This post is sponsored by ShelfGenie; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This past year, my goal has been to simplify and organize my home. I feel a bit like a broken record saying that, but it truly has become my mantra for all of my projects this year. With the holidays quickly approaching, it’s the perfect time to get the kitchen organized and ready for all the cooking, baking and clean up that will be going on. I was so excited to partner with ShelfGenie to add custom glide out shelving to three trouble spots in my kitchen: 1) above the refrigerator; 2) below the sink; and 3) the base cabinet where I store my pots and pans.
My experience with ShelfGenie was amazing. My designer Alan met with me for an initial consultation in my home. I showed him all of the spaces in my kitchen, and we discussed the options for shelving. He was so knowledgeable and created a design with storage solutions for those top three trouble spots. He showed me the actual design on his laptop during our initial consultation which was so helpful to visualize the shelving. A few weeks later, the ShelfGenie installer arrived and installed the custom shelving in a couple of hours.
Above the Refrigerator
When we remodeled our kitchen 7 years ago, we added a cabinet surround for the full size refrigerator. While the cabinet above the refrigerator created great storage, items in the back were difficult to reach because it is so deep. I’ll be honest, stuff got shoved back there never to be seen again (until now!). Here’s the before of the space above the refrigerator.
Before
Alan suggested custom dividers for one side of this cabinet for my cookie sheets, cutting boards and other tall thin items. He recommended a slide out shelf for the other side that would allow access to the items in the back. It’s perfect!
After
I can now store all my tall vases and pitchers on the glide out shelf (that holds up to 100 pounds!), and I have access everything even in the way, way back. You guys, the glides are so smooth, too.
My cookie sheets, baking pans and cutting boards are all within easy reach, too. The dividers are removable, so I can store larger items if I choose.
Below the Kitchen Sink
This spot was a hot mess. All of the pipes and plumbing make it a tricky space for storage. That’s where ShelfGenie is amazing because they create custom shelving that takes into consideration the unique configuration of the pipes and plumbing. We have an instant hot water tank, garbage disposal, and the usual sink pipes that had to be designed around. I also had a compost pail on the door that I wanted to move. It had fallen off a couple of times, and well, you can imagine what a mess that was.
Before
Here it is now. Big difference, right? ShelfGenie designed and installed three custom glide out shelves. All my kitchen cleaning supplies are on the left, and my compost pail is now securely located on the bottom right.
After
Below you can see the L-shaped notch out in the lower shelf making it fit perfectly around the instant hot water tank in the back of the cabinet.
I added a few inexpensive plastic bins to hold sponges and dishwasher tabs.
Base Cabinet for Pots and Pans
During my design consultation, Alan suggested that the cabinet where I stored my baking dishes would work better for storage of my pots and pans. My pots and pans had been stored in a different small base cabinet and it wasn’t working well at all. Not all of the pans fit, and they were stacked and difficult to access. There were also only two shelves.
Before
Such an amazing transformation! The three glide out shelves utilize the space so well. I can actually store all of my large frying pans, my huge wok, and all of my enamel dutch oven pots. I even have space to spare. What?!
After
Alan suggested storing my pots with the lids upside down to better use the space.
The glide out shelves are “full extension” meaning they can pull all the way out of the cabinet. No more struggling to reach the items in the back.
My new glide out shelves from ShelfGenie have been a game changer in my kitchen. I was so happy with the process from start to finish. If you would like to schedule your own free consultation with a ShelfGenie designer, CLICK HERE.
Susan
