Storage in kitchens can be very limited. With shrinking footprints, the popularity of food trucks, and the need for extra equipment such as food holding areas to keep up with to-go food services, the need for space is on the rise. Adding effective vertical storage can optimize your space, improve organization, and enhance the efficiency in the kitchen. Going up with organization helps eliminate clutter from countertops and keeps work areas more functional.
WALL-MOUNTED
If you have extra wall space outside the coolers, consider mounting sturdy shelving directly to the wall. This can be a great space for canned goods, small appliances, and dry goods. Other items such as linens or to-go containers could be stored on a large wall shelf. Be sure to know the weight capacity of the shelf you are installing before filling your shelf. Metro offers the SmartWall System, which is a unique combination of wall tracks, shelves, grids, and accessories. These systems are available in standard or medium duty, ideal for over sinks and food prep areas. The wall tracks and uprights are designed to interface with wood studs, plywood, concrete, and other suitable wall structures, so be sure to check you have the proper setup before installing one of these systems.
HANGING
Hanging utensils, pots, and pans can be a big space saver. It eliminates the need to store bulky items in cabinets or shelves and allows for easy accessibility. Pot racks can be mounted from the walls or ceilings. You can also look into getting pot racks and tiered shelving that mounts right to your stainless steel table. There are endless options for hooks and shelving combinations. Advance Tabco also makes leg-mounted pot racks that attach at knee-level to your worktable, adding another area for organization that would otherwise be left empty.
RISERS
Productivity Risers by Metro are also a great option for increasing storage space within a small footprint. These risers can be mounted to the table and can consist of shelves, girds, wire shelves, or a combination. Grids are great for hanging utensils and other smaller items you may need at your fingertips and storage baskets that attach to the grid are handy for holding smaller supplies. Adding a magnetic strip for knives also helps keep everything in one place.
LOOKING LOW
Vertical doesn’t always mean up high. For example, your stainless-steel worktable is a powerhouse tool that gets a ton of use, and the valuable real estate is typically the top of the table. Don’t clutter that part up. Look under your table. What do you see? Legs? And nothing else? Invest in a stainless-steel table that has shelves or drawers built in. The amount you can pack underneath a worktable can be amazing if done in the right way.
ROLLING CARTS
Rolling carts can also double as a workstation and storage station if you have the room. The Prep Mate cart from Metro is a great tool. The organization options are endless. Being able to store cutting boards, knives, pans, and food to prep all in one small footprint brings a huge advantage to a small space. Traditional rolling carts are also useful for storing large appliances that need to be rolled from area to area.
STAND ALONE SHELVING
Wire or plastic shelving is a no-brainer when it comes to kitchen organization. You’ll most always find rows of shelving in walk-in coolers and freezers in any commercial kitchen. While they are super common in walk-ins, they are as equally common in the main work area of the kitchen or in dry storage. Large scale shelving is great and can be very beneficial for an abundance of things. Accessories for shelving such as a can rack system can help canned goods from getting suck in the back and save linear shelving space. This also is a huge help for the first in, first out rule. Most wire or plastic shelving is very easy to assemble and can hold a lot of weight per shelf. Undercounter shelving units are also available and are great for setting up storage under standard height tables. Adding a rolling shelf to this underutilized area is a great idea for storing hard to reach items. When the item is needed, simply roll the shelf out, grab what you need, and roll the shelf back in its place.
The options are endless when it comes to vertical storage. If you have a blank wall, you can probably find a storage solution. If you have too much of a gap in your wire shelving, Metro makes these great EZ-ADD shelves that can connect to your existing shelving unit, without disassembling the entire thing. They will blend right into your existing Metro wire shelving and will add another surface that can hold up to 400 pounds.
If you are looking to add some vertical organization to your kitchen, Horizon is here to help. Whether it’s a full design, or a one-piece solution, contact us and we’ll come up with a solution together.