4 easy DIY projects to simplify your kitchen

Use these four DIY project ideas to create a streamlined kitchen space that will look beautiful and feel like a productive work area at last.

• If your kitchen is adorned with shelving, you may not be making the most of the space. Sure, you can stack dishes on top of the shelves, but have you ever considered using the underside of each shelf to hang pots, pans and cooking utensils?
• Metal hooks are a cheap accessory that look elegant, and you can purchase all of the hooks that you need at a home improvement store.
• Just be sure to measure out enough space to hang your kitchen essentials before you start affixing the hooks, and measure carefully for an even result.

• Speaking of hanging kitchen storage, have you ever noticed how much space your spices take up on the counter? Instead of pushing them out of the way while cooking, get them off of the counter by hanging them.
• The materials include spice jars with metal lids, a white marker, craft wire, hot glue and nails. Write the name of the spice on the lid with the white marker, make a loop of wire that is twisted on the bottom and adhere the wire loop to the spice jar with the hot glue.
• Place the nails at an equal distance apart on the wall and hang the jar for easy access.

• While we're on the subject of hanging storage, why not hang pots and kitchen utensils from the pantry door? Removable hooks that are purchased according to the weight rating and the weight of your pots and pans are all you need to accomplish the goal of more storage.

• If you find that your kitchen has less-than-adequate lighting, under-counter LED lights offer a DIY solution to your problem. Flexible 5050 LED strips are ideal for this project.
• You have the option to purchase a lighting unit that will connect to the exterior of the underside of your counters, which is a DIY project.
• If you want something that fits into this space and is directly wired, this project becomes a professional installation situation.