Ah…storage…the one thing that we all struggle with. The problem is not always the same. Sometimes it’s the lack of space that makes it impossible to have enough storage in the kitchen and other times it’s a matter of organization or lack thereof. In any case, it’s always fun and useful to explore new ideas, designs and strategies and to find ways to customize and to adapt them so they suit your own style. Some of the ideas showcased below could give you some inspiration.

Fancy adding some greenery to your kitchen? You could set up an herb garden similar to this one. You can install a few open shelves and use the ones that you already have.

For those areas where a kitchen counter is not needed, you can add more storage an extend the shelves, drawers and everything else.

There are a lot of cool ways to incorporate storage into the kitchen island. For example, this one has a planter built into the countertop as well as some stylish open modules underneath.

Make use of pull-out shelves to easily access everything inside your kitchen cabinets or island. It’s very practical and very convenient and you can combine this form of storage with others as needed.

One way to maximize the storage capacity of your kitchen is to make use of the backsplash. You can add some narrow open shelves in this general area without sacrificing counter space.

The open shelves on kitchen islands are great both if you want to store things on them or to display some items. The second option is especially useful if the island doubles as a divider between the kitchen and the living room for example.

Another clever idea is to integrate a wine rack into the kitchen island. This way it won’t take up space on your counter or your walls and it will be easily accessible.

You can add shelves to the back of a kitchen unit that’s facing another space in the context of an open floor plan. Even if the shelves are shallow or small you can still use them in lots of interesting and practical ways.

Glass-front cabinets are nice if you want your kitchen to look open and airy. You can pair these with pretty much any style and there are lots of different ways to incorporate them into a kitchen.

A combination of several different storage systems is usually the best option.You could have tall wall units, open shelves, wall-mounted cupboards, drawers, cubbies and so on, all harmoniously integrated into a stylish kitchen design.

A combination of clear and frosted glass could look pretty cool. The transparent sections could have built-in accent lights.

Here’s another cool example showing how you can make use of the backsplash if you want to add more storage to your kitchen. Although pretty small, these shelves can be very handy.

Keep the things that you use most often easily accessible. For example, keep your usual spices close to the cooking area along with some utensils. You could store them like this.

Add beds of LED lights to the underside of the kitchen cabinets as well as inside the cabinets if you think they’d look cool. They could also be very practical.

You can mix and match different types of storage modules in lots of different ways based both on how practical the result is but also based on looks and aesthetics alone.

Kitchen islands can be packed with lots of useful things including plenty of storage. You can squeeze in a few shelves or cubbies on the sides for things like cooking books, plates, oven mittens and other such items.

It’s also possible to have some sort of storage system built into the countertop of the kitchen. It’s a rather permanent solution so keep that in mind for future renovations.

You can also maximize your kitchen’s overall functionality with multipurpose furniture pieces such as an island that serves as a cooking or prep station but also as a bar or as a breakfast table.