Are you dreaming about a new kitchen? Do you scroll through pictures on websites like Houzz and Architectural Digest and watch all the home remodeling shows on HGTV? If so, you probably already know that updating the kitchen is one of the best investments you can make in your home, and one of the best places to make the most impact in a kitchen remodel is your cabinets.
Suppose you’re going for an updated look in your kitchen. In that case, some of the most popular changes include adding beadboard for texture, using different materials like stainless steel or a mixture of metal and wood, opting for bold colors, or choosing two-toned cabinets for added visual depth.
While you’re changing the look of your kitchen, though, there are also some exciting trends when it comes to upgrading the function of your kitchen cabinets. Once you know what you want, working with kitchen remodeling professionals like JMG Contracting will ensure you get the job done right.
Before you Google “cabinet remodel near me,” let’s take a look at five modern kitchen cabinet upgrades that are trending right now that will revolutionize how you organize the most important room in the house.
1. A “Garage” For Your Appliances
You can’t start your morning without your Keurig coffee, and you love your KitchenAid mixer, but you probably don’t love how much room each of them take up on your counter. That’s where the appliance garage cabinet comes in. As the name suggests, an appliance garage is a storage area that keeps all your small appliances like a coffee maker, microwave, rice cooker, toaster oven, and more in one place.
Depending on how many you have, you can designate one entire tall cabinet or have custom cabinets designed specifically for your needs, using roll-up doors, slide-out shelves, and more. You can add outlets to the cabinets so you never have to take the appliances out. The possibilities are endless!
2. Don’t Shelf This Idea
There’s nothing worse than trying to reach your favorite mug when it’s hiding behind twenty others or getting the Christmas dishes down from the top shelf in the cabinet, hoping you don’t fall off the stool or drop them. Instead, you could add sliding or pull-out shelves to your lower cabinets and pull-down shelves to your upper cabinets. Pulling out the contents of your cabinet and seeing everything at once, even the expired spices in the back of the cabinet, will save you time and frustration.
Open shelving is also a popular trend that allows you to keep the items you use every day handy and readily accessible. If you’re interested in the look of open shelving but don’t want to part with your cabinets, you could remove a few cabinet doors or add glass door inserts for a similar effect.
3. Extra Storage In Wasted Spaces
Everyone could use extra storage in the kitchen. Adding additional storage in otherwise wasted or unused space is even better. If your cabinets have baseboards, consider installing toe-kick drawers there instead. Flat items like cutting boards, cookie sheets, and serving platters can all find a new home and open up extra cabinet space for other things.
If you have an island in your kitchen, you can add shelves on the end to store cookbooks, a pull-out spice rack, a drawer for your garbage can, a rolling cart for extra prep space, and more.
What about that weird space between your refrigerator and the wall? A pull-out pantry could be the perfect solution. Not only will you be able to reach your pantry staples from both sides, but it also gives a finished, streamlined look to your kitchen. Plus, it will free up space in your regular pantry.
4. A Top Drawer Use For Drawers
Rather than the traditional shelves for your lower kitchen cabinets, think about using deep drawers instead. You’ll be amazed at how much you can fit when you add organizers like pegboards, trays, dividers, and removable containers. Coffee pods, dishes, pots and pans, Tupperware and lids, utensils, spices, and even root vegetables or fruit can all be stored out of sight but within easy reach. You’ll never have to get on your hands and knees with a flashlight to rummage around in the back of the cabinet to find that stray Tupperware lid again.
5. No More Fighting Over Chargers
Do all of your electronics somehow end up on the kitchen counter when they need to be charged? Move your batteries and pens out of that junk drawer in your kitchen cabinet and transform it into a drawer charging station instead. Not only will all the unsightly cords be hidden, but you won’t have to worry about splattering grease or spilling water on your electronics. And maybe you won’t have to fight your teenager for the phone charger anymore.
What about that pile of junk mail and bills? A built-in message center that adds a whiteboard or bulletin board and some mail slots or shelves at the end of your upper cabinets or island is a great idea to keep everything in one place. A place that’s not the kitchen counter.
Why Bother Organizing Your Kitchen?
Since the kitchen is the heart of the home, it’s where we spend the most time. You don’t want to spend all that time surrounded by messy, cluttered counters piled high with appliances and junk mail. Once everything is tucked neatly out of sight, your kitchen will become a relaxing oasis instead of adding to the chaos of life.
Aside from the obvious aesthetic benefits of clean counters, one of the greatest benefits of an organized kitchen is efficiency. When everything has a specific place, you will always quickly know where to find what you need. Locating the right utensil or that spice you need for the recipe without rummaging around in your cupboard will make cooking more enjoyable and save you time and energy.
Although it’s possible to make some of the kitchen cabinet upgrades discussed above (e.g., adding sliding shelves into existing cabinets), working with professionals is usually a better idea, especially if you’re doing extensive remodeling. Retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot usually have contractors they work with, or you can always Google, “reliable company to do a cabinet remodel near me,” or if you happen to be in the Phoenix, AZ, area, contact JMG Contracting for a free estimate.
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