How to fit out and organise a cellar?

Your kitchen is often overflowing with clutter, such as excess utensils, groceries and appliances... To remedy this, you may have already thought of creating a pantry. To make this storage space functional, it is important to think carefully about its design. In this article, we will give you tips on how to organise and optimise this room.

What is usually found in a cellar?

Before designing your cellar, it is important to determine what you want to store in this room. Here is a non-exhaustive list so that you can choose which function(s) this room will have in your home:

• Grocery area: fruit (apples, pears), vegetables (potatoes) and canned goods from the year's harvest are stored.
• Kitchen area: Dishes that take up a lot of space in the kitchen (pans, casseroles, salad bowls, cake moulds, etc.) or small household appliances that are only used occasionally (fondue machine, raclette machine, deep fryer, etc.).
• Household space: broom, bucket, hoovers and household products can be stored in a cellar.
• Laundry area: you can also create an electrical, water and drainage connection in the cellar. This will allow you to create a laundry area and install a washing machine and dryer.

Other possibilities, install :

• a wine cellar area
• a refrigerator
• storage space for shoes and coats...

As you can see, a well-designed cellar can have many functions, depending on your needs and constraints.

Choosing the right fittings for the cellar

Now that you have an idea of what spaces you want to create in your cellar, you need to choose between different types of fittings and storage options. To select your fittings, you first need to :

• Determine the layout that best suits your needs and the constraints of the space. The best solution is to measure the space and make a plan, which will help you to choose and optimise your space.

• If you wish to install cupboards, modular or wall shelves, always refer to the measurements you have previously taken.

The different types of accommodation possible

• The basic equipment is the shelf, which is available in plastic and metal. Metal shelves are more suitable because they can support heavy loads. Modular shelves are useful for organising a space: they can be installed in a corner or you can choose to remove a level to increase the height.

• Wall-mounted shelves are useful if you don't want to clutter the floor of your pantry. For example, they can be installed above a washing machine or cupboard.
• If your cellar is not very large, hanging storage units will be your allies. There are shelves to hang, racks to hang jars, glasses, hooks to fix...
• Another variant of the shelf is the box, the sides of which are closed. Boxes can be used to create compartments to create a defined storage space.
• Closed cupboards are useful for storing fragile foodstuffs, dangerous products or even larger objects such as brooms and hoovers.
• The boxes will be used to store large dishes such as pots and pans.
• Airtight boxes are a great way to organize your grocery area and store food. Consider gluing or attaching labels to the boxes to keep your storage organized.
• To store fruit and vegetables, you can buy wooden crates, racks and baskets.
• If you want to create a wine corner we advise you to equip yourself with bottle racks, they can be fixed to the wall or placed on the floor.

Now that you have a clearer idea of the type of design you would like to make in your cellar, we will give you some advice on the storage and organisation of this space to facilitate your daily life.

Our tips for tidying and organising your cellar

• Open cupboards are ideal for having a direct view of what you have in the pantry, so you can manage stocks easily. Closed cupboards are also useful for protecting food that may attract insects and animals.
• Make full use of the height of the storeroom: don't forget the space available at the top. If you have opted for shelves, store the items and utensils that you use less often during the year at the top. Food, utensils and other everyday items should be easily accessible.

• If you have children, household products or washing powder should be stored high up or in closed cupboards to avoid domestic accidents.
• Finally, put heavy objects downstairs so that you don't have to carry them (water packs, milk)

We hope that this article has helped you to find the best way to arrange and optimize your cellar, if so, we'll let you now move on to the assembly of your furniture. Good luck!