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Plan or retrofit your kitchen with these great products

There are few homeowners in America who claim to have too much storage in their kitchen. Storage, for most of us anyway, is an ongoing challenge.

Kitchen designers probably have these same issues in their homes, and have come up with some unique solutions to several thorny storage problems.

Our favorite solution are retrofitted drawers, available as kits in home centers or custom-made. These will turn ordinary shelves into handy pull out drawers, making it easy to get to items stored in the back of a cabinet. They are a fairly inexpensive addition to a kitchen that will increase the function and convenience of any cupboard.

Next in line has to be drawer organizers. Choose one of its many incarnations -- from simple dividers, trays, and formed sections, to multi-level comparmentalized junk drawer solutions. It's an inexpensive way to get organized in a hurry.

Here are more wonderful kitchen accessory items to increase the function of your kitchen...

Drawers -- Planning a new kitchen? Drawers can be a terrific addition in place of some lower cabinets. However, even in existing kitchens there are ways to add drawer inserts (ready-made or custom-made) to the current cupboards. Drawers allow the full depth of a cabinet to be used to full advantage. Roll out a drawer of pots and pans instead of crawling on your knees to reach to the back of a dark cupboard. Or keep dishes, cereal, canned goods, baking pans, or serving pieces in large deep drawers designed to hold the weight of these heavier items.

Drawer Dividers -- Clip together a set of drawer dividers to keep tools and kitchen accessories from morphing into a jumble of metal. Or, measure the drawers in your kitchen and look for preformed divided trays to fit. We love the way a multi level comparmentalized junk drawer insert can neaten up the messiest drawer in the house.

Fitted Sinks -- Browse the many styles of kitchen sinks at your local home center or kitchen showroom. You'll find divided sinks, strainer baskets, garbage disposal pockets, and other specialized designs to fit your needs.

Roll-out Trash Trolleys -- Install one of these under the sink and every time you open the door the trash can will roll out to meet you. Look for kits in home centers or order one from your kitchen cabinet manufacturer. Either way, you're sure to love this little convenience. Consider adding another one (or two) to handle compost or recycling items as well. More on Page 2