Small Space Storage Solution for China
Are you looking for a storage solution for your china? See how I organized not one, but two sets of china in a very small space!
If you have followed this blog for even a little while, you have seen these shelves in our living room. I feature them several times a year, because they are a perfect showcase for seasonal decor. What I’ve never shown you is what I keep in the cabinet below the shelves.Â
Before its transformation, this very small space housed two sets of china, along with numerous odds and ends. There were several things about this cabinet that annoyed me, but here are the three that annoyed me the most!
- I didn’t like that the coffee cups were stacked. Even though they are seldom used, I wanted them to be in a single layer so they cannot get chipped or broken. I needed a storage solution that would accomplish this.Â
- All the random items that were shoved in this cabinet made it hard to get to the china.Â
- The cabinet was dusty and needed a good cleaning.Â
The four steps below are essential for a successful organization project. It doesn’t matter if the project is big or small…these four steps work, every single time.
- Empty the space.
- Clean the space.
- Edit the contents.
- Restore order.Â
Each step is necessary to make the next step work. You can’t clean the space unless it’s empty. You can’t edit the contents unless you spread it all out to see what you have. You can’t restore order until only the essential items remain. I decided to donate or relocate everything in this cabinet except the two sets of china. It made no sense to clutter up such a small space with items that didn’t belong.Â
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Budget Friendly Storage Solution
Once I had a clean space, and my content was edited, I placed the biggest items back in the cabinet. I also added three shelf risers in order to eliminate any stacking. I used this storage solution in my kitchen organization project. These little shelves are very handy, and easy on the budget. I opted for the white shelves, but they are available in chrome as well. (The chrome shelves are more expensive.)
In the picture above, you can see that I was able to stand the two large platters behind the shelves. The platters are the only items that aren’t easily accessible, but they are safe behind the shelves, and that was important to me.Â
The shelves made it possible for the coffee cups to be stored upside down, with no stacking. The space under the shelves was perfect for the salad plates, bread & butter plates, and serving pieces. Since I had just used the Lenox Holiday china at Christmas, it was clean. That wasn’t true for my wedding china, so I set aside the time to run it all through the dishwasher. It took three loads, but it was worth it. It made no sense to put dusty china back in a clean cabinet.Â
I’m very happy with the way this cabinet turned out, and I’m glad everything is clean and orderly. I’ve thought about packing up my china in padded, quilted cases, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Even though they are not used often, I treasure both sets, and want them to be accessible. And you never know…maybe they’ll get used at some point!
Before I go, I want to share another china storage solution. My friend Lory, from Designthusiasm, organized her china in a closet, and it’s amazing. So if you need inspiration for a bigger space, check it out at the link below.
