Stop Cluttering Your Cabinets With Mugs — Turn A Thrifted Shelf Into Storage Art

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Love collecting adorable mugs? You aren't alone. Yet, perhaps the greatest tragedy that comes with accumulating an array of eye-catching mugs is that they get hidden away inside a cabinet, out of view. Or, perhaps worse is the tragedy of sacrificing precious kitchen cabinet space to accommodate all that precious ceramic drinkware. Luckily, with a little creative ingenuity, there's simply no need to store mugs in cabinets anymore. The next time you hit your local thrift store to search for vintage Pyrex and whimsical goose-shaped cookie jars, take a moment to browse the homewares section. A vintage shelf might be all you need to transform your storage issue into a work of art. 

Mounting a thrifted shelf is a retro wall solution that frees up cluttered kitchen storage spaces. Alternatively, depending on the shape and size of the freestanding shelf you find, it could also be placed on your countertop (a better fit for renters who don't want to patch the drywall at the end of a lease). Given the existing design scheme of your kitchen space, that shelf could be a kitschy and painted "granny-chic" model, or simply a modern wooden cube with clean lines. Rustic kitchens might even benefit from a large, weathered shelf with multiple compartments that'll instantly create a focal art piece in the space.

Whatever aesthetic you prefer, the most important aspect of this storage-saving hack is ensuring its functionality. Foodies will be reaching for mugs on a daily basis, which means to keep folks (and their fragile mug collection) safe, any shelf must be securely mounted. As you browse your local thrift shop, keep in mind that whatever you pick will have to be relatively lightweight. To avoid a structural hazard, folks should also keep in mind how many mugs they will be placing on top to calculate the accumulative mass. A bamboo shelf holding six tiny teacups, for instance, will have different hanging requirements than a solid wood shelf holding dense pottery vessels. 

When mounting your thrifted shelf, adhesive-style hooks are likely not going to cut it. Opt for wall hanging tool kits as they often include hooks with explicitly marked weight capacities. For instance, FUZANMJ's 125-Piece Heavy Duty Hanging Kit (currently $13.99 on Amazon) comes with hardware that can support 10 to 100 pounds, accommodating as large or as small of a shelf as you require.

Repurposing a decorative shelf can be a great way to maximize storage potential, free up cabinets, and fashion a piece of functional art all at once. For smaller kitchens, this thrift store hack also works with a wooden coat rack (think: something like Spectrum's 7-Peg Wall Mount) instead of a shelf. Simply mount the board, then hang a mug on each of the pegs. The rack can also be oriented vertically to take up less horizontal space.