Useful Kitchen Storage Design

If you can't bring yourself to Kondo the kitchen, it's time to trick out the cabinets, drawers and island with a few space-saving ideas. Rethink the little nooks and niches and you'll have counter space for days.

GO VERTICAL WITH A LADDER.
Don't limit storage to areas within arms' reach. Designer Katie Ridder opted for a sliding ladder to reach ceiling-height cabinets, which are perfect for that bread maker you never use

FILL UP HANDY BINS.
Declutter an open-shelving mess with a tidy grid of woven boxes. In this Los Angeles kitchen, paper tags keep each baskets' contents organized.

ADD CABINETS ABOVE THE WINDOW.
Let light in and store unused gadgets in an additional row of cupboards, as seen in this Manhattan apartment.

HANG MUGS FROM HOOKS.
Designer Kim Lewis copied a potting bench set-up for a pint-size kitchen. The copper-pipe shelving holds hooks for coffee cups and cookware, keeping the countertop free for actual cooking.

TRY AN ÉTAGÈRE FOR ADDED HEIGHT.
An open shelving unit adds more storage, but doesn't take up too much floor – or visual – space. An antique étagère placed on the counter of Mary Jo Bochner's Savannah, Georgia, kitchen holds books and bowls.

STORE CUTTING BOARDS IN A BASKET.
This genius tip comes from the inimitable Ina Garten: When she updated her East Hampton country kitchen

TRY A PULL-OUT PANTRY.
In designer Stephanie Stokes's 48-square-foot New York City kitchen, the "pantry" for dry goods consists of two cabinets that slide out over the countertop so that everything is easy to find.