This Year's Top Storage Options for Kitchen and Bathroom Design

Are you in the market for a kitchen or bath remodel? If you feel these rooms in your home are underperforming or are outdated, then a home renovation can fix this. While you want a kitchen or bathroom design that is functional and aesthetic, it’s also important to embrace the latest trends and innovations to enhance your lifestyle.

Kitchen design and bathroom remodeling trends have moved towards multifunctional spaces, as homeowners are looking for kitchens to live in and relaxing bathrooms. You need to be able to entertain as well as cook a quiet dinner for one in a highly efficient kitchen design. Bathrooms should be havens to retreat to as well as places where you can get ready for the day with ease.

Storage is a vital element of both kitchen and bath designs. Your storage solutions are a key element that influences the style of your kitchen or bathroom remodel, and so should be considered at the planning stage of your renovation. Custom storage allows you to maximize every inch of your remodel and keep your space clear, so you have a stylish, clean canvas to work from when putting the finishing touches on your design. What are this year’s best storage solutions for kitchen and bath design? Read on to find out.

1. Create More Kitchen Space with a Pantry

Why not incorporate a pantry into your kitchen design? They are more important than ever in a kitchen remodel as homeowners want effective storage without overwhelming their kitchen design. You can create a modest sized pantry in a section of your kitchen cabinets or within a converted alcove in your kitchen. This designated space can contain food supplies and rarely used kitchenware to leave the rest of your kitchen design footprint available to reach its full potential.

The ultimate pantry is a walk-in adjacent to your kitchen design. You can install an extra refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, sink, and countertop for extra storage and efficiency when entertaining. The right storage solutions mean any sized pantry is functional and stylish.

Make the most of every inch by incorporating slide-out vertical racks and pull-out shelving. Deep drawers are great for storing tall containers or stacking cans. Place rarely used appliances and tableware on high shelves so regularly used items are easily accessible. If you’re a baker, consider placing all your baking equipment on a cart that can be wheeled out to your kitchen when needed.

2. Make a Design Feature of Your Storage

Open storage is a stylish way of organizing and displaying a selection of the contents of your kitchen or bathroom design. As well as keeping things neatly arranged, open storage solutions bring personality and interest to any area of your home. Shelving opens up a wall that could otherwise appear heavy with cabinetry. It does have to be cleaned regularly to look its best, though. Glass-fronted storage isn’t quite the same, but it is easier to maintain than open shelves as you can display and protect contents from dust.

How do you get the most out of open storage? It’s important to put thought into how you arrange the contents. Don’t place every item side by side. Instead, group a few items together, placing the smallest at the front. Any very large pieces can be left on their own for balance.

Use containers to keep items organized on an open shelf, and make sure your containers fit the style of your kitchen or bath design. A glass mason jar would blend in anywhere, but a wicker basket might clash with an industrial style bath design. Think outside the box when it comes to the containers you’ll be displaying. Why not use a lone china mug to hold toothbrushes on your bathroom vanity instead of hiding it at the back of a kitchen cabinet?

Choose a style of open storage that suits your look. Niche storage is excellent for a small or streamlined space but fits any bathroom or kitchen design in a shower, near a bathtub, or behind a cooking area. Make sure to factor in open storage solutions at the design stage. Corner shelves, cabinet tops, counters, windowsills, hooks, rails, trays, carts, caddies and custom units are all great open storage options.

3. Incorporate Interesting Accents into Your Room

When it comes to shelving, hardware, and containers, there’s a wide range of materials to choose from, each capable of transforming your kitchen or bath design. Stainless steel, wood or glass all bring different qualities to a kitchen or bathroom and enhance your chosen style.

This year is all about having warm, characterful accents in kitchen and bath design. Wood is the ideal way to do this, bringing warm tones and texture to any space in your home. A clean, white bath design feels like a spa with the addition of rich wood cabinets or shelving. Beading and carving is also making a comeback as a way of bringing texture to wooden storage. You could also embrace this year’s lighter tones with honey or bleached wood for a brighter feel.

Metal accents are bigger than ever so why not try brass cabinet hardware or display copper pans from ceiling racks? Introduce pattern and texture with accent tiles within your niche storage compartments. Whatever type of accents you choose, ensure they work together. As with shelf contents, there should be a general theme to your accent materials to keep your design feeling cohesive.

4. Streamline Your Kitchen or Bath Design

Floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall cabinets have become a popular look in 2021. They’re especially suited to a minimalist kitchen remodel or zen style bath design, but they provide any room with a vast amount of storage space and their clean lines work with any style. Even a small kitchen or bath remodel can have a wall of sleek cabinetry that is functional and aesthetic.

If you want to go all out with this sleek look, include handleless cabinet doors that can be pushed open, or consider recessed handles as an option. If you go for the handless look bear in mind that this may add to your budget, due to the mechanisms incorporated for push open doors. Recessed handles won’t disrupt the flow of your design too much and can be made into a feature if you choose interesting materials, adding depth, color, and texture. As your streamlined wall-to-wall cabinetry will be a main focal point of your kitchen design, all elements must be of the highest quality possible. The result is a calm, decluttered design that embodies the latest in storage solution trends and defines your room’s aesthetic with the cabinet style, color, and texture.

5. Increase Your Kitchen Storage and Wow Factor

There’s no doubt that kitchens sell houses and having a stylish island is a big part of that. They provide workspace and storage while giving a focus to any kitchen. As kitchen design has become more open plan and multifunctional, islands are more important than ever.

In a spacious kitchen remodel, it has become more popular to introduce a second island. The same way that a double vanity upgrades a bath design, this glamorous yet practical solution takes up floor space but declutters and increases efficiency in your kitchen layout. Instead of allocating everything to both islands, keep them both job specific. One could be a place to work and the other to play! Keep all food prep equipment, from recipe books to a sink at one. Then the other can be a place to dine and entertain with candles, flowers, and drawers for devices to charge in. The more functions you give your islands, the less furniture and appliances you’ll need elsewhere in your kitchen design. You may not even need a dining table, and you can incorporate a dishwasher, refrigerator, beverage station, or a pet’s feeding station into one of the islands.

A custom-built island caters for your specific requirements. If two islands do not suit your kitchen design layout, then consider one larger or perhaps a T-shaped island that still allows space for multi-purpose use in a busy kitchen. Your island cabinetry helps define your rooms style, as you can have island cabinets blend with your perimeter cabinets or differ for a pop of color.

6. Prioritize the Flow of Your Design

This year’s storage styles favor clean lines and a sleek appearance. No matter how chaotic your day gets, it’s possible to put everything behind closed cabinet doors and restore a feeling of calmness to your kitchen. Any large appliances that interrupt the flow can be integrated into cabinetry with matching doors. Vanity cabinets can be extended into a bank of cabinets or a second vanity for a smooth and stylish bath design that offers plenty of storage.

Internal storage solutions can be tailor made for your requirements. Bathroom vanities and pantry or island cabinets can all be compartmentalized and equipped to store and charge everything from cotton balls to laptops. No longer will you have to find a space for a hairdryer or a hand blender. Electrical items can be powered within their storage compartments with built-in electrical outlets. Appliance garages or beverage bars can also conceal their contents on countertops with pull down, sliding or swing-out doors. Enclose clever internal storage solutions with a minimalist exterior to let your kitchen and bath remodel remain clean and clutter free and to showcase the room’s style and beautiful design features.

The latest storage solutions are easy to maintain and stylish enough to complement any kitchen or bath remodel. The days of pushing everything into a cabinet or lining things up on a dusty shelf are long gone. Storage should be clever enough to organize clutter, sleek enough to hide it, and organized enough that you can find what you need at a moment’s notice.

Homeowners want to incorporate open storage in a practical and aesthetic way that brings visual interest to a design. When planning a remodel, our bath and kitchen design experts can maximize your storage potential without compromising on style. Contact us at Woodmaster Kitchens today to embark on the ultimate remodel for your kitchen or bath.