Stop Struggling With Crowded Cabinets: Try This Simple DIY Coffee Mug Storage Hack

For coffee cup collectors and people with small kitchens, cabinets may quickly become overrun with mugs. If you're struggling to fit your coffee cups inside your cupboards without having to stack your dishes in dangerous piles, you may be able to add some additional storage outside the cabinet. Installing a few shelves onto the side of your kitchen cabinetry is a genius hack to maximize cabinet space when storing coffee mugs. Rather than stuffing all your mugs onto the interior shelving, giving yourself more space for mugs on the outside will prevent your cupboard from becoming cluttered and overcrowded. This DIY can also double as decor. By setting your cutest mugs on the visible shelves, you'll create a piece of functional decoration in your kitchen.

Though you'll love this coffee mug storage idea if your cabinet shelves are jam packed, you should be careful when executing this project. Since the shelves will be screwed into the side of your cabinet rather than studs in the wall, you need to ensure that your coffee cups aren't too heavy for your shelves. Measure to check that you have enough space on the exterior of your cupboard to hang several shelves. Another option is to install corner shelves that are connected to the wall as well for some added stability. Depending on how many coffee cups you have and the size of your cupboard, you could hang between two and five shelves.

For this project, you'll build shelves using brackets. The brackets will secure your shelves onto the cabinet and support the weight of your mugs. Make sure you choose hardware that is sturdy enough to hold the amount of coffee cups you want to store. While you could buy small rectangular shelves, crafting them yourself would be simple. Cut wooden boards to a size that's compatible with your cabinet and stain them to match the style of your space. Now, drill holes into the side of your cupboard and screw the brackets into place, installing two for each shelf. If you're using corner shelves, you'll need to attach some brackets to the adjoining wall as well.

Once all of the brackets are secured, simply set your shelves on them and arrange your coffee cup display. Alternatively, if you prefer the look of floating shelves, you may be able to skip the brackets, screwing the shelves directly into the cabinets. Though this option has a sleek look, your storage likely won't support as much weight or as many mugs. No matter how you decide to do it, putting up a few extra shelves in your kitchen will keep your coffee cups nearby and help your cabinets stay more organized. After your mugs are neatly displayed, use a little extra caution when closing the cabinet doors so they won't shift and fall.