Kitchen storage is one of the key considerations for planning a kitchen remodeling project. Storage varies depending on several factors. In this blog, cabinet expert The Kitchen Store shares how to determine how much storage your kitchen needs.
Assess Your Household Needs
First, you need to determine how you and your family need the kitchen in relation to the family size and how often you cook and entertain guests. There may be areas that feel awkward to use or are particularly cramped.
Take Inventory and Declutter
Determine how much you already have by performing an inventory then group them according to each category. In addition to food and cooking equipment—which in itself has several subcategories—you have dinnerware, linens and electric appliances. Storage containers will need to be stored somewhere and they also need to be counted.
At this stage, separate items that you use often from the ones that you barely use. While this doesn’t increase storage space, it does increase the items that you need storage for; instead of getting custom kitchen cabinets, you can simply reface existing ones and still have enough storage space.
Organize the Kitchen Based on Functional Storage Areas
Kitchens are typically divided into five functional storage areas: consumables, non-consumables, cleaning, preparation and cooking. There may also be additional “specialty” areas for baking, serving and, for kitchens with entry doors, a mudroom storage. Organize your kitchen items based on these areas and make sure they can be accessed conveniently. For example, the preparation area should have knives and chopping board within reach. The cooking area should likewise have the pots and pans in the same area.
Calculate the Cabinet Frontage
The frontage is the total cabinet storage, calculated by multiplying the cabinet width with the depth then with the number of shelves and drawers. By this point you will already have an idea of how much storage space you will need and should be able to determine if you need bigger or smaller cabinets or if you will keep it as it is. Typically, small kitchens need about 150 square feet and medium kitchens up to 350 square feet, even more for large kitchens. When in doubt, consult a custom kitchen remodeling expert.
The Kitchen Store is your leading provider of kitchen remodeling services. Give us a call at (310) 736-1077 or fill out our contact form. We serve customers in Beverly Hills, CA and the surrounding areas in California.
