Granite is a natural stone that has been formed under conditions of high heat and pressure. Depending on presence of different metals and elements, the colors and patterns vary greatly. Generally, deeper the granite is formed, larger the specks.

Below is a gorgeous slab of Portinari granite.

And, large the speck, higher the price of the granite. Compare Santa Cecilia below (one of the most affordable granites) to Portinari above (higher-range granite).

Granite is a very tough stone, but can be brittle. That’s not an oxymoron, that’s the reality, folks! Given the use (countertop), you get a thin (around 1 1/4”) but very long piece of stone, which, unless installed on leveled surface will crack. But, once installed, it will last you lifetime with proper care.

The color options for granite are practically endless, nature is the best designer, after all! Granite slabs have a striking deviation in color and pattern, so the stone needs to be chosen in person and out of slabs! I cannot stress this enough! So many time people chose the granite from the sample in the showroom and ended up with a completely different look! Granite slab has to be picked in person



For your deep drawers, consider peg board storage. It is probably the most versatile system of drawer storage. The pegs hold whatever you store there in place and don’t let it slide. If you have a cooktop, putting dishes there makes serving very convenient! Just make sure that your drawer slides and bottom can take the weight of your dinnerware.

And, finally, the double tier drawer insert. Those are amazing! Combined with a drawer organizer, you double the storage capacity with this simple addition. Just slide it in out of the way when you need to reach the bottom tier.

Pantry storage

Here, things are pretty simple. There are pull outs and swing outs. Pull outs are just that: you have several shelves that can be pulled out one by one or all at a time. Those come in wood and wire, and are usually heavy duty. They provide assess to the back of the pantry without having to take half of the stuff off the shelf. Tres convenient!

A step up from above would be pull/swing combination. This nifty little insert allows you to swing the pull out portion sideways to make reaching the back even easier, especially if you need to take that 5 gallon canister of cooking oil from the bottom shelf.

And, there are swings out. Those are set inside the cabinet and simply break down the storage pattern. The front portion with shelves opens up to reveal the back portion with more shelves, and there are more shelves installed on the doors. Welcome to the kingdom of shelves.

I have to mention that the storage organization for pantries usually applies to the bottom portion of it. Installing the pull out on the top would make it very difficult to use without a step stool and a hard hat.



Wall storage solutions

Wall storage does not have nearly as many options as the base storage, but there are some that deserve our attention.

Wall pullouts are your standard spice pull outs that pull out and hold spices… start at 3″ wide and can be hidden behind a filler, maybe a little column even! One thing to keep in mind, if you don’t want to put hardware in your filler or column, look for a non-soft close option and some push to open hardware. Makes for a cool cooking trick (smack the column to get to oregano)

Next up is a spice rack, wall mounted in this case. Puts your spices on display in a pretty way, all on the back of the cabinet door. Note, extra hinges might need to be added to hold the door with the extra weight on it. Check with the cabinet manufacturer. I would throw an extra one just in case.

And, finally, there is a pull down for your (you guessed it) spices. Gets installed inside the cabinet and pulls out and down when you need it. not the most space-saving thing, but looks kind of cool and does help with organizing those containers and bottles.

For now, that is all. Whatever storage solution you are going for, you need to make sure that it is suited to your needs and your space. Too much is just as bad as not enough. Check out more of my posts on this blog for all things kitchen, go to my website or get in touch with me if you need help.