Kitchen design is more of an art than a science, with a million storage, aesthetic, and technical considerations to keep in mind at all times. A skilled kitchen designer can find a way to fit a wide range of requests into your kitchen design, but these clever additions may surprise even the most experienced designer. Read through this list of surprising kitchen design options to see if there’s any you want to discuss with your designer.
Slide-out cutting board
Anyone who cooks regularly knows the value of a good cutting board. A good sturdy, wooden cutting board can provide years, even generations, of service and make food prep infinitely easier. However, a nice wooden cutting board takes up a lot of room on a countertop, and can be unwieldy to put away and take out every time you need it. That whole problem can be circumvented with a pull-out drawer meant to hold the cutting board. If designed properly, you should be able to slide out the cutting board to use while still mounted on the drawer, then remove it for cleaning and put it back for easy storage.
Pull-out knife block
Knives are another essential kitchen tool whose storage has seen several innovations. Countertop knife blocks are the most common solution, though many now also turn to magnetic wall-mounted strips to clear up counter space. However, those strips don’t fit in with most decor and many people don’t like having exposed blades. A pull-out knife block, often made to fit in the narrow space most kitchens have between the stove and adjacent countertop, allows you to store knives vertically in a long, narrow knife block while still keeping your kitchen counter free.
Kitchen drawers with pegs for organizing dishes
Almost everyone has dealt with the frustration of digging through a cabinet trying to access the dishes you need. Even if the cabinet is impeccably organized, you still end up having to lift stacks of smaller dishes to access the dinner plates, or move teacups to the side to reach the wine glasses. Instead of dealing with that why not use long, wide drawers with built-in pegs for organizing stacks of plates, bowls, and mugs? With this design, everything is easy to see and within easy reach instead of a high cabinet.
Drawer Spice Rack
Another handy and unconventional use for drawers is to use one as a spice rack! With a custom-built horizontal rack, almost any drawer can provide far better organization and visibility than traditional cabinet racks. Design your rack to angle the spices up at a slight angle to make them easy to read.
Small Appliance Cabinet — blender, coffeemaker, can opener, mixer, maybe microwave
Small kitchen appliances like blenders, coffee machines, can openers, and mixers are necessities, but they can be unsightly on the countertop. Instead of leaving them scattered about, why not design a custom countertop-level cabinet to hold all your small appliances? If you have the room, it may even be able to hold your microwave to help contribute to a clean, open aesthetic in your kitchen.