15 Clever Hidden Design Features You Need In Your Kitchen

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There might be more to your kitchen than meets the eye. We're talking about hidden design features, which may only be visible to those who know where to look for them. Sure, some of these features can make you feel like you're living in a fancy, old-fashioned mansion with secrets to hide, while others have a more modern and practical feel. They can also be a secret weapon for helping to keep your kitchen clean, tidy, and uncluttered. Plus, they can solve problems, like the need for extra space, make it easier to complete regular kitchen tasks, or even make your space more eco-friendly. 

If you're curious about the different ways you can upgrade your kitchen with hidden design features, we're ready to let you in on some secrets. The best thing is that you don't have to do a total renovation to add a few of these design elements to your home; while some require basic construction, others can be purchased and added with minimal effort.

Who hasn't wished for a hidden room somewhere in their house? It turns out that you don't have to live in a castle or haunted mansion to have one. Hidden access doors are great for concealing pantries, mudrooms, or laundry rooms.

Most of us probably think of a secret room hidden behind a bookshelf, but you can also use the door itself to display other kitchen-related items. For one, you can add bottom cabinetry to increase your storage. Or, make the door to your secret room look just like another tall cabinet door. If you don't have other tall cabinet doors in your kitchen, you can make the design fit the current style better by stacking shorter cabinet doors on top of each other, making it look like you have a stack of two or three cabinet doors that open outward like French doors, rather than a single cabinet door.

Possibly even cooler and more unexpected than a secret room in your kitchen is a secret staircase under your kitchen island. After all, who needs all that extra island storage space when you can have a whole room underneath?

Simply activate the mechanism that slides the countertop away from its base, and suddenly, you reveal a hidden staircase in your kitchen. What's down the stairs is up to you. Sure, it could simply lead to a normal basement, but it could also lead to a pantry, or even a very classy wine cellar. People have also created their hidden staircase to go downstairs into an emergency bunker, complete with emergency rations.

The nice thing about having the countertop slide rather than lifting upward like a hatch is that you don't necessarily have to remove anything from the countertop when you want to go downstairs. Granted, you'd probably need to unplug any countertop appliances to prevent a disaster. Considering that possibility, it's probably best not to have any outlets on your island in the first place.

Hidden rooms and staircases are perfect places to hide a bar. Creative places to put it include inside cabinets or in a separate, speakeasy-style room. A cabinet door or secret panel can conceal your bar, while a few shelves can hold your favorite beverages, glassware, shakers, and other bar essentials.
You could even have a countertop, sink, and small fridge. Under-cabinet lighting or mood-creating wallpaper can also be transformative.

While there are many great speakeasies worth visiting, you could also have your very own — provided you're working with a large enough space. A hidden staircase can lead to a hidden speakeasy, tucked away in a basement wine cellar. You can create the right mood with elements like cozy lighting, dark wood, and leather.

If you're the type of person who likes everything tidily tucked away in your kitchen, you've likely dreamed of a way to hide your pet's food bowls. You can create an open or enclosed feeding space. An open one would allow your pet access 24/7. A good location for this is at the very end of your cabinetry, underneath your countertop. Water spills are inevitable, so you may want to use a countertop material for the bowl insets so messes are easy to clean. You can even add a faucet above the water bowl so you don't have to move the bowl every time your pet needs a refill. 

A closed feeding area, on the other hand, will allow you to control when your pet has access to food. This is useful for when you are away and want to control their potty times. A good option is a cabinet with a lower drawer that pulls out to reveal the bowls, like the Roomfitters modern pet feeding station.

Appliance garages aren't necessarily new, but they have evolved a bit from the conspicuous roll-up doors to even sneakier hiding places. Such appliance garages can hide anything from bulky instant pots and toasters to even larger appliances like microwaves, providing a cleaner look in your kitchen.

You can install lift doors that stay raised while you operate or retrieve appliances. The only negative is that you can't access the cabinets immediately above the space while the doors are open. In that case, roll-out shelves may be a better option. The cabinet door opens outward as normal, but a slide-out shelf that pulls the appliances forward onto your countertop for easy access. If it's placed next to a wall, you won't have to worry about the door getting in your way. Another option is pocket door cabinets, which allow you to open and slide them back into a recess on either side of the opening, making it look like an open shelf. 

If you're not sold on the idea of an appliance garage, perhaps you'd prefer a pop-up or drop-down appliance storage lift. These nifty gadgets, like this Rev-A-Shelf kitchen cabinet spring-loaded mixer and appliance lift, can be tucked away in a cabinet. When you're ready to use an appliance, like a stand mixer or a blender, you can easily open the cabinet and lift it to the countertop with little effort on your part. 

You can also install automatic lifts in your countertop that allow your appliances to pop up from underneath. For example, if you only use your coffee center in the morning, why not have it as a pop-up to use just for breakfast? You can also use a pop-up or drop-down lift for heavier appliances that you don't use often. Some features you may want to add include electrical outlets, lighting, and rubber gaskets in case of overhead spills if it's a pop-up.

One really fun idea is to hide a flat-screen TV under your countertop or have it drop down from your upper cabinets. That way, when you're cooking and want to follow a video guide, or watch your favorite TV show or a ballgame, you can do it from your kitchen. Some even swivel to face another direction, like the dining area or another cooking area.

Not only can you hide away small appliances, like stand mixers and microwaves, but also large ones — like refrigerators. Hiding a small or large fridge will not only give your space a sleeker look, but also allow you to showcase the other features of your minimalist kitchen.

Many people opt to hide their fridge by using the same cabinetry as the rest of their kitchen. Panelized refrigerators allow you to easily match your appliance to your existing kitchen design. Plus, the clean lines can also make a smaller kitchen, like a galley-style kitchen, look larger. Another advantage to hiding your refrigerator behind cabinetry is that it can help dampen refrigerator sounds like machinery hums or ice-making cycles.

When looking for a fridge to use for a hidden refrigerator cabinet, there are a few considerations. First, a panel-style, panel-ready fridge with side-by-side doors works best. You'll want to ensure that the fridge depth leaves room for your cabinetry while staying flush with any nearby countertops. Also, since it's enclosed, you'll want to choose a fridge that vents from the front instead of the back.

If you find yourself in need of more countertop space in your kitchen, retractable hidden countertops may be a good solution. These slide-out countertops hide under your regular countertops and can be used when you need more space.

Retractable countertops can be helpful whether you have a large or a small kitchen. They provide extra space without always being in the way or collecting appliances on top of them. Hidden countertops may be a more affordable than adding additional countertop space and can serve as an alternative to a kitchen island. 

Some retractable countertops swing out from underneath an existing countertop, forming a right angle and featuring a drop-down leg for stability. Others pivot and pull out with the same concept. There are also types that can be recessed into the cabinetry and pull straight out on rollers instead of having drop-down legs. We've also seen some that are more like pull-out, butcher block-style narrow drawers. However, these may not be as steady if they don't come with a supporting leg.

Under-cabinet toe-kick space is often wasted in kitchens. But what if you could utilize all that dead space? It turns out that you can with hidden toe-kick drawers. You may have enough space to hide all sorts of things, from pans to cookie sheets. You could even use it for storing fancy dishes and themed tablecloths you don't keep in your regular rotation.

You can give the drawer a kick with your foot to release it. This eliminates the need for a handle at toe-height, which you might otherwise trip over or kick. Plus, this design allows you to hide away valuables.

One really useful feature you might want to try installing is a sturdy panel that slides over the toe-kick drawer to turn it into a stair-step. It gives you a couple of extra inches of height to reach items in higher cabinets. 

If you're the type of person who would hide your knives away rather than display them in a knife block on the countertop, an in-drawer knife block might be exactly what you need. This storage solution can hold quite a lot of knives, depending on the width and depth of your drawer. 

In-drawer knife blocks can hold multiple layers of knives, either stacked on top of each other or in a graduated step pattern within the drawer, like the Utoplike in-drawer knife block. You could potentially fit multiple sets of knives in a single drawer for different occasions. Some even come with extra compartments in the front, perfect for adding other items like kitchen shears.

There are several different design options. If you have an extra-wide drawer or just a few knives, you could use just part of the drawer for your knife block and leave the rest of the drawer open for other storage purposes. Companies that custom-make in-drawer knife blocks also often offer a variety of wood finishes to help you match them to your cabinetry or color scheme. 

While most people mount their electrical outlets on the wall or the sides of cabinets in their kitchen, you can also opt to hide them away. Pop-up kitchen electrical outlets not only hide plugs from sight to create a sleeker kitchen design, but they can also provide electrical access in the middle of an island countertop.

As their name suggests, these electrical outlets fit into your countertop and pop up when you press on them. When you're finished using them, simply press them down to hide them below the countertop surface.

Pop-up electrical outlets come with some great features. For example, they're designed to be spill-proof when they're pushed down into the countertop. Companies often offer many colors so you can find something that looks good in your kitchen. For instance, you might find ones that match stone countertops, have a neutral finish like white or black, or come in a metallic finish to match your other appliances. 

Not only do you have to stow your cutting boards away when not in use, but it can also be a hassle to find somewhere to put fruit and vegetable peelings that you don't plan to eat. A pull-out cutting board with a refuse receptacle underneath solves both of these problems. 

All you need to do is use the sliding mechanism to pull out the trash can, then open the upper drawer containing the hidden cutting board. You can either shove the peelings off the edge of the cutting board and into the garbage — which should be pulled slightly further out than the cutting board is — or you can use a cutting board with a hole and drop the peels straight into the garbage can. Ideally, you want a cutting board that you can lift out of the space for easy cleaning.

Narrow pull-out spice racks maximize your storage space, no matter the size of your kitchen. These racks can come in handy whether your kitchen is well-stocked with seasonings or you just have a few jars.

One of the most important tips for organizing your spice rack is to invest in the right organizer for your space. Many organizers leave you unable to see the labels on your jars, and the deeper back your spices go into your cabinet, the harder it is to find the ones you want. One of the great things about a pull-out spice rack is that your spices are all in a single or double layer deep, making it easier to find the seasonings you need. 

One option is to have narrow spice racks built into your existing cabinetry. You can get ones that slide out from spaces below the countertop as well as options that pull out from beside overhead cabinetry. However, there are also ones like the Lakeside Collection slim four-tier storage rack cart that can fit in narrow spaces, like between your refrigerator and the wall or a cabinet.

One hidden kitchen feature we've always wanted is a hidden sink foot pedal. A hidden foot pedal can make it easier to turn on the sink if your hands are messy, which in turn prevents the spread of mess and bacteria around your kitchen. Since you never know how fastidious everyone using the kitchen is about not touching the faucet knobs with dirty hands, this installation can give you peace of mind. Additionally, kids who are still too short to reach the faucets without a step-stool can access water.

Plus, sink foot pedals can reduce water use. They work like gas pedals: Press down a little for a small stream, press down more for a more intense stream, and take your foot off the pedal when you're done. Using this type of sink pedal greatly reduces the amount of water you would otherwise waste. Plus, you can easily install ones like the LukLoy floor mount single pedal yourself with a bit of effort.

If you lack space for an indoor or outdoor herb garden, may we suggest a hydroponic kitchen island? This secret herb garden drawer doesn't contribute to countertop clutter and allows you to grow fresh herbs underneath. 

Basically, you can open up the island to reveal a grow light at the top and a hydroponic garden of herbs at the bottom. Having the herbs in a slide-out drawer allows easier access. Sure, natural sunlight is ideal for herbs, but if you don't have that option and don't need all the storage space beneath your kitchen island for other purposes, it can be a good alternative.

You can even start with a hydroponics growing system rather than constructing your own. Systems like the LetPot hydroponics growing system come with lighting, a growing basin, and sometimes even a remote control. In fact, if you get one that's small enough, you may not even have to make many changes to your existing island, as long as it fits in the space and leaves room for storing other items.