We would all love a big, beautiful, open kitchen with tons of cupboards and a walk-in pantry, right? Unfortunately, that’s just not the reality for everyone – so you may need to get a bit creative with your kitchen storage!

There are a lot of simple ways to maximize the space you have in your kitchen. Here are a few of our favorites!

Utilize space above cupboards

If your cupboards are the (somewhat frustrating) kind that have a gap between the top of the cupboard and the ceiling, take advantage of the extra space! Use decorative baskets or containers to store less-used kitchen items without taking up valuable cupboard space.

Invest in creative storage solutions

While we’re all for saving money, sometimes the splurge for storage solutions is totally worth it. Hit up the Container Store or a similar home storage shop for inner shelving, space saving spice racks and organizers for just about everything in your kitchen – or just pretty matching canisters and jars!

Hang your pots and pans

Hanging your pots and pans from a rack is a great way to save cupboard space, and you get to show off your cookware while you’re at it. You can hang a rack from the ceiling, or if your ceilings are too low, you can try a towel bar! Bonus: no more cluttered pots-and-pans cupboard threatening to collapse every time you need a pan (no? just me?)

Ditch the food packaging

Food boxes can take up so much extra space. Try removing food from boxes and storing it in baskets and bins instead. Get airtight canisters or jars for cereal, pasta, beans, rice, and other pantry staples, and take granola bars and individually packaged items out of their boxes and put them into snack baskets. Bonus: you can buy foods from the store in bulk in your own containers and save money (and reduce packaging waste!)

Declutter your kitchen tools

Sure, super-specific kitchen tools are fun (hello, avocado-savers and banana slicers) – but if you buy a tool for literally every use, your drawers are going to get filled fast. Same goes for appliances: you probably don’t need that snow cone machine, cake pop machine and breakfast sandwich maker.

How do you make the most of your kitchen storage? We’d love to hear your favorite tips and tricks! Make sure you’re following us on Instagram @AlmaHomes, too, for more kitchen inspiration!

Photography: Melissa Oholendt, Laura Rae Photography, Spacecrafting Photography, Sarah Olfelt Photo, Alma Homes