This $19 Organizer Practically Doubled My Cabinet Space (I Wish I’d Gotten It Sooner!)

Truth be told, I don’t mind organizing. It can even be fun sometimes to rearrange the decor on a bookshelf or find a better way to store my makeup collection. But when I have to carry out such tasks on a regular basis because my items keep becoming disorganized, it becomes tedious. For months, that was the case with my spice cabinet. It’s not even really the whole cabinet; because I share a small kitchen with two roommates, each of us gets one shelf for our pantry items. Every time I cooked, I felt like I was taking everything off the shelf just so I could find one particular thing. Afterward, I’d haphazardly put it all back, creating a jumble of cans, bags of coffee, pasta boxes, and spice jars. The thing about our cabinet shelves is that they’re pretty tall, so a lot of real estate was going unused. That’s how I got the idea to get a shelf riser. 

I got to searching and came across this chrome corner shelf from The Container Store. It has seriously increased the amount of storage space on my pantry shelf and keeps my spices and canned goods organized 24/7. Plus, at $19, it’s affordable enough — especially considering I wish I’d gotten it months ago.

What initially drew me to this shelf organizer was its corner design. That, coupled with its silver chrome construction, makes it look so sleek. But it also looked like it would be the perfect height for the items I wanted to store on it, namely spice jars and canned foods. Not only would I be able to place such items on its slatted top, but there would be enough space underneath for even more. Compared to the other risers I looked at, this 10” by 10” find was the perfect size. And because it’s made of chrome-plated steel, it can bear a lot of weight. Even if you were to stack it with heavy cans or a tall stack of plates, it wouldn’t wobble or bend. Of course, there’s no shortage of items you could store on the shelf. You could even use it in the bathroom or wherever you could use more vertical space. It’s incredibly versatile.

Naturally, the shelf fits perfectly in the corner of my cabinet. I love that I don’t have to worry about anything sliding off, which can be the case with some of those waterfall-style risers. Since I put it to use, I feel like my cabinet space has doubled. Whereas it used to be overflowing with pantry items, everything now stays neatly in its place without becoming disorganized every two days. I can find exactly what I need when I’m cooking without having to rummage, making meal prep run more smoothly and efficiently. And, I can see everything at all times, so I know exactly when I need to restock on garlic powder or pinto beans. I would even consider getting another shelf or two for the dishware cabinet; it would be perfect for dividing stacks of plates or coffee mugs and drinking glasses. Even if your own cabinets are not that big, I’m sure you, too, will find that the shelf is compact but still able to hold a lot. I would recommend it to anyone who could use more storage space in their kitchen, or really anywhere.

Buy: Chrome Corner Shelf, $18.99