It’s a safe bet we’ve all done it a time or two—looked in our crowded kitchen cabinets and wished we had more shelves for storage. While a kitchen remodel may be out of the question, there are ways to maximize storage space by making the most out of the shelves you already have (or adding a few new affordable ones!). At theRTAstore.com we have a lot of great options for carving out more space in your kitchen. Here are six ways we recommend creating space:
 
Give stemware the boot.
Fragile wine and champagne glasses can’t be stacked, and their rounded sides are hard to squeeze close together, making them space hogs. Open up valuable shelf space by installing a stemware holder that allows you to hang them safely underneath kitchen cabinets and gives you an empty shelf!
 
Make use of vertical space between shelves.  
We love this idea we found on Pinterest for utilizing all of that open space between shelves with stackable shelves that fit inside your cabinets. That’s right, shelves within shelves. These shelves come in all different dimensions so they can fit over dinner plates, casserole dishes and coffee mugs.
 
Divide and conquer.
Pots and pans often end up in a jumbled heap in cabinet shelves because their shapes make them tricky to store. Organize cookie sheets and muffin tins with divider sliding trays that pull-out and allow you to sort pans by size. Or outfit lower cabinets with stationary dividers that’ll do the same job but don’t move. Pots and their pesky lids are also serious space offenders. Try pull-out shelves with built-in spaces for pots and lids in you lower cabinets to tame the mess!

Consider open shelving.
Take a look at our Pinterest page and you’ll find that we’re a fan of open shelving in the kitchen. Open shelves are an easy way to add storage space without having to install cabinets. They’ also a great way to utilize open wall space—especially in a small kitchen! Use open shelves to display heirloom pieces or all-white dishes to make a pretty display. You can even create open shelving by taking the doors (and hinges) off of existing cabinets.
 
Try tension rods.
They’re no longer just for holding up curtains—turn small tension rods vertically to create dividers for open shelving. Place a few close together to create the perfect storage for cutting boards, china platters and baking sheets. This is an awesome way to make the most out of your shelves without spending a lot of money. Free up shelves under the sink by installing a tension rod and hanging kitchen cleaners from it.
 
Relocate your spice collection.
Have a hard time locating the cinnamon, pepper or parsley because all of your spices are jumbled on one shelf? Storing spices on higher shelves not only make them harder to find, but it wastes a lot of space too. Instead, organize them in a free drawer with a wooden spice divider. You’ll be able to see every label, so there’s no hunting for the spice you need again. Even better, you free up valuable shelf space.