60 Kitchen Cabinet Organization Ideas That Look Sharp (2024)

Organizing

Kitchen Organization

Kristin Hohenadel

Kristin Hohenadel has written on design for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Slate, Fast Company, and the international editions of Elle Decor.

Learn more about The Spruce'sEditorial Process

Published on 06/08/23

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60 Kitchen Cabinet Organization Ideas That Look Sharp (2)

These days kitchen cabinets come in all shapes and sizes, from classic uppers and lowers to glass-front cabinetry, a bank of lower cabinets with open shelving on top, and standalone pieces like vintage china cabinets. But stocked to the brim with gadgets, appliances, dishes, pots, pans, serving platters, and more, your kitchen cabinets can soon turn into a chaotic mess that can lead to overwhelm and shame spirals.

Whether you have a small kitchen with limited cabinet space or more space than you know what to do with, these clever and stylish kitchen cabinet organization ideas will help you get your house in order and keep it that way.

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Pull-Out Cabinet Storage

Emily Henderson Design made this bank of lower cabinetry in front of a large window by the multi-burner stovetop extra functional with a mix of closed cabinets, drawers, and pull-out drawers and bins. They're easy to manipulate when you've got more than one pot on the stove and need to grab essentials without cluttering up the countertop.
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All-White Cabinet

Stick to an all-white kitchen with simple white dishware and clear glassware and you never have to worry about things not matching when something breaks or gets replaced. Just group your everyday items by type, give each type a shelf, and call it a day, like these glass-front cabinets from Thistlewood Farms.
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Kids Dishes Cabinet

Mika Perry used labeled pull-out drawers in a lower kitchen cabinet to keep kids' plates, cups, bowls, and reusable water bottles organized and easy to find.
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Sheet Pan Storage

If you're an avid baker, keeping on top of supplies and bakeware can be a challenge. This dedicated storage cabinet from Bakes & Kropp has a pull-out drawer and upright storage that allows you to organize all those sheet pans, baking trays, and muffin tins like file folders, easy to see and grab without a lot of noise or fuss.
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Appliance Cabinet

If you use your mixer and your blender on the regular but don't like the look of them cluttering up your countertops, consider creating a designated spot to store them. In this kitchen designed by Julie Rose for Velinda Hellen Design, a dedicated appliances cabinet with a door that folds up and out of the away when open sits right on the countertop, allowing easy access to the mixer and the blender, and can be hidden away when not in use.
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Glass-Front Cabinetry

While some people resist glass-front or open shelving in a kitchen out of fear that it will look untidy, blogger Liz Marie took an opposite approach, renovating her farmhouse kitchen to include countertop-to-ceiling glass-front cabinetry that she says encourages her to keep things tidy and neatly arranged since it's all out in the open. The cabinets are styled into vignettes and despite the large quantity of items the kitchen doesn't feel overwhelming since everything adheres to a neutral white palette and farmhouse style.
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Jewel Box Dish Cabinet

This kitchen display cabinet from Melinda Kelson O'Connor Architecture & Interiors is backed with fabric and lit like a jewel box, making a stylish argument for showcasing everyday dishware rather than filling your kitchen with decorative tchotchkes.
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Oven Cabinet

While most people grow numb to the sight of an oven, which tends to fade into the woodwork, for minimalists who want to maintain a streamlined look or rarely use the oven, anything is possible. In this spacious kitchen from Emily Henderson Design, the double wall ovens can be hidden away by pocket doors when not in use.
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Microwave Cabinet

Nobody wants to look at a microwave. Keep it out of sight when not in use by hiding it behind a cabinet like Amy Leferink of Interior Impressions.
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Built-In Island Cabinets

Adding cabinets to the kitchen island will maximize storage space. This kitchen from Mendelson Group includes two open cabinets for wine storage that are painted bright green to make them both functional and decorative.
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Corner Cabinet Storage

Corner cabinetry can be tricky to access, ending up in wasted space or forgotten items. This two-tiered slide-out system from Bakes & Kropp ensures that you can take advantage of the extra space to store large pots and cookware, and easily access it and put it away to keep your kitchen looking organized.
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Colored Drinkware Cabinet

Mary Patton Design grouped colorful glassware together on upper shelving according to how often they are used.
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Dowel Dishware Storage

Emily Henderson Design stored a large set of matching white dishware in pull-out drawers that include upright dowels that keep everything in place as you go in and out, a good solution for those who don't have the space for upper cabinetry or prefer a more minimalist look.
These Minimalist-Approved Amazon Essentials Will Get Your Home in Order
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See Also
41 Genius Small Kitchen Storage and Organization Ideas How to organize a kitchen – a simple guide to clear the clutter The Ultimate Guide To Organizing Your Kitchen Organizing a kitchen – 21 tricks organizers use to keep order
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Semi-Opaque Glass Cabinet

Mary Patton Design chose semi-opaque cabinet doors that allow for a peek at the contents, adding color while making things easy to locate.
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Hardwood Dishware Cabinet

This lovely hardwood kitchen cabinet from deVOL Kitchens was built to last forever. The neutral dishware and serving pieces are casually stacked according to tone. The shelves themselves aren't overly deep or over-packed so that you can see everything in the blink of an eye.
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Espresso Maker Cabinet

Marie Flanigan Interiors turned some of the cabinetry in this spacious kitchen into a home for the espresso bar, which can be accessed and hidden away in the time it takes to down a shot of caffeine.
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Breakfast Station Cabinet

When both of the cabinet doors are open in this space from Marie Flanigan Interiors, the espresso cabinet turns into a full-fledged breakfast bar cabinet for leisurely weekend mornings or when guests are in town so that they can help themselves.
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Display Cabinets

Kristen Elizabeth Design included a mix of closed white storage cabinets and black-framed, glass-front display cabinetry in the kitchen and adjacent mini bar of this neutral-toned space to create a sense of cohesion. Styled here with decorative objects, the display cabinets give visual cues to help you remember where you stored things. Or you can use them to display rarely used items that are pretty to look at, like excess vases or cake stands.
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Pull-Out Organizer

This cookware storage insert from Bakes & Kropp makes it easy to access pots and pans. Be sure to store your most-used items at the front for maximum efficiency.
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Doorless Cabinets

Even painted white, a wall of cabinetry can make your space feel closed in and can make remembering where everything is a challenge when you've got an abundance of storage. Amber McCullough Design chose to leave some upper and lower cabinets open, replacing doors with visible storage. Baskets and pull-out drawers help keep everything in order.
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Spice Rack Cabinet

This pull-out spice rack drawer from Bakes & Kropp is located right next to the stove, keeping everything visible and accessible rather than packed into the small cabinet above.
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Hot Drinks Cabinet

You don't have to have a fancy espresso machine to set up a dedicated hot drinks cabinet with your coffee pot, storage for mugs and teapots, and a stash of coffee and tea, like this pocket door cabinet from Emily Henderson Design.
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Striped Inside Cabinet

Painter's tape and a sample paint pot turned the back of these plain white cabinets from Thistlewood Farms into a striped affair, a fun little DIY project that also helps to make the dishware stand out so that everything is easy to see.
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Home Bar Cabinet

Emily Henderson Design added a slim integrated home bar into this wall of cabinets that is equipped with small wine fridge, a countertop for holding bottles and preparing drinks, and open shelving to stock varying types of glassware for everyone's favorite co*cktail.
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Cabinets + Open Shelves

Marie Flanigan Interiors mixed closed cabinets on the bottom with open shelving on top, a popular choice that can help you to keep your kitchen feeling light and airy while keeping essentials at hand. If you want yours to look as tidy and well styled as these, stick to neutral tones and group like items together, starting with the most-used items on the bottom shelf.
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Under-Counter Cabinet

Emily Henderson Design stored this pantry microwave in an under-counter cabinet beneath the coffee bars. Fold-away doors make it easy to leave open or hide away depending on how much you dislike looking at the microwave.
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Add-On Cabinet

If you don't have space for a block of upper cabinetry or it would ruin the vibe you're after, take inspiration from Leanne Ford Interiors. This bright remodeled kitchen mixes modern finishes and vintage pieces to give it timeless charm. A glass-front cabinet mounted on the end of the kitchen countertop and painted white to match the rest of the space adds a charming spontaneous feel and keeps everyday dishware in sight. Wall-mounted shelving that matches the butcher block countertops makes the standalone piece feel built-in.
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Kitchen Bar Cabinet

This kitchen corner home bar designed by Velinda Hellen for Emily Henderson Design includes a wine fridge and lower cabinet and drawer for storage, plus open shelving to house glassware and a tray of favorite bottles on the countertop for easy access.
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Breakfast Station Pantry

Emily Henderson Design set up a breakfast station stocked with cereal, bagels, a coffee maker, and a toaster for a family who knows what it likes. This setup is perfect for families on the go or kids who are old enough to make their own breakfasts without needing help or supervision.
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Cabinet Storage Bins

Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona created dedicated baking shelves in a cabinet to the right of the oven that needed to accommodate tall1-gallon containers to decant supplies like a whole bag of flour for convenience.
"I found the best way to maximize the depth ofa typical shelf was to lay these containers on their side and label the covers," Carmona writes on her blog. "If I stood them upright I could only fit six back-to-front containers. Then you can’t see what is behind each container, and you had to movethings to get to the ones behind it. In this way I squeezed in an additional three containers and can easily see what I have."
See Also
10 Expert Kitchen Organization Ideas for a More Beautiful, Functional Cook Space
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Cabinet Door Storage

A door organizer on the back of the breakfast station cabinet door from Emily Henderson Design stores extra pantry items so that no square inch of space goes unused. Shallow open shelving makes it easy to know when you're running low on staples.
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Serving Platter Cabinet

This vintage butler's pantry from My 100-Year-Old Home has curvy wooden shelving inside of a wooden cabinet that stores a lifetime collection of serving plates all stacked together on pull-out shelves.
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Reeded Glass Doors

Reeded glass adds texture to glass-front cabinet doors, rendering them less transparent while retaining a glimpse of what's inside (and lightening up the upper half of your walls), like this London kitchen from Emilie Fournet Interiors.
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Pull-Out Pantry Cabinet

Tina Ramchandani Creative added a narrow pantry cabinet to this renovated kitchen that includes pull-out glass-front drawers that keep everything visible and easy to access.
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Integrated Cabinet Light

Tina Ramchandani Creative added LED backlighting to this cabinet that can function as a station for preparing drinks or serving appetizers or snacks. The pleasing ambient light adds a focal point to the wall of cabinetry in the open kitchen when lit up at night.
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Interior Painted Cabinet

A Beautiful Mess stacked identical white dishware neatly on three shelves in this bright kitchen. The peaco*ck color interior helps the dishes to pop and provides a fun surprise every time you open the cabinet.
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Refrigerator Drawers

Emily Henderson Design added refrigerator drawers in between the lower cabinets of this self-serve snack station that keeps drinks and snacks like yogurt and fresh fruit at the ready.
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Shallow Kitchen Cabinets

Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona swears by shallow cabinetry to keep her kitchen tidy. "If you are lucky enough to be the one designing your kitchen, consider ditching the deep cabinet pantry in favor of a shallow floor-to-ceiling cabinet pantry," she writes on her blog.
Carmona suggests that in most cases a depth of 7.5 to 11 inches is sufficient to accommodate food storage containers (hers is 7.5 inches deep, and allows her to stack two to three cans). "No more digging for what you need, and it doesn’t take up a big footprint in the kitchen."
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Cabinet With Plumbing

This coffee pantry breakfast station from Britt Design Studio has folding doors so that it can be hidden from view when necessary, and includes open shelving built around a pot filler to make it easy to fill the espresso machine for a luxurious touch. The organized storage for mugs and breakfast supplies makes the pantry functional and attractive enough to leave open.
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Drinks and Dinner Cabinet

Organizing your kitchen cabinets should help you live your best life and correspond to your lifestyle. Whittney Parkinson Design set up a grab-and-go dinner station with a wine fridge, countertop for slicing bread, and glass-front cabinetry that houses stemware and before or after dinner co*cktail supplies on one side and a set of dishes on the other to make it easy to set the dinner table.
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Two-Tone Pantry Cabinet

Encourage yourself (and your kids) to put things away and keep them organized by making your kitchen cabinets as functional and pleasing to use as possible. One way to do this is to embrace the trend for two-tone kitchen cabinets by painting the inside of a built-in pantry in a bright contrasting color like this one from Pluck Kitchens, who have made brightly colored cabinetry a signature.
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Vintage China Cabinet

If you live in an older home or prefer to house your dishes and kitchenware in a standalone vintage or antique china cabinet, take inspiration from Leanne Ford Interiors and stack it with vintage-inspired tableware. Then decorate the top with a bunch of bushy Boston ferns—or whatever strikes your fancy—for good measure.
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Cabinet With Plate Racks

Thistlewood Farms saved space by adding old-school plate racks to the inside of glass-front kitchen cabinetry that keeps plates upright and easily accessible while looking neat and tidy.
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Contained Pantry Cabinet

If you think that life is too short to spend your time stacking dishes or alphabetizing spices, simply carve out a dedicated spot in your kitchen for whatever it is you need to store, and only buy as much stuff as will fit in your built-in pantry or dish cabinet. This space from deVOL Kitchens is painted in forest green and finished with brass guard rails on the pantry doors, providing a polished designated space to store items that isn't high maintenance but gets the job done in style.
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Ceiling-Height Cabinets

Marie Flanigan Interiors included a row of ceiling-height glass-front cabinets that store and display extra serving dishes and pitchers and cake stands so that they don't crowd the lower cabinetry full of everyday items.
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Open + Closed Storage

A Beautiful Mess ripped out the upper cabinetry in favor of wrap-around open shelving in this light and bright kitchen to give it an airy feel. The shelves are neatly styled with everything from dishware to dry goods to cookbooks, grouped together to make it user-friendly, and accented with plants. This storage choice is best for those who find styling and dusting and otherwise maintaining open shelving a stress reliever rather than a chore.
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Dog Crate Cabinet

Part of the design brief for designing this kitchen included finding a place for a dog crate, so Michelle Berwick Design sacrificed a lower kitchen cabinet to build a dog crate with room for a small dog bed, and a breathable mesh-insert door.
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Kitchen Island Cabinet

Thistlewood Farms decluttered her kitchen island cabinets, tossing half of their contents and leaving the essentials. Wire baskets keep everything tidy but easily accessible, no ongoing maintenance required.
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Cabinets + Library Ladder

A library-style sliding ladder is a stylish way to keep upper cabinets accessible, ensuring that you will use them, like this kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors.
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Arched Kitchen Cabinets

Michelle Berwick Design flanked the far wall of this open plan kitchen with a pair of arched cabinets that provide a space to display everyday items that makes them feel a little more special.
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Baking Cabinet

Breathing Room Organization + Styling organized this immaculate white baking cabinet by grouping supplies by size, starting with small items on the bottom, lining up staples in clear containers in the middle, and storing party and holiday supplies in labeled baskets on the top shelf.
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Wine Cabinet

Michelle Berwick Design outfitted this kitchen cabinet with a rack for hanging wine glasses and foldaway doors that can be left open to create a pouring and serving station that's above the wine fridge and steps away from the large standing wine rack that subs in for a wine cellar.
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Cabinet With Sliding Door

Studio Peake mixed painted closed base cabinets with wood stained, glass-front upper cabinets to store everything from mugs to canned goods, grouping like things together to keep it simple and visually interesting. Sliding glass-front doors make it convenient to access what you need, and you will never have to fight with your partner about leaving the kitchen cabinets wide open.
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Mesh Front Cabinet Doors

While many people choose open shelving to display everyday items, in this kitchen designed by Julie Rose for Velinda Hellen Design, a wall of closed storage includes a middle bank of cabinetry with semi-transparent doors (you could use mesh or textured glass) that houses everyday dishes.
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Cabinet Backsplash

Marie Flanigan Interiors added a gleaming zellige tile backsplash to the back of this kitchen breakfast cabinet that is pretty and practical to keep clean.
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Glass-Front Refrigerator

This Southern California kitchen from interior designer Rhianna Jones of Tidal Interiors includes an industrial-style back-lit, glass-front refrigerated pantry that displays healthy snacks and bottled water like a modern designer deli case.
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Custom Cabinetry

Finding Lovely commissioned a custom-built baking cabinet that includes a mixer on a stand and storage for rolling pins, baking spices, and mixing bowls.
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Cottage Style Cabinet

This standalone cabinet from deVOL Kitchens is painted in shades of blue and black and houses a collection of colorful tableware that is stacked nonchalantly for a homey, warm, cottage feel.
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Pull-Out Espresso Cabinet

Cathie Hong Interiors installed a pull-out drawer in this bank of deep kitchen cabinets that can be pulled out so the espresso machine can be used, then rolled back into place once you've had your caffeine fix.
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Cabinet + Napkin Drawer

This hardwood cabinet from deVOL Kitchens includes pull-out napkin storage below so that folded napkins can be stored right next to the tableware.