Flatware Chests

Selecting a flatware chest can make a big difference to the look of your kitchen. If your kitchen is anything like how mine used to be, you may have noticed that you have a lot of flatware lying around. Flatware includes knives, forks, spoons, and other pieces of cutlery. I used to have such a profusion of it that I would have a hard time closing the drawer in which I kept it when it wasn’t being used or washed. One solution to this problem is to buy a flatware chest to store your cutlery in when it’s not being used. Flatware chests can provide a certain sort of charm to your kitchen in addition to just storing things like a cabinet drawer can. They come in a variety of styles and types, meaning you can customize almost endlessly and find a chest that fits both your flatware and your kitchen décor just right. They’ll also help you to get organized and stay that way, which means you’ll never have to ask “Where are the salad forks?” again.

At its simplest, the Flatware chest is little more than a cabinet drawer without a cabinet. These chests are designed for the budget-minded consumer, or for those who like the utilitarian modernist design aesthetic. This type of chest consists of a box to put the flatware in and a lid which will close over it. Even at this basic of a level, almost all flatware storage chests contain some sort of interior construction that will allow you to keep the flatware organized instead of just rattling around loosely. There are different ways of keeping the flatware in place, ranging from simple divots and wedges in the construction of the chest itself to straps or sleeves. One obvious benefit of utilitarian flatware chests is that they are usually cheaper, but they may not always look as pretty as their more expensive counterparts. Obviously, they will also not hold as much flatware, so if you have a lot you may want to look into a bigger chest.

There are also chests available which are extremely sophisticated in construction. Some of these end up looking more like toolboxes or jewelry boxes with the amount of folding drawers and pull-out cubbies included. These more complicated chests will hold a lot more flatware, and will still declutter your kitchen while looking great. Just like the most simple of styles, they will usually contain a way to stop your flatware from rattling around, preventing noise and mess. Some chests have a separate compartment for the different types of flatware, while others will organize them in sets and have extra drawers for napkin rings and other accessories. The top compartment may open either on hinges straight up, like a traditional chest, or may open on hinges to the sides, like a large toolbox or jewelry box. Lower compartments in multi-layered flatware chests are usually drawers that slide out. However, if you do not have a lot of flatware, you may be better off with a smaller, one-level chest instead.

If you're really on a budget, or if you have a more modernist aesthetic, there are plenty of other available options that serve the same purpose as the flatware chest while being just a little bit different. These are often called "flatware caddies" or simply just "utensil holders." They can range from complicated-looking arrangements of several circular containers to just one plastic holder for everything. Obviously these don't look nearly as nice as most actual flatware chests do, and they may not serve quite as well to stop your flatware from getting jumbled up. Still, if the rest of your kitchen design is modern, then it may not make sense to have a flatware chest that looks like it comes out of the 18th century.

So why not just use one of your kitchen drawers to hold your flatware? As mentioned above, flatware chests can really help to declutter your kitchen. While a drawer may hide your flatware just as well, the use of a chest will clear up that drawer for other storage purposes. As well, flatware chests can often lend a certain elegance to your dining experience that a drawer in a cabinet just can't supply. Some people buy a flatware chest and only use it when they have visitors over that they want to impress. Also another thing to consider are pantry cabinets, which add a lot of organization to your kitchen.

When buying a flatware storage chest, you should treat it like you would any other kitchen purchase. Make sure that it matches your current décor, or it won't look good in your kitchen regardless of how good it looks by itself. Also make sure that it's big enough to fit all your flatware, or it won't do you much good. Finally, you want to make sure that you have somewhere to put it, or it will just clutter up your kitchen more instead of making it cleaner.