Popular Woodworking 2006-08 № 156, страница 47

A vertical storage rack allows easy access to just the item you need, but still maximizes storage space.

It's hard to avoid corners in most kitchen cabinetry, but that doesn't mean it's useless space. There are a number of Lazy Susan-style applications for making this dead corner useful. While many use a corner-shaped door, the one shown above with the canned goods uses a standard door and allows the storage shelves to swing into view. The variation shown above with the pans is very cool. Pots and pans not only swing into view, but extend for convenient access.

Let's start with the pantry. Most pantries are a tall, skinny open-shelving arrangement. You can stuff a whole lot of bottles, cans and boxes onto a shelf. The problem is, you can't find what you've stored without taking everything out again. Even the most obsessive-compulsive storage system will leave items stored at the back of the shelf. There are a number of pantry-organization accessories that allow you to incorporate pull-out shelves, or entire rack systems (as shown on the previous page) that let you swing out the shelving to maximize organization and accessibility.

And while we're talking about inaccessible areas in the kitchen, the corner dead space is one of my least favorites.

Lazy-Susan storage (or variations on it as shown above) has been around for a number of years. But the opportunities for maximizing use of this problematic space continue to expand.

Drawers are usually the best way to store items in a kitchen. They allow convenient access to the back of the storage space and handle small items fairly well. But when it comes to small items, organization can quickly change a junk drawer into a spice drawer. Below are just three of the many ways to maximize and organize your kitchen drawers.

The items stored in kitchens range in size from toothpicks to blenders. In general, people tend to store same-sized items in the same area. Pots and pans are a

good example. Most kitchens have some type of inefficient nesting arrangement where the largest skillet is on the bottom of the stack. If you're really organized, all the lids are stored in the same area as the pots. Because these cooking items are designed to hold food, they're essentially empty storage units themselves, making them bulky and awkward to store without take up an awful lot of valuable space. Storing "flat" items on their side takes up less space and also leaves the items easily accessible without having to unstack and restack. This not only applies to pots and pans, but dishes and cooking sheets as well. Think vertical.

As for appliances, there's a tricky balance between storing mixers, blenders

You can do dozens of things to maximize drawer storage. The spice rack at left is not only space efficient, but lets you easily see the labels on all the spices. The silverware divider trays shown at center are very space friendly, offering a top layer for the most used items, with a second layer

below. And bread boxes aren't "hip" anymore, but I'll bet you could use a bread drawer! Designed to keep things fresh and off the counter, it's a great idea.

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