Your Kitchen Cutlery Drawers Could Be Used For So Much More

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Who among us isn't always searching for genius kitchen organization hacks? The sheer amount of stuff that accumulates in our kitchens can be overwhelming — there are only so many closets, cabinets, drawers, and shelves for all the cookware, serveware, cleaning products, utensils, food, and any number of other things. But the good news is there's hope. The secret to effortless and streamlined storage that even looks nice is simply shaking up our preconceived notions about what goes where. One of the biggest kitchen organization mistakes you can make is believing that different categories of items are limited to certain drawers or cabinets. Think outside the box — or the shelf — and you'll be amazed at the space and convenience you gain.

Your cutlery drawers, for example, don't in fact have to only contain cutlery. Many of us find we need just one drawer for our cutlery, and the one or two drawers below that inevitably fill up with miscellany. First, clear out those drawers and see what you might be able to toss or group elsewhere. Whisks, spatulas, etc., can pop into some of the best kitchen tool organizers that double as decor and don't eat up counter space, like chic canisters. With that cleared space, you can and should store plates, bowls, or pans in those drawers. We often assume plates must go on shelves or in cabinets, and pans in cabinets, too, but they could make more sense for the flow of your kitchen in drawers.

By moving another kitchen item category, like plates, into a cutlery drawer, you could streamline your process at mealtime. Why cross the kitchen, say, for plates when they could be right under utensils, next to where your cooked food is ready and waiting to be plated? You could also free up precious space. Maybe your growing kids are requiring more snacks than ever, and you could really use another cabinet. Or maybe you've been dying to add some personal style to your kitchen — with plates out of the way, you can add open shelves for plants or beautiful kitchen decor items that are also useful, like modern spice jars or artfully designed bowls.

To turn a cutlery drawer into storage for plates or pans, you'll need an organization device so things aren't banging around, damaging each other, and making a mess. The easiest buy is a TANEMUDO wood pegboard drawer organizer. You can place stacks of larger and smaller plates plus bowls in your drawer and place pegs to keep the piles straight. Peg boards also make it easy to move collections like Tupperware into a cutlery drawer. If you've got one nice, deep drawer, an EVERIE adjustable bakeware organizer is great for pans, pot lids, baking sheets, and cutting boards. With a flip of kitchen-storage perceptions and a low-cost organizer, you can make your kitchen tasks more efficient and get game-changing space back.