Say Goodbye To Cluttered Kitchen Countertops With This DIY Storage Solution

When you cook often or have a larger household, kitchen countertops can quickly become covered with utensils, spices, and other essentials. Thankfully, there are a few easy ways to save kitchen countertop space by adding more storage options. Oftentimes, there is a lot of valuable real estate in the kitchen that's not utilized and could be transformed to hold your supplies and keep them off your counters. One easy way to do this is to use corner areas on walls that are typically left empty. There are several types of floating corner shelves that could free up some room in your kitchen, or you might even DIY your own with wood boards to get the perfect size and style. Installing a small, rectangular shelf right above your countertop can also provide some much-needed surface space.

Alternatively, you might prevent your kitchen counters from becoming cluttered by creating additional kitchen cabinet space. If the storage inside your cabinets is better utilized, you'll be able to store items from your countertop there instead. This can be done by improving organization, or even adding over-the-door storage to the inside of your cabinet door.

Installing shelves is one of the easiest ways to add more storage to your kitchen, especially if you have a lot of empty corner wall space. Simple, white floating corner shelves can be found at Home Depot for about $19 each and come with everything necessary to hang them yourself. You might install between two and four of these shelves, depending on how much room there is on the wall and how much storage you need. Your shelves could go directly beside your cabinets, or simply in the corner near your counter.

A set of two brown corner shelves ($96 at Home Depot) would provide a lot of storage space and look stylish, but are rather expensive. For those who prefer the look of wood, try DIYing your own triangular corner shelves. Start by measuring your corner and mapping out how many shelves you want and where they'll go. Cut three 1-by-2-inch boards for the structure of your shelf. Some of the ends of these pieces will need to be trimmed at an angle, so all three sides of the triangle can be flush with each other. With a thicker piece of plywood, cut out a triangle that will fit into your frame. If you'd like, paint or stain your wood before assembling the shelves. Now, you'll be able to start assembling and mounting your shelves at the same time using drywall anchors (50 for $16 at Home Depot).

With your drywall anchors, attach two of your frame pieces onto the corner of your kitchen wall. Now, screw your triangular sheet onto the mounted part of the frame. You may need to drill pocket holes into the bottom of your larger plank to make this possible. Finally, use wood glue to attach the final piece of the frame to the front of your shelf. Repeat this process until all your shelves are finished and ready to hold your spices, cookbooks, or a container of utensils.

If you don't have the space for more shelving, consider trying to use your cabinet space more efficiently. For example, utilizing the space on the inside of the door can create more room for other items in your cabinet and secretly add more storage to your kitchen. The set of two wire hanging kitchen baskets for $16 on Amazon stick to your cabinet with adhesive, making them super convenient, and you won't have to worry about the door not shutting correctly. This is a great option for storing cleaning supplies under the sink, or perhaps you could stick them to the wall above your counter to hold fresh fruit, dish towels, or jars of ingredients. For those who don't want to install a real shelf, this could be an easy alternative. If you want another option, a two-pack of these over-the-door cabinet organizers ($24 on Amazon) could keep your cutting boards or boxes of foil out of the way.