How Much Storage Do You Really Need in a Kitchen?
Updated July 2026
You can never have too much kitchen storage… right?
Wrong.
More cabinetry does not automatically create a more functional kitchen. Melbourne homes regularly end up with oversized overhead cupboards, inaccessible corner cabinets, deep pantry shelves and drawers filled with items that should have been stored somewhere else.
The right amount of kitchen storage is enough to give every regularly used item a practical home, leave approximately 10–15% spare capacity and preserve the bench space and clearances needed to use the kitchen comfortably.
The question is not simply, “How many cupboards can we fit?” It is, “What needs to be stored, where should it live and how easily can it be reached?”
Why Cupboard Numbers Are Misleading
Two kitchens can contain the same number of cabinets and provide completely different amounts of usable storage.
A wide bank of drawers may hold more accessible cookware than several narrow cupboards. A carefully organised cabinet pantry can outperform a walk-in pantry that consumes floor space and has deep shelves where food disappears.
Corner cupboards can look substantial on a floor plan while providing poor access. Overheads add capacity, but the top shelves may be useless for everyday items.
That is why kitchen storage should be designed around usable volume, access and location—not simply the total length of cabinetry.
Start With a Storage Audit
Before designing the new kitchen, identify what the existing kitchen is actually storing.
Separate everything into these groups:
Everyday food and cooking ingredients
Plates, bowls, glasses and cutlery
Pots, pans, trays and cookware
Small appliances
Food containers and lunch supplies
Cleaning products and waste
Serving pieces and entertaining items
Bulk purchases
Pet supplies
Items used only occasionally
Then ask:
Which items are used every day?
Which items are difficult to reach?
What permanently lives on the benchtop?
Which cupboards are overcrowded?
Which cupboards contain unused space?
Are duplicate or unwanted items consuming valuable storage?
Will the household’s needs change over the next five years?
Could some items live more appropriately in a pantry, laundry or nearby cabinet?
This determines whether the problem is genuinely insufficient capacity or simply poor access and placement.
The Five Storage Zones Every Kitchen Needs
Food storage
Keep everyday food together rather than scattered across several cabinets. The best solution may be a full-height cabinet pantry, walk-in pantry or combination of drawers and adjustable shelves.
Frequently used food should sit between knee and eye level. Bulk supplies and occasional items can occupy higher or lower positions.
Avoid unnecessarily deep shelves. They may technically hold more, but food becomes hidden behind other items and is easily forgotten.
Preparation storage
Knives, cutting boards, mixing bowls, utensils, oils and frequently used ingredients should be close to the main preparation bench.
A kitchen can have abundant storage and still feel frustrating if preparing a meal requires repeatedly crossing the room.
Cooking storage
Pots, pans, trays and cooking utensils should be located near the cooktop and oven. Wide drawers usually provide better access than low cupboards because the entire contents can be viewed from above.
Vertical dividers can make trays, chopping boards and ovenware easier to retrieve without lifting an entire stack.
Cleaning and waste
Allow proper space for bins, recycling, cleaning products, dishwasher tablets, tea towels and spare bags.
The bin should be accessible from the preparation area and ideally close to the dishwasher. Forcing waste, plumbing and cleaning products into one undersized sink cabinet commonly produces clutter.
Dinnerware and serving
Plates, bowls, glasses and cutlery should be positioned between the dishwasher and dining area wherever the layout allows.
This reduces movement during unloading and prevents someone setting the table from interfering with the cooking zone.
What Most Households Actually Need
There is no universal cabinet count, but a functional family kitchen will generally need:
A clearly defined pantry zone
Wide drawers for cookware and everyday dishes
Shallow drawers for cutlery and utensils
Vertical storage for trays and boards
A practical bin and cleaning zone
Storage for every appliance that would otherwise occupy the bench
Accessible space for everyday food and dishes
Higher or less accessible storage for occasional items
Approximately 10–15% spare capacity when the kitchen is completed
If every cabinet is already completely full when the kitchen is installed, the storage has been designed too tightly.
However, adding cabinets until there is abundant empty space is not the answer either. That can increase cost, reduce bench space and make the room feel unnecessarily heavy.
Kitchen Storage Buying Guide: What Is Worth Paying For?
Wide drawers: usually worth it
Drawers provide clear visibility and access, particularly for cookware, plates and food containers. They generally cost more than basic cupboards but often deliver considerably more usable storage.
Pull-out bins: usually worth it
Waste and recycling need a deliberate location. A properly sized pull-out system is generally more practical than loose bins under the sink.
Check the actual bin capacity before ordering. Some attractive systems contain bins too small for the household using them.
Full-height cabinet pantries: often worth it
A cabinet pantry can be highly efficient because it does not sacrifice as much floor space as a walk-in pantry. Adjustable shelving and internal drawers can improve access.
It still needs to be designed around what you buy. Excessively deep fixed shelves can create hidden, wasted space.
Pull-out pantries: case by case
Narrow pull-outs can work well for oils, spices or smaller items. Very large pull-out pantry units can become heavy, expensive and less flexible than conventional cabinets.
Use them where they solve a specific access problem—not simply because they look impressive in a showroom.
Corner mechanisms: case by case
Rotating shelves and pull-out corner systems improve access, but some are expensive and reduce the cabinet’s total internal volume.
In certain layouts, allowing a corner to remain partially inaccessible and using better drawers elsewhere can be the more economical solution.
Appliance garages: only when properly planned
An appliance garage can keep the benchtop visually clean, but it needs sufficient depth, ventilation, electrical outlets and usable bench space.
If opening it blocks the preparation area or the appliances still need to be carried elsewhere, it has not solved the problem.
Overhead cupboards: useful in moderation
Overheads work well for glasses, cups and lighter items. Cabinets extending to the ceiling can store occasional items and eliminate dust collection above the cabinetry.
Do not rely on high overhead shelves for heavy cookware or everyday essentials that cannot be reached safely.
Custom drawer inserts: buy selectively
Purpose-built inserts look organised, but highly specific compartments can become restrictive when appliances or habits change.
Start with flexible organisers unless a permanent custom solution clearly improves daily use.
Storage Ideas That Often Waste Space
A walk-in pantry added for appearances
A walk-in pantry sounds premium, but walls, circulation space and deep shelving can make it less efficient than well-designed cabinetry.
It is worthwhile when the home has enough space and the pantry supports how the household shops and cooks. It should not be forced into a kitchen simply to satisfy a trend.
Too many narrow cabinets
Several narrow cabinets create more side panels, hinges and gaps. Fewer, wider drawers can provide better access and usable capacity.
Storage that destroys the preparation bench
A kitchen filled with tall units may have impressive capacity but nowhere comfortable to unpack groceries, prepare meals or serve food.
Bench space is part of kitchen functionality. It should not be treated as leftover space after cabinetry is fitted.
Ignoring appliances
Air fryers, coffee machines, mixers, microwaves and slow cookers require storage, power and ventilation. Designing the kitchen without confirming appliance sizes often leaves them permanently on the bench.
Treating every centimetre as storage
Not every gap needs a cabinet. Adequate walkways, comfortable corners and visual breathing room can make the kitchen feel and function better than one packed with joinery.
Pantry, Laundry and Kitchen Storage Should Work Together
Storage should be considered across the connected renovation, not room by room.
Bulk supplies, cleaning products, pet items, spare paper products and occasional appliances may fit more naturally within a laundry, butler’s pantry or nearby cabinetry. Moving those items out of the kitchen can improve its function without increasing its footprint.
This is one reason kitchen-led renovation planning produces a better result than ordering kitchen cabinets before considering the surrounding rooms.
The Best Storage Is the Storage You Can Reach
A successful kitchen does not necessarily have the most cabinetry. It has:
Frequently used items close to where they are needed
Drawers instead of inaccessible low shelves
Pantry storage suited to the household’s shopping habits
A permanent location for appliances
Enough bench space to prepare food comfortably
Flexible storage that can adapt as needs change
Spare capacity without large areas of wasted cabinetry
That balance should be resolved before the cabinetry is quoted.
Plan Your Storage Before Ordering the Kitchen
Bluestone Build Co. plans kitchen renovations around the home, household, appliances and way the kitchen will actually be used—not a generic showroom layout.
Our Renovation Plan costs $500 + GST. It establishes the project direction, layout priorities, storage requirements and major cost drivers before you commit to cabinetry or disconnected quotes.
You keep the plan whether or not you proceed with Bluestone. If you engage us to deliver the renovation, the fee is credited back in full.
