Kitchen Guides
10 Amazing Kitchen Drawer Designs
Take the strain off your back and the stress out of finding things by putting these clever drawer ideas to work in your new kitchen
The biggest request I get from my clients when we discuss their ‘wish list’ for their new kitchen is drawers – drawers, drawers, drawers. They’re tired of losing things at the back of deep cupboards and of straining their backs bending down to lift heavy items out from underneath the bench. Having kitchen drawers instead of cabinets also allows you to make your storage a lot more compartmentalised, so you can locate items such as plastic container lids and spices more readily. They can even help to protect fragile items such as wine glasses and dainty tea cups, which can easily be knocked out of cupboards or fall off shelves in a shower of shards.
The humble drawer can be put to work in so many clever ways in your new kitchen. Check out these 10 genius ideas for kitchen drawers to see how you can further improve your storage.
The humble drawer can be put to work in so many clever ways in your new kitchen. Check out these 10 genius ideas for kitchen drawers to see how you can further improve your storage.
2. Utility drawer
We all have one of these drawers in the kitchen that are full of phone and laptop chargers – I call it the ‘dumping drawer’. And I can bet you’ve run out of power points in your kitchen at some stage and have had to unplug your charging phone or tablet to plug in your blender.
Free up your benchtop power points, and bench space, by using that same ‘dumping drawer’ to actually charge your gadgets in. Have some power points mounted to the back of the drawer so you can plug your devices in and still keep everything neatly out of your way.
Tip: You might want to incorporate a plastic vent (or even just a few holes drilled in the bottom of the drawer) for ventilation, as tablets and laptops tend to heat up when they are charging.
Find a kitchen designer near you to help you plan your space and storage
We all have one of these drawers in the kitchen that are full of phone and laptop chargers – I call it the ‘dumping drawer’. And I can bet you’ve run out of power points in your kitchen at some stage and have had to unplug your charging phone or tablet to plug in your blender.
Free up your benchtop power points, and bench space, by using that same ‘dumping drawer’ to actually charge your gadgets in. Have some power points mounted to the back of the drawer so you can plug your devices in and still keep everything neatly out of your way.
Tip: You might want to incorporate a plastic vent (or even just a few holes drilled in the bottom of the drawer) for ventilation, as tablets and laptops tend to heat up when they are charging.
Find a kitchen designer near you to help you plan your space and storage
3. Extra benchtop
If bench space is limited in your kitchen, you will love this clever little drawer. From the outside it looks like any regular shallow drawer in your kitchen, but in fact, it pulls out to reveal some extra bench space.
Position one near your stovetop so you can use it as chopping space, or as an extra surface to arrange plates on as you dish up dinner.
Tip: These pull-out benchtop drawers can also be worked into an appliance cupboard or into your pantry to give you another easy-to-access surface to use appliances on.
How to double your kitchen workspace
If bench space is limited in your kitchen, you will love this clever little drawer. From the outside it looks like any regular shallow drawer in your kitchen, but in fact, it pulls out to reveal some extra bench space.
Position one near your stovetop so you can use it as chopping space, or as an extra surface to arrange plates on as you dish up dinner.
Tip: These pull-out benchtop drawers can also be worked into an appliance cupboard or into your pantry to give you another easy-to-access surface to use appliances on.
How to double your kitchen workspace
4. Kickboard drawer
Shallow kickboard drawers are inconspicuous and offer secret storage you’ll continue to thank yourself for.
Since they’re shallow in height, they’re the perfect place to store baking trays, oven racks and chopping boards. They can also be used to store other flat items such as placemats and table linen.
Shallow kickboard drawers are inconspicuous and offer secret storage you’ll continue to thank yourself for.
Since they’re shallow in height, they’re the perfect place to store baking trays, oven racks and chopping boards. They can also be used to store other flat items such as placemats and table linen.
5. Spice drawer
I love my spices, but when they are not organised properly, I just end up buying extra of what I already have and forget about some until they have passed their use-by date – I’m guessing I’m not alone. Looking down on the top of all your spice jars trying to guess which one is which as they sit on a shelf in your pantry is no fun. Instead, work a shallow drawer into your new kitchen design next to your stovetop and pop in a spice insert so the rosemary and thyme are always close to hand.
There are several spice drawer inserts you can buy, which you could put into your existing kitchen drawers too. Check out the kitchen department in hardware or storage superstores, or if you are designing a completely new kitchen, ask your kitchen designer to suggest a suitable organiser they can supply and incorporate into your new cabinets.
Clever Storage Hacks
I love my spices, but when they are not organised properly, I just end up buying extra of what I already have and forget about some until they have passed their use-by date – I’m guessing I’m not alone. Looking down on the top of all your spice jars trying to guess which one is which as they sit on a shelf in your pantry is no fun. Instead, work a shallow drawer into your new kitchen design next to your stovetop and pop in a spice insert so the rosemary and thyme are always close to hand.
There are several spice drawer inserts you can buy, which you could put into your existing kitchen drawers too. Check out the kitchen department in hardware or storage superstores, or if you are designing a completely new kitchen, ask your kitchen designer to suggest a suitable organiser they can supply and incorporate into your new cabinets.
Clever Storage Hacks
6. Open-front pantry drawers
A spacious walk-in or butler’s pantry with lots of storage is on most of my clients’ wish lists. If you are lucky enough to have the space, plan to incorporate some under-bench drawers instead of just shelves in your pantry.
Opt for open-fronted drawers such as these ones so instead of having to open every drawer to find what you are looking for, you can simply walk into your pantry, take a quick glance across the front of all the drawers, and pull out just the one you need.
Tip: Use different drawer heights to store different items. A shallow-height drawer is perfect for storing cans and jars, while a deeper drawer is great for flour, cereal boxes and bigger jars of spaghetti and other dried foods.
A spacious walk-in or butler’s pantry with lots of storage is on most of my clients’ wish lists. If you are lucky enough to have the space, plan to incorporate some under-bench drawers instead of just shelves in your pantry.
Opt for open-fronted drawers such as these ones so instead of having to open every drawer to find what you are looking for, you can simply walk into your pantry, take a quick glance across the front of all the drawers, and pull out just the one you need.
Tip: Use different drawer heights to store different items. A shallow-height drawer is perfect for storing cans and jars, while a deeper drawer is great for flour, cereal boxes and bigger jars of spaghetti and other dried foods.
7. Under-sink drawer
Under-sink cupboards are great for storing cleaning utilities, but are not always practical. Instead of foraging for bin liners, plastic bags, washing up liquid and hoards of cleaning products all jammed into a deep, dark space – with the one item you need always hiding away in the back corner – try an under-sink drawer option instead.
A set of under-sink drawers are probably the most popular drawers with my clients. They jump for joy when I show them how we can make a U-shaped drawer that fits around the plumbing pipes under their sink, giving them an easy-to-organise and easy-to-assess space to store all their cleaning products.
Use the top drawer to store washing up liquid, hand wash and dish cloths so they’re off your bench but within easy reach. And fill the subsequent bottom drawers with less-used items like cleaning products, bin liners and scourers.
Tip: If you have young children, you can add a child safety catch to the drawers to keep all those dangerous cleaning products away from curious hands.
Under-sink cupboards are great for storing cleaning utilities, but are not always practical. Instead of foraging for bin liners, plastic bags, washing up liquid and hoards of cleaning products all jammed into a deep, dark space – with the one item you need always hiding away in the back corner – try an under-sink drawer option instead.
A set of under-sink drawers are probably the most popular drawers with my clients. They jump for joy when I show them how we can make a U-shaped drawer that fits around the plumbing pipes under their sink, giving them an easy-to-organise and easy-to-assess space to store all their cleaning products.
Use the top drawer to store washing up liquid, hand wash and dish cloths so they’re off your bench but within easy reach. And fill the subsequent bottom drawers with less-used items like cleaning products, bin liners and scourers.
Tip: If you have young children, you can add a child safety catch to the drawers to keep all those dangerous cleaning products away from curious hands.
8. Corner drawers
Most of my clients cringe when they think about their current corner cupboard, which is filled to the brim with items that haven’t seen the light of day for longer than they care to imagine.
It can be a tricky cupboard to access considering it is so deep in the corner. Most people spend their time rummaging around in the dark. These corner cupboards are best reserved for storing big items such as stand mixers, bread makers and other appliances at the back (as opposed to the cheese grater you won’t see for another six months), because they’re easily identified and generally used less often.
Store small things such as tupperware at the front where it’s narrower. Imagine pulling out a drawer and finding the tupperware container you need … and even the lid to match, within seconds!
More corner-cupboard storage solutions
Most of my clients cringe when they think about their current corner cupboard, which is filled to the brim with items that haven’t seen the light of day for longer than they care to imagine.
It can be a tricky cupboard to access considering it is so deep in the corner. Most people spend their time rummaging around in the dark. These corner cupboards are best reserved for storing big items such as stand mixers, bread makers and other appliances at the back (as opposed to the cheese grater you won’t see for another six months), because they’re easily identified and generally used less often.
Store small things such as tupperware at the front where it’s narrower. Imagine pulling out a drawer and finding the tupperware container you need … and even the lid to match, within seconds!
More corner-cupboard storage solutions
9. Appliance drawer
If you can’t fit a corner cupboard, install a deep drawer tall enough that you can store your blender, for example. If you can store these appliances already assembled, it will save you a lot of effort and time.
Tip: Lifting your small appliances out of a drawer under your benchtop will be far easier than bending down to pull them out of a deep cupboard. Try to position these appliance storage drawers under the bench space that you will use them on, to make life easier for yourself.
If you can’t fit a corner cupboard, install a deep drawer tall enough that you can store your blender, for example. If you can store these appliances already assembled, it will save you a lot of effort and time.
Tip: Lifting your small appliances out of a drawer under your benchtop will be far easier than bending down to pull them out of a deep cupboard. Try to position these appliance storage drawers under the bench space that you will use them on, to make life easier for yourself.
10. Kiddies’ drawer
The rush to get out the door in the morning, especially if you have children, can be stressful.
Make your morning easier by designating one drawer in your kitchen to each of your children. Use it to store their lunchbox, drinks bottles, favourite muesli bars, zip-lock bags for their sandwiches, spare pens and pencils and all the other bits and pieces they usually run around the house looking for at the last minute in the morning.
Not only will you know where everything is, and have it within easy reach, but you can get your children to organise themselves while you enjoy your morning coffee.
Read more:
Reduce Clutter With These 12 Genius Ideas
15 Most Popular Kitchen Storage Ideas
Tell us:If you found this story helpful, like it, bookmark it, save the photos and share your thoughts below. Join the conversation.
The rush to get out the door in the morning, especially if you have children, can be stressful.
Make your morning easier by designating one drawer in your kitchen to each of your children. Use it to store their lunchbox, drinks bottles, favourite muesli bars, zip-lock bags for their sandwiches, spare pens and pencils and all the other bits and pieces they usually run around the house looking for at the last minute in the morning.
Not only will you know where everything is, and have it within easy reach, but you can get your children to organise themselves while you enjoy your morning coffee.
Read more:
Reduce Clutter With These 12 Genius Ideas
15 Most Popular Kitchen Storage Ideas
Tell us:If you found this story helpful, like it, bookmark it, save the photos and share your thoughts below. Join the conversation.
Having a bin full of rubbish sit on the floor in the kitchen can be unsightly; it also takes up floor space, making the area look cluttered and untidy.
Incorporate a pull-out bin drawer into your new kitchen design. Depending on the plumbing arrangement, it may be possible to fit one under the sink. Otherwise, dedicate a small cabinet close to your sink. Being able to pull the bin out – as opposed to having it sit on a shelf inside a cupboard, and you having to tuck a hand full of rubbish inside – will make it easier for you to see where you are throwing your rubbish; this way none of it ends up sitting in the bottom of your cabinet.
Tip: For an even better bin drawer, look for one that has the ability to have a push-to-open mechanism attached to it. This will allow you to push against the drawer front with your hip or knee to open it when your hands are full of rubbish.
10 clever tricks to hide garbage in the kitchen