Today’s kitchen cabinets are more functional than ever. With so many clever options for storage in drawers and cupboards, you can design a kitchen that works well for the way you and your family cook. You’ll soon find that proper organization in the kitchen can save you both time and effort.

Designing a kitchen these days goes far beyond the basic functionality of preparing food and storing dishes. The look of your cabinets can vary greatly, with hundreds of combinations of size, door and finish options. Even more important may be the hidden details inside the cabinets that can transform your kitchen into a customized design that is perfect for you and your family.

When considering your options, think about how you use your kitchen. If you entertain, you’ve probably noticed that guests now tend to congregate in the kitchen while the meal is being prepared. With open kitchen, dining and great room combinations, the kitchen is no longer separated from the family space of the home and you may often have more than one person working in the area. As well, a kitchen that is designed around point-of-use solutions will probably be more functional than the traditional triangle design used in the past. Here’s a few ideas to consider when designing an ideal kitchen:

Food-prep zone – A kitchen island can be a great area for food preparation, customized with built-in butcher block countertops and a knife drawer with inserts to keep knives organized and sharp. Island drawers and cupboards can also be planned to include space for everything you need while preparing meals for you and your family

Cooking zone – Beneath a cooktop or beside the range, pot drawers offer easy access to pots and pans and inserts can keep lids organized. In addition, many custom options are now available to help you store spice jars, sauces and seasonings right near the stove

Baking zone – Cooks who are serious about baking often lower the countertop in a baking zone and include a marble countertop for kneading. Canisters, baking powders, spices and baking pans can then be placed be at your fingertips with custom cabinets, drawers and inserts

Kitchen office nook – Some kitchen cabinet manufacturers now offer built-in office modules in their kitchen line, so you can seamlessly integrate a desk in your kitchen. A computer-based cabinet, file drawers and built-in bookcase can create a place to access computer-based recipes and files, pay bills, store your cookbook collection and do homework

Task-specific storage zones – A pantry can store a lot in one place, and dividing the storage into specific work areas can often increase functionality. For example, a breakfast station with a trim pull-out base cabinet enables you to group together cereals, a toaster, syrups, pancake and muffin mixes, bagels and bread. A pet station can store pet food, treats, toys and grooming supplies right near the food bowls

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