Alternatively you can stow away your plates in deep drawers (a great solution if your space lacks upper cabinets).
PLATE STORAGE
In a drawers, those fit between the larger plates, whereas in a cabinet you can't do that! It also made it easier to access these smaller plates and bowls more easily, because you just pull out the drawer and voilà! Plates in drawers make it easier to access!
This is particularly important when organizing formal dishware, where a maximum of 12 dinner plates is a good rule of thumb. Lighter dishes can go higher. Invest in appropriate dividers and buffers to keep the dishes from sliding and chipping when you're opening and closing the drawer.
Plates, glasses and other dinnerware are most often stored near the dishwasher. Spices should be stored near a prep area, but not too close to the stove or oven as heat can destroy their flavor.
Keep Dishes Tidy with Pegs
For stacks of items that could shift inside a drawer, like bowls or a tall stack of plates, a peg board system can help to secure everything in a tidier fashion.
They can be home to a variety of kitchen essentials. 'Items such as cooking appliances, frying pans, utensils and crockery are great for keeping in drawers,' says Alex Main, Director of The Main Company.
Dish Storage on Open Shelves
Open storage ensures an easy reach for often-used dishware. Reserve lower shelves for items used daily, such as plates and bowls, and upper shelves for larger serving pieces used only on special occasions.
Store dishes on a bookcase
Bookcases are the casual cousin to a fancy glass-paneled china cabinet. A multi-shelf bookcase can easily hold an entire collection of dinnerware, plus extra items like cookbooks, jars of cooking ingredients, and a cutting board.
Plate depth is not an issue. The average deep bottom drawer is 20 inches deep versus an upper cabinet depth of 10.5 inches. Many plates are 10.5 inches or larger in diameter and so are challenging to fit within a standard size upper cabinet.
Put everyday dishes on lower shelves.
Keep your daily dishes within easy reach on lower shelves in your cabinets. Insert sliding shelf organizers or cabinet risers to make accessing them even easier. Or organize your plates in an upright rack so you can quickly grab them from the cabinet.
In our experience, drawers work well within a pantry system when they are lower and can be useful for storing oils and sauces which can often get hidden on shelving. But they are not very suitable for foods that you use every day.
In general, drawers for base cabinets offer maximum use of space and are better at keeping cookware, dishes, and even pots and pans in place. Deep drawers offer the ideal space to keep these items organized and secure.
Standard drawers and rails can support between 20 – 100 lbs. of weight. Shelves with steel grade rails can hold 100 – 200 lbs.
A zoned kitchen is an efficient kitchen. Put things where they'll be in easy reach when you need them. Cooking supplies should be near the stove, mugs go above your coffee machine, and food prep items should be stored near a clear stretch of counter space.
Place plates on their sides and nest like-sized pieces together to reduce impact when moving. Place glasses and cups rim down. Line the interior of cups and glasses with padding. Small items can be nested inside larger, sturdier pieces, but both pieces must be individually wrapped for protection.
There are some undeniable advantages to this: the airy feel, lots of room for windows — and also some undeniable disadvantages: the loss of storage, the prospect of bending down to get everything you need.
You spend enough time in the kitchen as it is, so why not make it as stylish as possible? Decorating above your cabinets is a great way to showcase favorite items and keep the supplies you need within reach.
Decorating the top of kitchen cabinets is an easy way to add some flair to your kitchen while filling in the empty gap between the top of your kitchen cabinets and the ceiling, an often neglected area that can look a little awkward or simply lacking when left bare.
Kitchen drawers instead of cabinet doors means eliminating hassle and time wasted looking for things. No digging around in cabinet shelves to find something.
A cabinet with a three-drawer stack is especially effective, with a smaller top drawer and two larger lower drawers. Top drawers are usually for utensils, silverware, and smaller items.
A junk drawer or junkdrawer is a drawer used for storing small, miscellaneous, occasionally useful objects of little to no (or unclear) monetary value, and possibly significant sentimental value.