Creative Ways to Store Dishes

Make your kitchen even more stylish and functional by storing dishes where you can see and access them easily. These out-of-the-box ideas will help you get started.

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Open Shelves

Smart Storage Solutions

Open storage ensures an easy reach for often-used items. Reserve lower shelves for items used daily, such as plates and bowls, and upper shelves for larger serving pieces. Corral small items like napkins and table linens in small baskets to keep shelves clutter-free.

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Portable Flatware

Small-Space Organization Ideas

Transfer silverware from countertop to tabletop in no time with a portable basket. Organize cutlery into various jars by type, then move the entire storage unit as needed.

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Dishes on Display

Hutchlike dowels offer a straightforward way to show off dish collections. Incorporate them into a kitchen island for unexpected storage on display. Switch out dishware as the seasons or your decorating tastes change throughout the year. Create a pleasing backdrop for pretty dishware by updating island shelving with a fresh coat of stain or paint.

Clever Island Storage Ideas

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Stack It Up

Go vertical when considering open storage. A tall, ready-to-assemble shelving unit puts glassware next to the refrigerator for ease of use. Place large serving pieces or mixing bowls on the remaining shelves.

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Banquette Storage

Don't overlook the storage potential of a window seat or banquette bench. Utilize the space underneath to tuck away baskets filled with wooden utensils, silverware, and paper napkins. Keep the area open or conceal with a hinged cabinet door.

Banquette Benches with Storage

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Plan for Better Kitchen Storage

Maximize kitchen storage space in cabinets, drawers, and more by taking a cue from this storage-packed kitchen.

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Tea Time

Wire racks, whether new or found at a flea market, become works of art when outfitted with pretty patterned coffee mugs and teacups. Hang glassware from the top rungs and store colorful towels below for a breezy beverage station.

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Island Oasis

An open island is a dish-storage dream. Cutting boards and serving trays easily slide into this island's upper shelves. Baskets store spare dishware and oversize pots and pans below.

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Within Reach

Deep pullout drawers ensure the right serving pieces, linens, and flatware are always within reach. This drawer includes a modified pegboard approach that uses oversize pegs to keep dishes from sliding and chipping.

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Measuring Made Easy

Hang measuring cups and spoons within a cabinet door to keep them at arm's length. Paint the interior with chalkboard paint and outline each utensil to ensure nothing ever goes missing.

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See-Through Storage

When installed around a kitchen window, narrow glass floating shelves add to a kitchen's open and airy feel. This storage solution lends a sunny backdrop to pretty glassware.

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Show Off Silverware

If you're storing your family's precious silver, consider a nested approach. Here, a drawer outfitted with a divided pullout tray protects the silverware from scratches, and when the drawer is open, it's easy to admire the delicate artisanship of each piece.

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SOLVED! Annoying Kitchen Problems

Learn how to tackle some of the most common kitchen storage problems with these smart tips and tricks.

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Cool and Collected

Adapt mobile storage solutions to keep everyday utensils handy and organized. To ensure utensils don't get lost in a large wooden crate, use small jars to keep forks, knives, and spoons separate.

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Sliding Breakfast Station

Keep your French press, coffee cups, and sugar bowl in one convenient location with a rolling storage tray. Fix the breakfast station to the lower shelf of a cabinet near the refrigerator for easy access to milk and cream.

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Pretty Pegboard

Utensils, silverware, cookware -- pegboards store it all. Paint a sheet of the versatile material a fresh shade, then mount to an island. Use hooks to hang baskets of kitchen linens and various utensils.

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Pullout Drawers

Pullout drawers give easy access to stacks of plates and bowls in deep cabinets. They also make it a breeze to put away clean dishes and save your back by eliminating the need to lift a stack of dishes into an upper cabinet.

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Divide and Conquer

Avoid the scuffle with this easy cookware-lid solution. Line base cabinet drawers with pegboard, then insert wooden dowels to keep lids upright and at the ready.

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Hanging Glassware

Free up shelf space with small hooks installed on the underside of shelves. Mount mugs with a similar color palette to the hooks for gorgeous grab-and-go drinkware.

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The Great Divide

Every cutlery and utensil drawer should have divided storage. Before shopping for inserts, take into account what you need to store, along with the inside dimensions of each drawer, including height, width, and depth. Add labels to each section for extra organization.

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Toe-Kick Features

Keep cookie sheets right where you need them with narrow drawers beneath your oven. The shallow storage space provides an easy hiding spot for spare linens and cutting boards as well.

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Instant Access

Install open shelves and a hutch for plates above the dishwasher to house frequently used dishes. This way you won't need to cart heavy stacks of plates, bowls, and serving platters across the kitchen after every wash.

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Island Display

Employ vibrant dishes and glassware to create a pleasing color scheme on island shelving. Fill the top shelf with your most frequently used dishes. Limit the depths of shelves to make accessing items easier.

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Showcase Pots and Pans

No room left in your cabinets for pots and pans? Install two or three short metal rods on a blank kitchen wall, then use S hooks to hang cookware. Make sure to measure the lengths of each pan before hanging the bars to minimize overlapping.

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Stylish Sidekick

Open storage helps small kitchens appear larger. Here, a cabinet front was removed in favor of a more convenient, drawerlike solution. Now a pair of decorative baskets fills the space to house napkins, oven mitts, and table linens.

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Bank on Buckets

Ban junk-drawer clutter with sliding cabinetry that features small built-in buckets. Silverware, spices, scissors, and more fit snugly into the storage units, which can be removed for painless cleaning.

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Dangling Dishware

Prevent stemware from collecting dust by mounting glasses upside-down. Install a wineglass or champagne flute holder underneath an open shelf for easy accessibility.

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Up, Up, and Away

Out of cabinet space for large serving pieces? Look up. This simple shelf solves the dilemma of storing odd-shape items, such as gravy boats and pitchers, while also displaying dishware that's just too pretty to tuck away.

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