Smart Storage: Make the Most of Your Hutch
End the “Where are those ... ?” conundrum by storing seasonal and everyday items in a well-organized hutch
Tiffany Carboni
November 26, 2013
Houzz Contributor. I am a home design writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Houzz Contributor. I am a home design writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area.... More
The holidays are upon us. As you plan your next home gathering, you might find yourself asking, “Where are all those glasses, mugs and plates I swear I stored somewhere?”
Now may be the time to get a hutch — and pack it properly — so you never again have to wonder where you put all those extras.
Now may be the time to get a hutch — and pack it properly — so you never again have to wonder where you put all those extras.
How many mugs, plates and glasses do you need for everyday use? A good figure is two for everyone in your household. This will give you a buffer between dishwashing cycles. Easy peasy.
When it comes to the holidays, you’re going to need more, of course. “Even in my household of two, 12 is the minimum number of settings I have on hand for the holidays,” says San Francisco kitchen designer Laura Grelli of Kitchens Galore. “Maybe even 15 of particular items, like glasses.”
Most of us don’t have kitchen cabinets that can accommodate 12 to 15 plates, bowls, mugs, wine goblets etc., not to mention serving dishes and odds and ends. So where to keep all those extras? A hutch provides loads of flexible storage and can be a beautiful design element, too.
“The beauty of a hutch is its ability to stand apart from your regular cabinetry,” says Grelli. “You can use it in the kitchen as an accent — either physically connected to the rest of the cabinets or freestanding — or house it in the dining room. It’s lovely all on its own, and therefore can be placed closer to the dining area where it adds to the conversation and aesthetic.”
A hutch can be made not only to fit your desired look, but to fit the dimensions that work best for your space and storage needs. “A hutch doesn’t have to follow the standard height or depth of regular cabinets,” Grelli says.
If you don’t find one to suit you at a furniture or antiques shop, a kitchen or interior designer can help you commission a piece that fits your exact measurements and taste.
If you don’t find one to suit you at a furniture or antiques shop, a kitchen or interior designer can help you commission a piece that fits your exact measurements and taste.
Setting Up a Hutch for Maximum Efficiency
Let’s start with the top and work our way down. “The top cabinet is a great place to have glass cabinet doors,” says Grelli. “This is your showpiece, and everything within this area should have a story. It’s where you can show off your grandmother’s china, your nicer stemware and other year-round effects that don’t get used every day.”
Let’s start with the top and work our way down. “The top cabinet is a great place to have glass cabinet doors,” says Grelli. “This is your showpiece, and everything within this area should have a story. It’s where you can show off your grandmother’s china, your nicer stemware and other year-round effects that don’t get used every day.”
By letting these important pieces tell their story, you’re folding them into your home design rather than trying to hide them.
Here a central drawer bank offers the perfect spot for items like cocktail accoutrements; small seasonal items, such as napkin rings and salt and pepper shakers; the good silverware; and the best linens — ironed, folded and ready for action.
“If I were designing my perfect hutch, it would measure 72 inches wide and would have four central drawers on the bottom half, plus two 21-inch doors on either side, each of which would open from the center outwards,” says Grelli. “Each door and drawer would be devoted to a specific holiday season, so there’s never confusion as to where all those Christmas-tree mugs or bunny plates are.”
“If I were designing my perfect hutch, it would measure 72 inches wide and would have four central drawers on the bottom half, plus two 21-inch doors on either side, each of which would open from the center outwards,” says Grelli. “Each door and drawer would be devoted to a specific holiday season, so there’s never confusion as to where all those Christmas-tree mugs or bunny plates are.”
Tell us: Do you have a hutch? Please show us how you use it and include your favorite item on display.
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It is mostly decorative, although on occasion, I do use the dishes that are displayed.
It is very well made and sturdy. I bought it unfinished several years ago and stained it. Sometimes I think about painting it, but the oak adds some warmth to my mostly white kitchen.
I put out my pretty Christmas china on it over the holidays. It adds a festive note.