Storage space for cookware and dinnerware remains a necessity even when kitchen cabinets are not available and are not a choice — or you just don’t have enough. Craft your kitchen-storage solutions with shelves, free-standing storage racks and repurposed furniture, which also lends itself to a eclectic, creative decor style.

Bookcase Bounty

Bookcases of various sizes can serve multiple functions round the kitchen. Use a wide, tall case at a corner or place to make an integrated pantry or doorless closet to stash dishes, pots and pans. Use broken wig magnets to hold lightweight, loose things like spices and dry products. Line a wall with waist-high bookcases to make an abundance of storage space where cupboards might otherwise be installed. Use rows of backless bookcases, each set two or three deep, under a counter to make makeshift cabinets. Repurpose a counter in a salvage yard or purchase an inexpensive countertop in a home-improvement store to make the faux cabinets. If your kitchen has room for booth seats, use the back of a sturdy bookcase since the back for a bench seat, together with the open side of the bookcase as storage space for kitchen things.

Stacks on Racks

Wire rack shelving units, similar to those used in commercial kitchens, function as sturdy storage for stacks of dishes and rows of cups, mugs and glasses, all inside view and easy to access. Pick a storage rack system designed to hold a lot of weight because dishes are often very heavy; the shelving package indicates just how much weight each shelf is meant to hold. Fit pairs of shelving units with the same kinds of things on each shelf for a cohesive look; for example, dishes at waist height, pots and pans on a shelf under, and dish towels on a shelf. Use fabric storage boxes to hold lightweight or small things while adding a bit of colour and decoration. As a wire-rack alternative, use vintage stackable steel or wire crates atop the counter to put away rather lightweight things, leaving the open ends facing the space.

Sturdy Shelves

Floating shelves add an open, airy texture to a kitchen which has no or few cupboards. Select shelves designed to hold hundreds of pounds if you intend to use them for dishes and heavy products. Secure the shelves to wall studs or use wall anchors which are also ranked for heavy products. A track-based cupboard storage system allows you to customize the storage capacity to the space at hand, adding as many shelves or hanging baskets as you’d like. Metal monitors mount to wall liners; each shelf or add accessory mounts with hooks or hangers designed for the track system.

Repurposed Furniture

Unwanted or outdated furniture — like china cabinets, hutches and entertainment centres — is often offered on the cheap at yard sales and charity furniture stores. A glass cabinet, already designed to store and display dishes, which gives you an perfect way of storing dinnerware to your kitchen. Paint the piece to coincide with the kitchen’s decor, like an antiqued chippy finish designed with layers of paint, sanding through layers to show different paint colours under. Use the drawers at a hutch or china cabinet to store table linens, dish cloths, spare cutlery and cookie trays. Paint an old entertainment centre to coincide with a accent color in the kitchen, and then use it to stack dishes or home table linens in a basket or textile storage box. Add cup hooks on the undersides of premium shelves to hold teacups and coffee mugs.

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