lazy Susan can add so much storage to your kitchen. In our kitchen, we use the Lazy Susan to organize our spices, baking products and sprinkles. Each shelf swings out wide, which makes it easy to grab whatever we need while we are cooking or baking.
A Lazy Susan is one of our favorite DIY kitchen storage ideas because you can either build one yourself or purchase one already built from at a hardware store like Home Depot starting at just $50.
DIY Kitchen Storage Idea #4: Baskets and Bins
In hard to reach areas (like under the sink and on top of the fridge), consider using baskets and bins for extra kitchen storage. To get cleaning supplies from under the sink, you can just grab a basket and set it on the countertop. I also have a basket on top of my fridge to catch any loose papers that can’t be filed right away. Baskets and bins are great for the pantry as well. It’s so much easier to grab an item off of the top shelf if it’s in a basket!
DIY Kitchen Storage Idea #5: Design Your Own Island
Out of all of these DIY kitchen storage ideas, creating a custom island for our kitchen is what really made us get creative. Islands are so popular in the kitchen, and there are a lot of good reasons for that! Not only does an island create more workspace and seating, but it also adds more storage to your kitchen. You can also add big baskets to the lower shelf of your new island to hold things like dishes, extra hand towels, food and more!
Let me show you how to make your own kitchen island.
For this project you will need:
- lumber
- table saw
- planer
- wood screws
- drill
- sandpaper & sander
- adhesive
- finishing wax
***Use extreme caution and common sense when using power tools. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions, wear safety gear and build at your own risk.***
For this project, we used rough cut lumber. They were cut true to size. These 2×6″ boards were truly 2 inches by 6 inches. They are thick and heavy. I love the roughness and the look and feel of the grain. Since these are rough cut, and not the kind of boards you can find at your local home store, I won’t give you the measurements. You’ll have to measure your space and wood boards and go from there. I will show you the basic design and how we put this together, though, so you can make your own!
For the top of the island, we used 5 boards. Since these boards were rough cut, we ran them all through the planer to make them nice and square and smooth. I really love how you can see the different textures and wood grain. If you used lumber from the store, you wouldn’t get this rustic of a look.
Adding the Brace
Next, we added a brace on each end and screwed the legs into the brace from the inside. We tried to “hide” as many of the screws as we could.
We added two more braces in the middle of the island top for extra support and to hold the boards together.
Adding the Frame
Next, we put in the frame for the lower shelf. This also was what really made our island sturdy. We ended up bringing the island into the house at this point. It is heavy! We didn’t want to have to move it too far after it was fully assembled.
For the bottom shelf, I just used an adhesive to hold the boards into place. They fit in really snug, and the adhesive is just an extra measure of support.
Just place the smaller boards on the supports, and let the adhesive dry before using the shelf.
We also added a support piece along the front. We didn’t add that piece along the back where the stools are so we could allow for plenty of leg room.
I loved the look of the natural wood, so I just gave the island a coat of paste finishing wax to give it a little bit of shine and protection. You could also stain or paint your new kitchen island to match your decor.
We hope these DIY kitchen storage ideas are useful and that you’re feeling a little less stressed about your kitchen! Which idea was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
