The trend toward decorating the kitchen like other areas in the home, from expanding windows to incorporating furniture pieces, extends to storage facilities. If you sacrifice wall cabinets to create an artistic backsplash or install more windows, you can win back space for all of your stuff by using an armoire or hutch in the kitchen. “This becomes a focal point,” says Mary Jo Peterson, principal of Mary Jo Peterson Inc. “And a hutch puts more storage within reach for more people. Wall cabinets are not easily reached by everyone.”

It’s easy to go overboard when choosing cabinets because there are so many organization tools to tempt the homeowner in search of a neat kitchen. “One question to ask is, ‘Does the functional piece that I’m considering take away space or give me access?” says John O’Meara of Hafele America Co. Solutions that pull out into the room can consume 20 to 30 percent of clearance space.

Try These Tips:

• Be willing to move doors and windows
• Request wall cabinets that extend to the ceiling
• Make use of that corner cabinet
• Trade doors for drawers in base cabinets
• Opt for pull-out trash bins
• Dedicate a wall for floor-to-ceiling storage
• Choose a pull-out pantry