5 clever family-friendly kitchen storage ideas that will make busy everyday life run more smoothly

Kitchens are the heart of the home - somewhere to dine, socialise, cook and just spend time with family. As such, storage and functionality are paramount to the space working for you - even more so in a busy family home. The best family friendly storage ideas will work with your household, not against it, so that you can navigate daily life in your kitchen with ease.

Alongside the layout and appliances, kitchen storage should be top of the agenda when designing your space. Thinking about how you tend to use a kitchen plus how much kitchenware and food you need to store should give you a good idea on what storage would work best. Plus, there are so many innovative storage tools on the market that will transform how the insides of your cupboards and drawers look.

We spoke to experts about the top storage solutions that will work for every member of the family so that your everyday routine can run more smoothly.

1. Create a pantry fit for breakfast time

Top of many of our kitchen wishlists, a pantry is the ultimate storage solution for a family home. When you have kids you will always want a supply of dried goods on hand for snack time and fast weeknight dinners

The latest trend for making pantries as functional as possible is turning them into an 'appliance garage'. This involves using the bottom shelf for your essential small appliances such as a kettle, toaster and coffee machine so that your breakfast routine is contained in one place - and you can close the doors on the mess.

By storing cereal and bread here too, your kids can help themselves to breakfast in the mornings, making that daily rush a little bit smoother.

If you're planning to include pantry storage, Dan Ferrari, head of kitchens at Wickes has some top tips. 'To design an efficient appliance garage, consider the placement of it in your kitchen. We recommend placing the appliance garage near the cooking and preparation areas so that your appliances are easy to access.'

'Ensure you have a varied selection of shelving and storage sections to suit different appliances. Pull-out drawers, closed cabinets of different heights, and a work surface area that is slightly deeper than the average (so that steam from a boiling kettle can rise) are suitable design choices. Automatic interior lighting and an electrical socket are also practical features to incorporate,' Dan explains.

2. Maximise space with floor to ceiling cabinets

Whether you have a small kitchen or a more spacious layout, it's entirely possible to add in large floor-to-ceiling cabinets. If you're struggling for floor space then utilising the full height of the room will add valuable space for extra crockery, small appliances and glassware.

'Flooring-to-ceiling cabinets are trending right now, both for how they look but also for the additional storage that they provide – and without needing extra floor space! The extra cabinets can be great for storing items that you might not use every day, such as baking equipment, small appliances or other items, helping to create additional space for everyday essentials. It also means you can often put appliances away so they aren’t clogging up your worktops,' explains Richard Davonport, managing director at Davonport.

3. Allow kids to tidy with deep drawers

If you're looking to maximise storage in your kitchen then drawers are often more convenient than cupboards. There is often a lot of unused space in cupboards so by opting for deep drawers instead, you can potentially double up on storage.

Not to mention if you have children placing drawers lower down will allow them to get involved with tidying up, as they won't need to reach up to access crockery. Just make sure you keep sweets stored higher up to avoid any nimble fingers.

4. Opt for internal drawers to keep danger at bay

To create additional storage in a family kitchen you might need to get your thinking cap on regarding more innovative solutions. Knowing how to organise drawers will be key to ensuring that everything has its place, and opting for internal drawers will create a safe haven for knives you want to keep away from small people.

When you open the larger drawer it's not obvious that there is a smaller one placed inside so it's a very subtle form of kitchen storage that won't impact your layout visually. You can even go one step further by purchasing a cutlery drawer organiser to ensure nothing is out of place.

5. Create a stock cupboard

There's no doubt that in a family home, food seems to vanish into thin air. The amount of ingredients and cleaning products you get through seems to be never ending, so creating a stock cupboard will prevent you from having to do multiple weekly emergency shop runs.

Keeping only what you need in cupboards, decanted into glass jars with labels will make your actual kitchen much more streamlined and tidy. Then, if you have a utility room or even an extra cupboard, store extra bottles of washing-up liquid and grains so you can easily refill the main containers. We love this kit from Amazon that makes organising simple.

FAQs

How to organise your kitchen cheaply?

It's no secret that cost of living at the moment is at an all time high, so splurging on fancy kitchen storage containers or even a revitalised kitchen layout is not top of the agenda. Combine this with a family home that requires a lot of money to keep running and it can feel like an uphill battle.

Luckily there are plenty of affordable ways to keep your kitchen organised. The best budget kitchen ideas make use of what you already own - think about any containers or baskets that you could reuse from elsewhere in your home to give your kitchen storage a new lease of life.

Alternatively, if you do want to buy some extra resources then consider making the most out of an IKEA hack. Often costing under £10, you can make use of these budget accessories to add valuable storage to countertops and inside cupboards - it's the perfect weekend project.

Are you ready to make your family kitchen clutter-free?