I’ve not been feeling so good these last couple of days so in my flu induced state I bring you a post that I originally wrote for the lovely site How Does She. Enjoy!
Are you feeling a little cramped for space? How would you like to literally double the amount of space you have in your cupboards? Here are some ideas using inexpensive wire shelves that will help you do just that. These shelves can be purchased at most department stores and I’ve noticed that the dollar store in my area has even started selling them.
Add a Shelf
They can be used in cupboards as an extra shelf for dishes or even in your pantry for your cans and other non-perishables.
Another neat trick is to use them in deep bookshelves to create two rows of books and still be able to see what you have in behind that first row. If you find they are too tall you can always cut them down to fit. You may find it necessary to put a simple piece of poster board on top to keep the books from falling through.
Add a Drawer
In one of my bathrooms I don’t have any drawers, so adding these pull out wire shelves increases my bathroom space greatly. I’ve added some dollar store baskets to the shelves to further help me keep items sorted and organized.
Go Vertical
I also really love these wire dividers that work wonderfully to organize cake pans, pie plates and cookie sheets. Rather than having everything all stacked up on one another, storing them vertically like this makes it super easy to grab what you need.
Avoid Piles
Similarly I also use one of these dividers in my office to separate my notebooks and other papers. This is a terrific way to avoid piling which usually only leads to buried papers that are hard to find. No more piles!
And my latest one that I just recently purchased to help me corral my hair dryer and flat iron. It’s attached to the inside door on the cupboard underneath the bathroom sink. It’s not 100% ideal but it’s working for now until my oh so coveted Styling Station becomes available for purchase 🙂
Do you think any of these ideas would work for some of your trouble clutter spots?
Bibi says
I love wire shelf and dividers. I bought all different sizes in Ikea few years ago and I use them everywhere. Now I have my eyes on under the sink dividers. I think that’s the last area in my kitchen that doesn’t have any and could use some.
Christine says
What a great idea! I never thought of using a wire rack with the dishes!
AndreaH says
Laura, Love your posts! Do you see adding a feature to your site that would make printing your posts friendly? I would love that!
Angie says
Terrific ideas…I love the styling station! All 3 of my bathrooms have no drawers! I think that houses should only be designed by women instead of contractors that just throw whatever in each of the rooms!!
I hope you are feeling better soon! Angie xo
Shanna says
I love your ideas! I am currently working on one project a night after I get home from work to keep things moving but also to not feel overwhelmed. Plus once the one thing gets completed I feel so accomplished but not worked to death! I love your blog! Today I posted my before and after pictures of my pantry it was a mess! I like your rack ideas and I am going to try that for my cabinet underneath my kitchen sink.
Katie says
I found a bunch of these at a garage sale last fall and completely transformed my pantry and laundry room cabinets with them. Love it!
AlexisAnne says
I don’t know why this never occured to me before! I have been wanting to add another shelf to my closet for ages for a similar problem- but now I want to do something like this in my bathrooms and my kitchens as well. Thanks for the great tip!
Alicia says
I need to use the bathroom idea for my hair dryer until the styling station comes out! I just went to the website and signed up to receive notification for when it comes out. So clever! I also LOVE the idea of lifting books up in the back of the shelve so you can use a double layer. That’s great! Thank you!!!
another Nancy says
Before I decluttered my book collection I used recycled half-gallon milk cartons as “shelves” to double my paperbook book storage as you demonstrated above. The cartons were the perfect size, and they were free! 🙂
Lisa J says
I’m liking the wire shelves to stack dished and pantry items. My pantry badly needs an overhaul, so i will definitely be checking out my dollar store next week! Thanks for the suggestions.
Faerie says
Oh what a fab idea with the dishes and pans! Never would have thought of that! Thank you!
jen says
I love these ideas! We just moved into a brand new house with plenty of cabinet space, but I am going to purchase a few wire shelves and dividers to make things more accessible. Thanks for this reminder.
Living the Balanced Life says
Laura,
I have used the shelves in my dish cabinet for so long I forget that they are there! I like the divider you have for your office. May have to try that, as I am a Pile-r by nature. I also want the said styling sattion once they are available!
Bernice
How to reach the finish line
Martha (MM) says
Great ideas Laura, I love those stackable shelves that double our space instantly. Sure hope you are feeling better soon!
Kristen says
I LOVE the avoiding piles idea! Thanks so much for sharing and I hope you feel better soon!
Juleen Kenney says
Any news on when that Styling Station will be available? I’m eagerly waiting for it!
ter@waaoms says
I use one of those vertical racks which we bought when we lived in the apartment. In our house, it doesn’t fit in these cupboards, so I have it in my pantry. Still works though I’d love it more if it were in the cupboards. I definitely need the under sink storage in my kitchen. It’s really nasty under there!
april says
I actually use the wire shelves in my kitchen. I have just 2 cabinets in there, one holds spices and stuff we use alot and that just leaves one cabinet i can cram my dishes in. I can get all my plates, bowls, saucers and coffee cups on one shelf now using 2 of them!
Stephanie says
I wish that my kitchen cupboards were big enough for these types of shelf things 🙁
Alyssa says
Where’d you get the wire shelves?
Rebecca C says
Wire shelves under the bathroom sink, why did I never think of that? Wow! That will make a HUGE difference.
Also, some of the books on the shelf are very familiar pony books from my childhood. I still <3 'em.
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I need one of those baskets for my hairdryer and straightener. I’m so sick of the cords being everywhere!
Tiffani says
We don’t have an easily accessible IKEA. Where are other good sources of wire shelves like these?
Laura says
Almost all of my wire shelves come from the dollar store.
Sharon O'Donnal says
I have been using wire shelving in my kitchen for years. Another use for the wire shelves, if it has legs that are connected, or stackable, is to turn it upside down, and use it for a book shelf. The “legs” act as book ends. I also use it upside down to corral my laundry products on top of my washer.