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Can you stack up your dishes in your kitchen cabinet and call it a day? You absolutely can. Is that the best way to organize your plates and dishes? Not really. The idea behind kitchen organization is to ultimately simplify your life, free up mental clutter and save you time.
You don’t need a whole bunch of trending kitchen organizers to organize your dishes. What you need is some careful thought and ideation.
There is no denying that organizers can add value. But they are ultimately, just tools – and to make the most of them – you first need to analyze your current kitchen cabinets and choose which area will be best to organize your dishes. When I first set up my kitchen, I found a simple, functional way of storing my dishes – a system that has stood the test of time. After 2 years, it still looks tidy and it’s a breeze to pull out whatever I need.
However, there is no one right way to organize your dishes & plates.
It can vary greatly, based on your kitchen cabinetry and your specific needs and lifestyle.
After careful research and trial & error, I’ve put together a few simple ways to organize your crockery – based on various different kitchen scenarios. So you can choose a system that best works for you!
Add a Rack
This is my personal go-to. Simple, cost-effective and functional.
Just measure your cabinet or drawer and add a plate rack that fits.
Makes plates easy to grab and avoids scratching and scuffing that stacking plates can lead to.
There are various kinds of plate racks available in the market, mine is a simple metal one, but you can go for cute bamboo ones as well.
Spectrum Diversified Euro Kitchen Organizer for Plates
INNERNEED Bamboo Wooden Dish Rack Plates Holder Compact Kitchen Storage Cabinet Organizer for Dish/Plate/Bowl/Cup/Pot Lid/Cutting Board
Divvy Up The Shelves
This is an oldie, but a goodie. Divide up shelves to better organize your plates and dishes.
Works best for tall or wide cabinet.
It specifically works well to organize bowls and everyday bowl-plates (it’s a thing apparently?).
You can add in a shelf riser to vertically divide your shelf and double your storage – by using your vertical space better. This also helps to create sections and avoids tall stacks – which can lead to breakage and accidents.
Or you can add a shelf divider, to create horizontal sections and separate various categories of dishes. This helps to quickly grab exactly what you need, without having to fish and find it.
JBESUHI Cabinet Storage Shelf Rack, Kitchen Shelf Riser
Evelots Wire Shelf Dividers
Keep Things Separated with Pegs
This is a super-cute and clever way – and I am so tempted to try this for myself.
The idea is to lay a pegboard flat inside your drawer and arrange your pegs basis the size of your dishes.
This system is highly customizable and prevents dishes from clinking around in drawers or getting mixed up in cabinets.
Be sure to buy one that has sturdy pegs to hold your heavier dishes.
This wooden one from Amazon can be cut to your drawer size and has solid reviews.
Rev-A-Shelf Trimmable Peg Board Drawer Shelf Organizer
Install a Cabinet Pull Out Rack
Possibly the most convenient and accessible storage system for plates, especially for base cabinets.
You just pull out the rack, pick out your dish and side it back in. No more bending, no more reaching for things at the back of the cabinet. Easy-peasy.
This pull out rack (below) comes with two installation methods – an adhesive strip or screws. Works best for base cabinets.
Pull out Cabinet Organizer, Expandable, Heavy Duty Slide out Drawers
On the other hand, this pull down cabinet system works great for tall, hard to reach cabinets.
WHIFEA 2 Tier Pull-Out Cabinet Organizer Drop Down Shelf
Add a Counter Rack
Don’t have enough cabinet space? You can opt for a counter or wall-mounted dish rack.
These plate racks can be placed pover the sink to quickly dry and access dishes.
This one comes with a cute fluted glass-look shutter for a chic vibe.
3 Tier Rack Metal Over The Counter Dish Rack
Show and Tell with Open Shelves
Another way to put all your pretty plates on display is to arrange them on an open shelf.
You can play around with various shapes and dimensions to create an interesting visual break from the rest of your kitchen, making the display a design piece in itself.
Bestier Pipe Shelf Industrial Floating Shelving 31" Kitchen Wall-Mounted Shelf with Towel Bar Hooks
Don’t Cut Corners
A practical and useful tip is to make use of even the most crammiest of corners by adding a corner rack for your dishes.
This is a great hack, especially for smaller kitchen.
A corner rack saves space, makes pulling out dishes super easy and prevents you from having to dig in deep every time.
Bambüsi Plate Organizer for Cabinet - Bamboo Kitchen Organization - Ideal for Cabinet Space Saving, Corner Cabinet Organizer
Create an Everyday Dish Island
One of the most commonly known pieces of advice on dish organization is to segregate your everyday use dishes from occasional ones.
A great tip is to take this a step further, by creating a space dedicated to only everyday dishes.
Say you’re a family of four. Store four plates, glasses, bowls and cutlery in one little section that is easy to access and grab, in an area where you usually plate up.
You can create this on a kitchen island if you have one, or even add mobile kitchen island.
Like this kitchen island cart below, which comes in the prettiest sage green colour, tons of storage space – and even has nifty details like a paper towel holder.
