Maximizing your Ikea Pantry

Nov 02. 2018

We're quickly closing in on our fifteen-thousandth Ikea kitchen (whew!!), and one of the most common questions we've heard from Semihandmade customers over the years is, “How can I best maximize my kitchen storage?” Let’s face it, the kitchen is pretty much the epicenter of our lives, whether you live in a house, apartment, camper or whatever, a do-everything shrine to utility jam-packed with gadgets, groceries, graters, and goodies. And no matter how much room you have to work with, there's never enough space to satisfy all our organizational and storage needs.

But fear not; there is an answer!

Image: Erin Kelleher

Be Practical

The best advice we can give when it comes to mapping out your kitchen's footprint is know your budget, accept the fact that there will definitely be some compromises along the way (never an easy pill to swallow!), and remember - even if you're single now - chances are you won't be the only person living, working and eating there. So be practical. Granted, that's not always easy - renos are stressful, they can also be expensive, still you're finally getting the kitchen of your dreams. Here's where Ikea saves the day: their Sektion kitchen system is the definition of modular sensibility. That's the beauty of their European-style cabinets, after all - options galore, everything easily interchangeable, big or small, drawers, pull-outs and shelving - all of it hidden seamlessly behind one-of-a-kind Semihandmade doors and drawers.

Bigger Can Be Better

Marrying style and practicality is any homeowner’s main objective. Fortunately, Ikea’s Sektion tall cabinets look great in pretty much any application - book-ending a long run, off on their own as a stand-alone unit, and especially as a place to house built-in ovens and other appliances. PS: they also work great in bedrooms and garages.

Image: Courtesy of Studio McGee

Channeling You Inner Marie Kondo

You know her, right? Today's authority on organization and tidying up our lives? None of that is possible without the accessibility and practicality that Ikea drawers and pull-outs offer. Want three drawers for the bottom of your cabinet? No, four? What about five (short drawers are great for knick-knacks and office supplies and linens)? Done. Need to store those large mixers and slow-cookers in an easy-to-reach place? Not a problem. There's even the option of hiding all those drawers behind a single door for an even cleaner look (plus save a little money). And let's not forget using a tall cabinet to store your broom, mop and Swiffer!

Image: Courtesy of Amber Interiors

Convinced yet? To make things easy, you'll find the most common tall cabinet configurations on the Tall Combinations page in our Kitchen Shop, but the sky really is the limit when using Ikea boxes and hardware... in any room! As always, check out Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook pages for even more inspirational photos.