{photograph via marie claire maison}
Few kitchens come packaged pretty with all the storage you need (at least in the rental world.) I'm working on the storage issues for our new kitchen. Two big problems: no drawers and no base cabinets. My bakeware and pots do not have a home right now — ditto on all the kitchen tools and flatware. I'm thinking we likely need a kitchen island, but I haven't ruled out a pegboard or other funky solution — especially considering cost. Here's what I've been finding:
IKEA's Forhoja kitchen cart has a simple wood form I like — and the wheels make the island easy to move around (a definite plus in a small space.)
Stacks and Stacks has a number of affordable kitchen carts. This white rolling island with a stainless steel top is one favorite. Pots + pans can be hidden away, plus there's a drawer for stashing kitchen tools.
Another sleek option from Stacks & Stacks. I love the modern pulls on this rolling cart. JC Penney has a similar island, but I think details, like the casters, look better on this one.
We're lucky to have Muji in New York, which is like a Japanese IKEA, only better. I want to check their store to see if they still carry this kitchen cart.
I'm digging the all-stainless look of this trolley cart from Broadway Panhandler.
Before buying any cart, I definitely will take a trip down to see what they have at the restaurant supply stores in the city. Buying directly from a restaurant supply store, like Bowery Kitchen Supply, often saves money, and you can custom design the kitchen cart to the size you need and top with butcher block or stainless steel.
ReadyMade created a smart DIY island idea: put two metal file cabinets together, add paint and casters, top with wood shelves and you have a custom island. This blue color is fantastic! I actually have a start to do this, as I could re-purpose my CB2 file cabinet. But file cabinet drawers don't help with my homeless pots and pans.
Or I could go in a different direction: Love the rustic meets industrial look of this wire storage from Sundance.
And then there's the option of skipping the kitchen island entirely and hanging pots + pans off a pegboard. I love the look of pegboard — especially when it's painted a fun color. And then we have one less piece of furniture to walk around, which is definitely a plus. {image via apartment therapy the kitchn}
p.s. I'm not looking into a ceiling pot rack, which is typically a great solution, as we have 16 foot ceilings and it's a rental (so anything we put in the walls, we take out.)
If you'd like to share how you store your pots + pans and kitchen tools, feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear your ideas!
