Service 09 of 11 · Phoenix, AZ
Kitchen Storage Solutions in Phoenix
Most kitchens do not lack storage, they lack storage at the right depth and the right height. This page covers pantry types, drawer stacks, tall cabinets and the measurements that keep a Phoenix kitchen usable, plus what the published ranges say and what to settle first.
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01Storage
What storage change makes the biggest difference?
Drawers instead of doors, at the base. A 24 in deep base cabinet with 2 doors and 1 shelf holds a stack of pots that has to be unpacked to reach the back. The same footprint as 3 drawers at 6, 9 and 12 in deep holds the same pots with 1 hand, no kneeling and no shelf diving. After that, it is vertical space. Uppers that stop at 84 in leave 1 ft of wall unused in an 8 ft kitchen, and a cabinet that runs to the ceiling adds a whole shelf. Third is the pantry. A kitchen with 24 in of food storage per person works. Below that, the counters become the pantry. Drawers are the cheapest win in the room.
02Storage
Which pantry type fits the room?
| Type | Footprint | Holds | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tall cabinet pantry | 18 to 24 in wide, 84 to 96 in tall | 6 to 8 shelves, 12 to 14 in deep | A wall with no floor space to give |
| Pull out pantry | 12 to 18 in wide, full height | Cans and boxes in 2 columns | A 12 in gap beside the refrigerator |
| Reach in closet pantry | 24 in deep, 36 to 48 in wide | 5 shelves plus floor | A hall or a wall shared with a garage |
| Walk in pantry | 5 by 5 ft minimum | 12 in deep shelves on 3 walls | New construction or a laundry conversion |
| Butler pantry | 5 by 7 ft | Counter, sink, small appliances | Between kitchen and dining |
A walk in at 5 by 5 ft with 12 in shelves holds more food than a 24 in closet, where the back shelf expires.
03Storage
How deep should shelves and drawers be?
Depth is where storage quietly fails. Base cabinets are 24 in deep, but the drawer box inside is about 21 in, and a 21 in drawer pulled out is easy to see into. Upper cabinets at 12 in deep hold plates and glasses; at 15 in they hold a dinner plate stack and a cereal box. Food shelves want 12 to 14 in. Anything past 16 in needs a pull out or it becomes a museum of old cans. Drawer height matters as much: 3 in for cutlery, 6 in for utensils and wraps, 9 in for plates, 12 in for pots, and a 15 in wide, 12 in deep drawer for a 35 qt trash can. Measure the tallest appliance before the stack is drawn.
04Storage
What do the published ranges say storage adds to a kitchen?
Cabinets take nearly 30% of a kitchen budget, so storage decisions move the total more than any finish. A national cost guide puts a minor remodel in the $10,000 to $20,000 band and a major remodel in the $20,000 to $65,000 band, and the whole job lands between $75 and $250 per square foot. Published market ranges, not a quote: the final price is set after an on-site assessment. If the boxes are sound, refacing at $4,270 to $10,200 and refinishing at $1,900 to $4,500 keep the layout and spend the money on interiors. New boxes cost more and buy depth and height that refacing cannot. A taller pantry or a deeper drawer bank is usually worth more than a door style.
05Storage
Where does storage go in a small Phoenix kitchen?
Up, and into the gaps. A cabinet above the refrigerator at 24 in deep and 12 to 18 in tall takes the once a year items. A toe kick drawer 3 to 4 in high takes sheet pans and cutting boards. A 12 in wide broom cabinet at the end of a run takes the vacuum. A 15 in deep cabinet on the wall beside the doorway holds a coffee station without stealing aisle. If the ceiling is 10 ft, uppers can stack to 108 in, but anything above 72 in needs a step stool plan. The National Kitchen and Bath Association puts work aisles at 42 in for 1 cook and 48 in for 2 (NKBA (opens in a new tab)), which caps how much storage can come out into the room.
06Air and dust
What fails in Arizona heat, dust and hard water?
Heat first. A pantry on a west facing exterior wall can run much hotter than the rest of the kitchen in July, which is fine for canned goods and bad for spices, oil, chocolate and wine. Move the food pantry off that wall, or insulate it. Garage and laundry pantries are hotter still. Dust comes with the monsoon, and open shelving in a kitchen with a slider collects it on every dish, so closed drawers and doors win here. Under the sink, hard water finds every joint, and particleboard or MDF boxes swell and stay swollen. Plywood boxes and a pull out tray that lifts out for cleaning last longer. Keep cardboard off a slab floor, where it wicks moisture under the bottom shelf.
07Timeline
Which storage mistakes waste the most money?
Deep shelves with no pull out. Blind corners with no carousel, which turn 18 in of depth into a crawl. A trash pull out placed in the only prep space. A drawer stack that collides with the dishwasher door when both are open. Uppers mounted so the top shelf sits above 72 in, which means it holds nothing anyone uses. An appliance garage that traps the toaster behind a tambour door and eats 18 in of counter. And a pantry with no light, which is the reason the back shelf stays full. Each one is a drawing error, and each one is cheap to fix before the boxes are ordered. So is a 12 in cabinet that opens into a doorway.
08Storage
How do you plan storage around how you cook?
Count the things, then place them. List the small appliances that live on the counter, measure the tallest one, and give it a landing space with a nearby outlet. NKBA recommends 24 in of landing area on one side of the sink and 18 in on the other, a prep area at least 36 in wide next to the sink, and 15 in of landing area beside the refrigerator and the oven. Keep the dishes within 1 turn of the dishwasher. Store the step stool where the tall shelves are, not in the garage. Then draw the drawer stack from the inside out, item by item, rather than picking a cabinet and hoping the contents fit. A 30 in drawer bank planned from the contents will out hold 2 cabinets chosen from a catalog page.
Kitchen Studio
Swap the finishes. Watch the kitchen change.
A design preview, not a price. Pick a finish for each part of the kitchen, drag the line to compare, then send your picks with your project.
094 questions
Questions people ask
Still have a question? Call (747) 243-2089 and describe the kitchen.
01Is a walk in pantry worth the floor space?
In a kitchen over 150 sq ft, usually yes. A 5 by 5 ft pantry costs 25 sq ft of floor and gives back more usable shelf than 3 tall cabinets, because the shelves are 12 in deep and everything is visible. In a 100 sq ft kitchen, the same 25 sq ft is a quarter of the room and the tall cabinet wins instead.
02Can I add a pantry without moving a wall?
Often. A 24 in deep, 84 in tall cabinet on an empty wall holds as much as a small closet, and a 12 in pull out fits beside a refrigerator. Or use the back of a closet that shares a wall with the kitchen. What you cannot do is steal 12 in from a 42 in aisle and still call it a work aisle.
03What drawer organizers are actually worth buying?
Dividers for cutlery, a peg system for plates, and a 2 tier pull out under the sink. Those 3 earn their space in almost every kitchen. What rarely earns it: a knife block built for one knife set, a spice insert that holds 12 jars when the house has 30, and a lid organizer for a cabinet with no lids.
04How do I stop a corner cabinet from becoming a dead zone?
Use a carousel at 28 or 32 in diameter, a LeMans swing out, or a blind corner pull out that brings the back shelf to the door. A cheap lazy susan that leaves 6 in of wasted depth is why corners jam and wobble. If the corner is blind, plan the pull out before the counter is templated.
10Keep reading
Related
- Kitchen remodeling services: the full scope list.
- Kitchen remodel cost in Phoenix: how cabinets sit in the ranges.
- Small kitchen remodeling: storage in rooms under 100 sq ft.
- Kitchen cabinets: box construction and interior options.
- Kitchen islands: storage that does not eat the aisle.
- Contact: to set up an on-site assessment.
