In most of the kitchens of yesterday, you needed three drawers: one for silverware, one for other cooking utensils, and one “junk” drawer. Today’s kitchens often offer more sets of drawers than before. But what do you do with these extras? Here are a few suggestions.

Table linens: Placemats, tablecloths and even fabric napkins are making their way to lunch and dinner. A drawer allows you to lay these items flatter, leading to fewer wrinkles.

Serving dishes: Larger plates and platters take up a lot of room on a shelf. Consider storing them in drawers instead, enabling you to look down and select just the right bowl or other containers for a family dinner or party.

Pots and pans: Deeper drawers are a great place to store frying pans and smaller pots. No need to stack much with a broad base for setting each item in its place.

Plastic containers: One tip, you can store the bases in one drawer and the lids in another, shallower drawer nearby. Everything stays more organized this way and you can take full advantage of your drawer space.

Office or homework supplies: The kitchen island provides a perfect place for completing homework or paperwork. Consider using one of the island drawers to hold your supplies, making it easy to grab a pen or paper clip as needed.

If you take the time to think outside the box when it comes to your kitchen drawers, in no time every one will be full and you’ll wonder how you ever managed in a kitchen without them all!