THE STORAGE ISSUE that comes up the most in Irish kitchens? “It’s the cluttered worktop,” says kitchen designer Marie Browne. “If you did a spot check on practically any kitchen, you’re going to find a cluttered worktop.”

Our kitchens work so hard – they’re cooking, eating, entertaining and living space all wrapped into one – that it’s very easy for those little bits and bobs to build up over time. And clutter has a significant impact on our use of the kitchen, says Marie. “People don’t realise how much it disrupts the function of the kitchen.”

But here’s the good news: Improving the design of your kitchen can help you minimise mess, without adding any extra space.  

We asked Marie, a designer with Cash & Carry Kitchens, to share her professional design tips for solving the clutter conundrum – and the rest of our most frequent kitchen storage dilemmas too.  

1. First, do a stock take

The first step on the road to storage heaven, says Marie, is to know exactly what you have. “I think the first thing is to educate yourself on what you’re storing,” she says. “Some people reading this might never have emptied all their presses. Go into the kitchen, set two hours aside, take everything out of your presses. They probably need cleaning anyway!”

Chances are, there will be some things you just don’t need – and once you can see it, you can deal with it. “Throw out all your expired food, your repeat containers, your Tupperware without lids… just get rid of it. You’re not going to use it.”

Then, think about what you actually want to store. Be ruthless and have a smart system for putting things back in. As a designer, Marie works with a number of clever solutions to make the most of tricky spaces – from drawers with slip-resistant mats and pegs to keep plates and bowls safe, to pull-out spice racks that clear oils and bottles from the counter. 

“Know what actually has to go back in,” says Marie. “It can be chaotic when you’ve been living in a home for years. Things just build up.”

Keep plates, bowls and ceramic items safely in place with stylish wooden pegs. Cash & Carry Kitchens Cash & Carry Kitchens

2. Clear those cluttered worktops

Why do our worktops end up cluttered with odds and ends? Often, says Marie, it’s not because there isn’t enough worktop space – but because the rest of the kitchen isn’t organised enough. We leave things on the countertop because they don’t quite have a home anywhere else. 

To tackle this, first divide your kitchen into zones – “your cooking zone, your food storage zone, your utility zone for cleaning” – then give everything a place in the right zone.

Once you’ve done this, finding things putting them away becomes almost a “muscle memory”, says Marie. “I know that when I’m looking for any food, I’m going to the left of my kitchen.” And when you have a system, it’s easier to stay on top of it. ”If you let stuff build up over time, it’s not going to have a home.”

3. Keep like with like

Within your zones, you can make them work even harder by always keeping the same materials together. “Group like things together,” says Marie. “All glass together, all plates together, all mixing bowls. In the pantry, put all dry goods on the same shelves.” Have a snack drawer instead of leaving odds and ends around the place. (Everyone needs a snack drawer, right?)

Marie calls this a ‘one touch’ approach, because everything you need is within one movement. “I have a drawer for cooking and spices. I have a pull-out swing larder for dry goods. I have the pots and pans all next to the hob, so that I just have to reach below me. If you implement a system that is intuitive, it’s second nature to put things away because you know where they belong.”

'One-touch' solutions like a swing larder create a sense of flow in a kitchen. Cash & Carry Kitchens Cash & Carry Kitchens

4. Make your shelves work harder

“Everyone thinks, I need loads of shelving” for storage, says Marie. But the ‘one shelf fits all’ approach is an outdated one, which can actually increase confusion and clutter as items at the back get lost. How many of us have bought something in the supermarket, only to find another one hidden at the back of the press?

Instead, she suggests installing storage that is customised to your needs. “Look for solutions that work for that space. How you store cleaning supplies may be a basket on a shelf so you can take it from room to room, but to store food in the larder, a pull-out drawer lets you see all the inventory and shop accordingly.”

The reward? You’ll find you can actually fit more in. “You take one unit that’s accessorised, and that will do the job of multiple shelf units.”

Pull-out drawers mean no more forgotten tins of chickpeas at the back of the press. Cash & Carry Kitchens Cash & Carry Kitchens

5. Remember that needs can change

Don’t be afraid to acknowledge that your kitchen does different jobs at different times of year. What a family needs during the school year, for example, might be different from during the summer or even over Christmas. 

“Regularly taking stock is really important,” says Marie. “Look at what you need.”

That could mean giving priority to the things that are in heavy rotation right now – and changing as the year progresses. “My summer kitchen is a little different to my school year kitchen. During the school year I have a drawer of lunch boxes and bags – that moves up, it becomes a priority. In summer, maybe it’s beach stuff for picnics.”

6. Work on the things you can’t see

Out of sight, out of mind? Hardly. Investing in what is behind those cabinet doors is “the best money you’ll ever spend”, says Marie. “Put in the spice racks. Put in our Hettich internal drawers. It makes life so much more organised and smooth.”

And for those awkward corner cabinets? “We have a new corner accessory called the Fly Box, it’s really exciting and we’re the first retailers in Ireland to stock it. It sits on a track and comes completely out of the corner on heavy-duty hinges – so it can hold over 100kg in total.” Suddenly that hidden space is working hard for you. 

Hate rummaging around for pots and pans? Access heavy items easily with the Fly Box. Cash & Carry Kitchens Cash & Carry Kitchens

7. … And don’t worry, you can keep your junk drawer

The messy drawer? It’s OK, you can keep it, says Marie. Just make sure it’s under control. “If you need a pen, pencil drawer, if that’s going to occur anyway, put it in,” she says. “But keep it small so that you don’t overload it.”

She suggests accessorising it with a tray or dividers, so that you’re not always losing things at the back. “I have a small one and I actually put a cutlery tray in it. It’s a junk drawer, but’s in an organised junk drawer – just by putting that one storage accessory in.”