8 Built-In Organizers to Upgrade Your Kitchen Cabinets: Smart Storage

What follows is the part worth saving when a room has to function on a weekday. When we renovated our kitchen, some of the biggest game-changers weren't anything flashy or decorative – they're what's inside our cabinets. Our built-in kitchen cabinet organizers have made a huge difference in making our kitchen more functional and clutter-free.

Today I'm sharing the built-in organizers I'd absolutely choose all over again (they're that good!) along with a few others I'm eyeing for our future new build. Whether you're planning a full kitchen redo or just giving your cabinets a little facelift, these smart storage upgrades are definitely worth considering. (post includes commissionable links; see my full disclosure statement {here} for details)

Paper Towel Pull-Out

After having remodeled two kitchens with built-in paper towel holders, I would never design another without one! Getting that roll of paper towels off your countertop and tucked away (but still easy to access) is an notable clutter-buster. In our current kitchen, we chose a paper towel pull-out similar to {this one} for next to our sink:

It has a paper towel roll holder on top:

along with a spot for a spray bottle (which A strong choice is being able to keep off the counter too!):

And the bottom shelf has storage for extra paper towel rolls (enough for three large rolls).

In the kitchen of our previous home, we had a different solution with a paper towel holder built into the cabinet like this:

It included storage for several paper towel rolls behind it. Both solutions worked well for us. We don't use a ton of paper towels (I mostly clean with microfiber cloths), so to pull out a cabinet door when I need a paper towel is no big deal. But if you use a lot of paper towels, a solution like the one above where the roll is fully accessible might be a better option for you.

Double Trash Can Pullout

Another built-in kitchen storage solution that's one of my must-haves is a double trash can pullout for trash and recycling (ours is similar to {this one}):

Having had one in our last house, I really missed it in this house before we remodeled and added one in. It has a small drawer above it that we use to hold garbage bags and napkins:

A double trash pullout is actually something that you can add to an existing kitchen cabinet as a simple DIY without having to do a large redo. I converted a regular cabinet with a hinged door to this double trash pullout for my sister using {this Rev-a-Shelf solution}:

Spice Holder Pullout

For spice storage in our new kitchen, we have a narrow slide-out spice rack similar to {this one}:

It works fairly well, making it easy to access all of my spices on the top shelf (I have {these 8 oz spice jars} with {these labels}:

However, the overflow spice jars on the middle rack are a little challenging to get to and see which spice is which. We weren't able to accommodate a wider spice rack in our kitchen, but an 11″ wide pullout would have been ideal, fitting all of my spices on the top rack. I do like having the additional storage on the other racks for measuring cups, cheese grater, salt & pepper refills, etc.

I also think that having spices stored in a drawer on one of {these cut-to-size wood racks} is a great storage solution (but again, wider is better to maximize the number of spice jars you can fit):

The household has gotten questions about how I know the expiration dates for my spices when I transfer them to labeled jars, and it's pretty simple – I put one of {these stickers} on the bottom of each bottle with the expiration date (I added the “best if used by” with my printer):

Utensil Pullout

On the other side of our range, we have a utensil pullout similar to {this one}:

I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but it actually works really well for us and is an organizer I would choose again. A strong choice is that there's a ton of easy-to-access storage space for spatulas, spoons, whisks, and more:

A friend of mine has a similar pullout, except it doesn't have the narrow strips of wood at the top along both sides. Without those, the utensils can splay out to the sides and cause the pullout to get stuck when you're pushing it back in, so it's definitely something to keep in mind when choosing your specific pullout.

On the bottom shelf I added several of {these clear bins} to fit smaller utensils and kitchen gadgets:

Bakeware and Tray Dividers

Another cabinet organizing solution I added to our new kitchen is a series of {these chrome cabinet dividers}. They're a SUPER easy organizing solution for cookie sheets and cutting boards. You simply use the mounting hardware to screw them in place however far apart you prefer. I installed them in the cabinet above our refrigerator in our current home and in this lower cabinet in our previous home:

If you prefer a pullout organizer, {this bakeware organizer} is another great solution.

Two-Tier Cookware Organizer

One of the cabinet organizers that The household has never tried out before but am thinking about for our new build is {this two-tier cookware organizer}. The bottom tier typically holds larger pots and pans, while the top tier is well suited to lids, saucepans, or smaller cookware. It's a really smart use of vertical space that often goes wasted:

Appliance Lift

I'm also super intrigued by {this built-in appliance lift} that's used to lift an appliance (most commonly a mixer) from the bottom of the cabinet to countertop level:

I'm considering it for our new house to use with our air fryer, which is one of my most-used appliances. The one big negative is it does take up the ENTIRE cabinet, so it's only a good idea if you have ample kitchen storage.

Towel Bar Pullout

One last cabinet organizer that I'm intrigued by for our new home is {this narrow towel bar pullout} that has adjustable bars for hanging kitchen towels:

I'm just not sure whether it's a good idea to put damp towels in an enclosed space. I'd love to hear from any of you who have tried out this organizer in your own home!

It would help if you are taking away a few helpful approaches for making your kitchen cabinets work smarter, not harder! If you've tried any of these (or have the preferred I didn't mention), definitely share it with the rest of us in a note! And if you missed any of these past posts, be sure to check them out for more kitchen redo inspo:

Kitchen Drawer Organizer Approaches

Our Kitchen redo Reveal

Our New Kitchen Coffee Bar

10 Kitchen redo Approaches

XO,