Utilize High Spaces To Maximize Storage With A Vertical Drawer Idea

Running out of storage space in the usual spots of your home? It may be time to look up. Adding vertical storage takes advantage of the lesser-used spaces closer to your ceiling. You can even add some drawers up there — vertical drawers, that is. Typical drawers in a dresser or desk slide in and out horizontally  — the bottom faces the floor, the sides are perpendicular to it, and the opening is at the top. A vertical drawer, on the other hand, flips that concept on its side. The "bottom" of the drawer is perpendicular to the floor, while the drawer's sides and front stand at right angles to the floor. 

You might be most familiar with the concept of vertical drawers in the kitchen, where you've probably seen some narrow pull-out pantries or cabinets. You might have already thought about installing a vertical drawer beside your stove to store cookie sheets and other slender items. The concept can also be useful for storing other things that should stand upright, such as your broom or vacuum. Vertical drawers are a smart solution to make the most of wasted space in high-up areas of the home. 

Similar to a swing-out garage tool storage solution, vertical drawers take advantage of what might otherwise be unused or wasted space. While some commercial tool storage solutions that incorporate vertical drawers are available, you can alternatively DIY your own. To install vertical drawers into an existing cabinet with commercial drawer slides, you'll have to take into account the cabinet's depth and width, the number of drawers you want, the size of any drawer dividers, and the installation space needed for the slides.

Alternately, create wooden drawer slides by affixing a three-sided frame between the drawer box and its cabinet's outer casing, as shown in the YouTube tutorial above. Three small holes drilled into the top and bottom of the three-sided frame, near the section that rests toward the back of the casing, receive dowels inserted through narrow slots along the cabinet casing's top and bottom. The dowels then need to be cut and sanded flush. The dowels attach the frame so that it slides along the slots. Larger wooden pegs, installed through wider slots cut along the top and bottom of the drawer boxes, attach them to the sliding frame. Those pegs are also trimmed down to be flush with the slide assembly.

The idea of vertical drawers can provide inspiration for adding additional storage closer to your ceiling. While you likely won't want to store anything too heavy overhead, unless you plan on accessing it with a step stool, you can use vertical drawers for adding additional spice, pantry, or cookbook storage at the level of your upper kitchen cabinets. You could also add vertical drawers to the space above your washing machine to store laundry supplies, or above your desk to store documents and more in the home office. 

Vertical drawers can also be used in areas lower to the ground where usual storage techniques aren't appropriate. They could provide a solution for that weird, and often wasted, space under your stairs. This creative idea could turn dead space under the stairs into smart shoe storage, or a place to house books, games, or toys. Plus, of course, vertical drawers, whether placed from floor to ceiling or anywhere in between, can add all sorts of storage solutions to keep almost any items hidden from sight for a clean and tidy home.