Ikea's Variera Shelf Insert Solves One Huge Kitchen Storage Struggle

Roomy cabinets are some of the most useful kitchen storage solutions out there — that is, until you start popping in your mugs. One of the biggest struggles a lot of homeowners deal with is the fact that kitchen cabinet compartments often feel like they take a "one size fits all" approach; if it's big enough to fit your blender, then it logically also fits smaller items, right? The catch is that when you start doing that, you often find yourself looking at a ton of wasted vertical space.

Take your typical kitchen cabinet, for instance. (If you're an Ikea shopper, consider the Knoxhult model as an example.) At first glance, it's spacious enough to store standard-sized pots. Look a little closer, however, and you'll see that those pots occupy only half the height of the compartment. You could try to maximize the space with a few home customizations, but you might want to rethink hacking your Ikea kitchen furniture; in some cases, it's more trouble than it's worth. Instead, look for a more modular solution like the brand's Variera shelf insert, which lets you use all that spare vertical space without any fuss.

The Variera shelf insert made it onto our list of the best Ikea kitchen storage pieces because it's sturdy enough to hold your dishes while creating extra compartments inside your cabinet without the need for tools or installation. It's also incredibly low maintenance; to clean it, all you have to do is wipe it with a damp cloth. It's admittedly not the prettiest thing to look at — it's fairly plain — but it does make your cabinet a lot more organized, which itself is a thing of beauty.

The size of the cabinet's compartments is just one of a few things you should know before splurging on Ikea kitchen cabinets — or any cabinet, for that matter. While Variera shelf inserts come in three different sizes, none of them are adjustable, so you need to make sure they can actually fit inside the cabinet if you're planning on using them to organize your kitchen storage. It'll be extra-helpful if you can also plan out what you're going to put on them, just so you can guarantee that there will be enough space to store everything you need to.

For taller kitchen cabinets, you can play with the fact that the shelf inserts were designed to be stackable, and can be connected to each other using screws. Ikea recommends stacking the shallower Variera sizes on top of the deeper ones so you can get a good view of your things.

Lastly, remember that creating a smooth workflow should be prioritized along with maximizing your kitchen's storage space. The shelf insert won't be too useful if everything on it gets cluttered, making the simple act of grabbing glasses a chore. You can try pairing the Variera with another organizational solution that declutters your kitchen cabinet, an old-fashioned kitchen storage hack that lets you maximize your cabinet's depth, or any other trick you can think of that facilitates accessibility.