Design & DIY

Creative kitchen storage for the cottage

Creative and functional kitchen storage is always a hot design topic—at least in my world. And there’s no reason it should be any less important at the cottage. With a variety of cooks in the kitchen, some being very familiar and others not so much, it’s crucial that storage be practical and accessible.

The most fundamental storage system that seems to work for everyone is corralling objects into some form of container, such as a basket.  

 

Or why not get creative and use vintage tins that you’ve collected?

vintagetins
Photo courtesy of motherearthliving.com

You can also keep counter surfaces clear by attaching them to the wall.

tinwall
Photo courtesy of femaleways.com

Another great idea is to put a cottage collection to use. For example, if you have a great set of dishes at the cottage, use some of the serving pieces and jugs of different sizes together to store utensils. If you keep it on a tray, it’s easy to pick up and move when you need the space.

jugcollection
Photo courtesy of nancysdailydish.blogspot.ca

If you do a lot of baking or cooking at the cottage and you need to have a whole bunch of utensils at your disposal, use a trolley to contain everything. Pull together a variety of containers for an eclectic look.

trolley
Photo courtesy of nancysdailydish.blogspot.ca

Some people can’t stand the cluttered look of “stuff” on the counter. My sister is like this, but for some reason she has no problem with a massive pot drawer full of utensils that get all stuck together. Here is a great way to avoid that horrid utensil drawer.

drawercubbies
Photo courtesy of houzz.com

Cutlery is often used inside and out on a regular basis. Why not put them in mason jars inserted into a basket with handle. When it’s mealtime, grab the basket and head to the dock with it.

cutlerybasket
Photo courtesy of loveinamasonjar.com

Speaking of dock meals, trays are a necessity but they’re quite cumbersome. Try this idea using tension rods as dividers in a cabinet.

tray
Photo courtesy of bhg.com

A great idea for keeping all of your regularly used items together and accessible is re-purposing an old shutter-style door into cooking utensil central.  

shutterdoor
Photo courtesy of creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

 And one of my own personal favourite kitchen storage ideas is the vintage canister. I use mine for cookie cutters and miscellaneous baking utensils. This is not to say that I bake often, but when I do, I know exactly where to find everything!

canisters
Photo courtesy of katkag.blogspot.ca