Turn A Thrifted Magazine Rack Into Useful Kitchen Storage

If you've spent any amount of time in the thrift store, you've probably seen loads of magazine racks. It's one of those miscellaneous home goods priced cheaply since, let's be honest, not many people read magazines anywhere but online these days. These humble relics from the print era are making a comeback, though — not as decor, but as clever and easy storage solutions for an array of different things around the home. If you're budget-savvy, you've probably already recognized the thrift store trend to revolutionize kitchen storage with freestanding cabinets. It's so fun to upcycle products into something more practical. You'd be amazed at the many things you can use a thrifted magazine rack for: pans, cutting boards, cookbooks, games, and more.

These handy magazine racks are already the perfect size for your kitchen storage, too. They are narrow enough to slide partially out of sight or set on the counter as part of your decor. The aesthetic is another plus, since many of these racks come in various colors and materials (leather, metal, wood, wicker) to complement your kitchen's overall style, whether rustic, farmhouse, or vintage. You can also paint it and add crafty elements to customize it if you want. Next time you're at the thrift store, don't skip the magazine rack section, because you just might bring home your new favorite kitchen storage! Here are some great ways to turn a thrifted magazine rack into storage ideas that you can try out in your kitchen.

A popular way to use your rack is for holding all of your cutting boards so that they are close by and keep your counters clear. Cutting boards are always sliding and falling, no matter where you store them, so finding a good spot is tough. When you place them upright into a wooden magazine rack, they can sit neatly separated and be far more accessible.

If you use that wide drawer underneath your oven as storage for your sheet pans, trays, cooling racks, or muffin tins, think again. That's not even what that drawer is for in some cases. Depending on your oven, it's supposed to keep food warm after baking. Instead, you can use a magazine rack as a stylish solution to hold all of your lengthy pans and racks without the need to use up your warming drawer. 

Finding a place in your kitchen for your cookbooks isn't an easy task. Many people often store their cookbooks in a drawer, but since they are out of sight, they become out of mind and forgotten. Utilizing the magazine rack for your cookbook storage is a great idea, and you can paint it to match your kitchen colors. It's a way to keep them in sight and handy when you want to find a recipe for dinner or do some baking, without the need to dig through a drawer for the book.

Let's face it — we all lose or can't easily find the lids to our pots and pans. And we all have that one friend who has their perfectly matched containers and lids all together. A magazine rack is an excellent solution to store all of your pot and pan lids together in one place. You can stack them according to size, making them easy to find when needed. Plus, you can install a wire magazine rack on the inside of a cabinet door where you have organized your pots and pans as another storage spot for the lids with their corresponding containers.

Maybe you need a storage spot to keep your aluminum foil, plastic wrap, parchment paper, and other such kitchen staple items. Take a magazine rack and use that as a way to store all of these paper and plastic products within arm's reach. It can be useful, especially if you don't have a lot of drawer and cabinet storage. Cleanup after cooking and baking will become a breeze with these items close by.

Mesh or wooden magazine racks have holes that allow natural air circulation, so they are an excellent place for your produce. You can place onions, garlic, potatoes, or even squash in them. Line the bottom of your rack(s) with some fabric or a mat for moisture and to catch any skins or dirt that falls. It gives your kitchen a more vintage pantry vibe with a wooden rack, or a metal rack works for a more modern kitchen.

For many, the kitchen is a place for gathering together. So, when you have family or friends over, you often want to have some fun. What better idea than to repurpose your magazine rack to hold some board games or records, so you can grab and play when you're hanging out in the kitchen? Genius!

If you don't own or have the budget for a fancy wine rack, but would love some sort of wine storage handy, you can use a magazine rack. It can become the perfect place to store your bottles. It's a fun and stylish way to display them and grab them easily when company comes over. Just ensure that if you stack them horizontally, you're careful when pulling them out and go from top to bottom.

Water bottles can be a pain to store, especially if you have cabinets that aren't high enough to fit them with the lids attached. You can organize your water bottles with magazine racks for easy storage and keep the lids on. Then, they're easy to grab, and everything stays together.

If you don't have a large pantry space or feel the need to organize it better, magazine holders might just be the perfect fit. You can use them to store your pasta boxes next to your cans and other boxed goods in the pantry, or tuck them safely in the cabinet. The mesh holders, in particular, are an excellent size for holding your tall pasta boxes for lasagna, spaghetti, and linguini.

Perhaps you have some greenery and want to use it to decorate your kitchen. Using a wooden magazine rack, painting it a dark color for contrast, and adding some long legs is a great way to display your plants or add some style with your greenery. You can also utilize it as a portable caddy to store things like your tea or coffee items. This works well if you have a coffee bar or something else set up elsewhere so you can easily move your kitchen items.