It’s not an easy task to organize pots and pans in the kitchen… the varied shapes and sizes of the different pieces often end up occupying more space than they should. And let’s not even get into trying to close a drawer full of utensils in disarray! But don’t give up – there are plenty of ways to tame the mess. Here are twenty-two clever ideas and do-it-yourself projects to get everything under control once and for all.
1. Take advantage of an unused wall by hanging pots on copper pipes using S hooks. Imagine all of the space that will open up in your kitchen cabinets! Check out more images of this space over at Apartment Therapy.
2. Create a custom pots and pans organizer by placing pegboard in the bottom of a drawer and inserting tall wooden pegs to separate one pan from the next. And simply shift the pegs around if you get a new pan that’s a different size. Found at Houzz.
3. This pots and pans organizer solution is pure genius, if you ask me… talk about thinking outside the box! They’ve mounted a pole to the ceiling and then hung the pots and pans from chain and hooks. This is a great way to take advantage of a pretty collection of copper cookware, turning it into decor in its own right. Found here.
4. Lids always seem to be a problem in our cupboards, wreaking havoc on an otherwise manageable area. So I love this strategy – simply attach towel rods to the insides of your cabinet doors and then slip the lids through. Read more about this pot lid organizer here.
5. This pot lid organizer is brought to you by the early 2000s! All these lids are kept in order by reusing old CD organizers. Read more about it here.
6. Here, a combination of wooden shelves and a black accent wall combine to form a storage area that is both functional and beautiful. Get the same look by installing floating wooden shelves on an empty wall and painting the space in between a bold color. Add hooks and you’re ready to go! Found here.
7. I’ve used this tactic in my own kitchen, and it works like a charm. Just grab a vertical pan organizer and turn it horizontally to hold pans and baking sheets. Genius! Learn more about this flat cookware and pot lid organizer here.
8. Another pegboard hack for the win! Cover a pegboard with chalkboard paint, add hooks and voilà – an instant pots and pans organizer! And don’t forget to outline your cookware in chalk so everything goes back in its proper place. Check it out here.
9. Or you can go all out and install a custom pan organizer in one of your lower kitchen cabinets like Kevin and Amanda did. Wow, what a dream it would be to slide a rack out to pick a pan without have five others tumble to the floor!
10. Here’s a great way to divide a drawer into sections to organize your cookware using thin pieces of wood. This one is fully customizable too. Check out the full tutorial here.
11. Add some interest to the boring area above your stove by mounting a brass rod and suspending shiny copper pans from hooks. Talk about a beautiful example of form meeting function! Find out more about this kitchen here.
12. A DIY pot rack was an excellent answer to the lack of storage in this tiny kitchen. The owner also made the shelf above the stove too. Out of pocket expense for the materials was a very affordable $62. You can read more about the projects here.
13. Here’s another rack made of copper pipe. Assembling it looks as easy as building LEGOs, and it is wall-mounted, so you know it’ll be secure.
14. If you’re lacking wall space for the rack above, how about the vertical pots and pans organizer DIY seen here? Made of metal chain, S-hooks and a carabiner, it set the maker back about $42 for materials. Click here to read more.
16. The answer to all those tall, flat things that are forever falling over is curtain tension rods. This pan organizer is a little bit of genius, no?
17. If you’d like to convert your base cabinets for pan organizer vertical storage permanently, Family Handyman tells us how to do it. Basically, you remove and trim the center shelf and add a vertical divider.
18. You’ll need some pretty deep drawers to make this dream a reality, but how cool is this custom-built utensil drawer? Read more about the (affordable) project here.
19. This DIY utensil holder combines Lazy Susan practicality with a polished look. Read more about this project here.
21. Another bit of genius is this next idea maximizing drawer storage space. The insert you see below is actually a store-bought item ($75), but the idea is easily replicated. The Kitchn suggests making one out of thin pieces of wood and E-6000.
22. This wall-mounted pot lit organizer is available for purchase for just $15.00. Not a bad deal! Don’t have room inside a cabinet door or on the wall? Try a traditional pot lid organizer, like this one from IKEA for $6.
