Simple Kitchen Storage Upgrades - How We Made Our Cabinets Work Smarter

Our “Oil Drawer” and More

The old cabinet was 7 inches wide, but thanks to the bulky wood framing, the actual usable space in the drawer was only about 4 inches. After some failed attempts at storing spatulas, dishcloths, and other utensils in there, it was only useful as our infamous “oil drawer” because… well, that’s all it could fit!

Since Ikea doesn’t offer a ton of narrow cabinet options, we wondered if their 12-inch, two-tiered pullout would really be much of an improvement. But it’s been a game-changer! The top shelf is surprisingly deep, fitting oils, vinegar, cooking sprays, and small kitchen tools (can opener, peeler, citrus squeezer, etc.) all standing up, which makes it easy to grab what we need without digging around.

A lot of these items used to be spread across the three cabinets we removed to install the new door. Now, having everything in one spot makes things so much easier—no more searching through multiple drawers for one bottle or gadget.

And that’s just the beginning because the bottom tier of this pull-out cabinet is a game-changer too!