Pump Up Your Kitchen's Toe Kick

Every kitchen can benefit from extra storage space. Problem is, many kitchens are simply too small to hold all of the “stuff” most cooks – whatever their level of expertise – accumulate. While there are certainly tips and tricks to maximize existing cabinets and drawers – two-tier cutlery trays, lazy Susans, pullout drawers and shelves, cabinet and drawer dividers – it’s a lot harder to add more actual space. Until now!

There’s one part of the kitchen that’s underutilized, a dead space largely ignored except in design considerations: the toe kick.

The toe kick is the strip between the bottom of kitchen cabinets and the floor. It’s usually a solid piece of cabinet material designed to cover the unsightly space under the cabinet. But when you’re lacking cabinet space (or even if you’re not), the toe kick offers a whole new level of practical storage.

Here’s how to get your toe kick working for you:

Toe kick drawers

Because the toe kick is generally only a few inches high, it doesn’t offer much vertical space. A pullout toe kick accommodates bakeware like cookie sheets and racks, flat trays, and other low-profile items. It can also be used as a handy pet bowl station (no more stepping in the water dish!) or kids’ craft storage. Because the toe kick is so low to the ground, it’s advisable to store things that are used less frequently or by those who are naturally shorter – children and pets.

If you don’t need the storage but you do need the height (or a little bit of both), install pullout step stools in the toe kick or stash a flat-folding ladder underneath:

Kitchen by Midwest Stone Source & Custom Cabinetry | Rockford

If you’re lucky enough to have a central vacuum system, install a VacPan in your toe kick and you’ll never use a dustpan again!

If your cabinet space is adequate, your toe kick can still contribute to your kitchen design. Light it up for a cool, otherworldly floating effect; go soft and subtle or bold and bright. Plus, you won’t stub your toe – or blind yourself – when you get up for a middle-of-the-night cup of water.