If you spent a ton of time in your kitchen cooking and baking for the holidays, your pantry and kitchen may be looking as though a hurricane came through (mine is!). Whether you are like me and want to get organized after the holiday madness or you are simply hoping to spice up your space for the New Year, there are a number of great ways to create your perfect pantry or revamp your old kitchen storage. Finding the perfect traditional piece or whipping out an unexpected solution are both smart ways to solve the kitchen storage problem.

Hutches and Country Pieces
If you have some under-utilized space in your kitchen, you may want to think about purchasing a dual shelving unit. A hutch with open shelving on top and hidden storage on the bottom is the perfect solution to free up some space in a crowded kitchen. You can display china or stoneware pieces and store away your old pots and pans underneath. And it adds a warm, country touch to your kitchen.

This white hutch combines a ton of space with a design that can fit in with almost any preexisting look and feel.

Photo Credit: House Beautiful

A beautiful two toned version, based on traditional Irish Tipperary Dressers, provides a great backdrop to display antique plates, crocks, or collectibles.

Photo Credit: British Cottage

A built-in hutch stands almost flush with the wall and provides an elegant storage solution without taking up too much floor space.

Photo Credit: Daily 5 Remodel

Glass Cabinets and Other Approaches
If you don’t have the space available to add a large storage piece like a hutch, maybe it’s time to rethink how your cabinets are arranged, and check some new home designs.

Changing out the cabinets can give your kitchen a quick facelift. These glass shelves create the sense of space, and allow you to showcase your favorite pieces.

Photo Credit: House Beautiful

This extremely modern approach to cabinets combines storage space with beautiful recessed lights for a practical effect.

Photo Credit: Digs Digs

This take by Lago completely reimagines what kitchen cabinets are supposed to be, and allows you to make a really personalized statement on what kitchens can look like.

Photo Credit: Fresh Home: Design & Architecture

Open Shelving
Open shelving is another practical option for organizing your pantry or adding a new, functional design element to your kitchen. You can opt for floor to ceiling shelves to maximize your storage space, or simply hang a few open shelves above your table.

Photo Credit: House Beautiful

Partial glass covers create a shared cabinet and open shelving feel that totally functional, but with a beautiful design.

Photo Credit: Apartment Therapy

Free hanging wall shelves can be combined to create any combination of storage necessary for your particular kitchen set.

Photo Credit: Remodelista

Vertical Storage
I also stumbled across another innovative storage solution that I would never have thought of but absolutely love. This vertical storage option is a pole with a wide base that can be placed on a center island or countertop. And the best part is that it rotates, similar to a display that you’d see in your favorite store, so that you can easily access whatever you need at your convenience.

Photo Credit: House Beautiful

An interesting arrangement of wall hangings allows for vertical storage of pots and pans.

Photo Credit: Contempoo

Vertical drawers are great places to store plates, platters and other dishes, in this slide in example that you can work into existing cabinet space.

Photo Credit: Shelterness

This variation offers a vertical spice storage solutions that’s brilliant, and takes up no space at all!

Photo Credit: Home Edit

Whether you are hoping to get organized or would like to achieve a different look for your space, you can accomplish your goal with these innovative storage solutions. Your kitchen will be gorgeous and have your stuff put away in no time!

Jim Klossner is a home improvement professional and amateur chef who needs lots of storage in his kitchen! You can find Jim reviewing products online for The Spice House. Visit their site to see some of his favorites.