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For a long time I thought it was impossible to really love cooking in a small kitchen with minimal storage and countertop space—until I learned the importance of using vertical space. Now, I can’t stop bringing shelves into my kitchen, including stackable countertop shelves, cabinet shelf risers, and my absolute favorite piece of kitchen shelving: the Seville Classics 5-tier standing storage unit.
I resisted bringing a big shelving unit like this into my space for years. The tiered rack is almost as tall as my refrigerator, and it wasn’t exactly something I looked at and called “cute.” Before I moved it in, I thought it would just be a huge eye sore, but it had the opposite effect: This standing shelf makes all of my kitchen tools look organized and also makes them easy to reach. It frees up so much space on my counter and in my cabinets by housing all of my bulky countertop appliances, most notably my galactic microwave and toaster oven. It also helps me organize shelf-stable cooking ingredients, cereals, and snacks.
Now I don’t want to know how my counters would look—or how my kitchen would operate—if I didn’t have this metro-style rack. It isn’t just an organizational saving grace, it’s truly the heart of my kitchen. If you have a small space, trust me, you need one of these. Here’s the one I love, plus a few other great options.
My multi-tiered kitchen shelving unit
I’ve owned and loved the Seville Classics wire shelving rack for four years. I landed on it after extensive searching; it had over 20,500 nearly perfect reviews on Amazon. It’s made of plated steel, has five adjustable shelves, and sits on wheels that can be locked into place. This means I can easily move the unit whenever I want (like when I need to reach the power outlets behind it), but it won’t roll out of place if I bump into it. It’s made with industrial-strength metal and each shelf can hold up to 300 pounds; it’s one of the most heavy-duty kitchen shelving racks I’ve come across.
The top shelf (about 5 feet up) holds my bread box, cereal boxes, and bags of chips. The middle shelves house my countertop appliances, including my microwave, air fryer, food processor, full-size blender, Nutribullet, and waffle maker. The middle shelves are also home to cooking ingredients, like my many kinds of dried beans, rice, flours, and sugars. And I reserve the bottom shelf for extra rolls of paper towels. This thing essentially acts as my pantry, and makes it possible for me to keep my counters free from clutter. There’s even a little space on the floor underneath it, between the wheels—and that’s where my Roomba lives.
A few more good options
If you’d prefer a smaller rack that isn’t as wide and won’t take up too much floor space, consider this three tier unit, which I used before upgrading to my current 5-tier storage rack. Like the Seville, this rack is also made from plated steel; each adjustable shelf can hold up to 250 pounds. It’s basically a smaller version of my current rack without wheels, and it offered plenty of space for my microwave and snacks. I had it for about a year and loved it so much that I was inspired to go both wider and taller.
Maybe the wire rack look isn’t for you, and you’d find a modern rack with solid shelves more appealing. This one from Yamazaki Home is made with a combination of stainless steel and wood, and each shelf can hold about 18 pounds. While it can’t bear as much weight as the Seville Classics shelving unit, it will still be able to accommodate a lot of your everyday kitchen essentials and pantry items. This rack is available in both white and matte black, and you can choose between three different sizes and models: a 35-inch option with three shelves; a 67-inch option with five shelves and hooks for hanging towels and cooking tools; and a 67-inch option with three shelves and space for a mini fridge.
If you’re interested in a standing storage unit with solid shelves and wheels, meet Urban Outfitters’ Ryan 4-tier storage shelf. It is made of power-finished steel, comes with optional/removable wheels, and the shelves can hold up to 77 pounds. The design is both fun and simple, and it comes in three colors: white, dark green, and sky blue. There’s also a smaller two-tier version that’s available in red.
