The Genius Hack You Need When Storing Coffee Mugs To Maximize Cabinet Space

Because they are the indispensable vessel for your favorite cup of morning coffee or tea, mugs tend to get a free pass for taking up as much storage space as they need in your kitchen, inefficient as the system may be. These beloved cups can be downright awkward to store, with their bulky handles and inability to stack very well if they aren't a matching set. And odds are that unless you have an extra shelf added, most upper cabinets leave a decent gap above the layer of mugs and the next shelf, which is valuable unused storage square footage. However, there is hardly anything more satisfying than discovering a simple hack for sneaking extra storage into your home, and this fantastic mug organization hack that is low cost and requires minimal effort is no exception.

Charlotte Violet (@happyenchantedhome) shared her genius coffee mug storage solution to free up cabinet space on Instagram, and she did it by taking advantage of the vertical space between her mugs and the underside of the cabinet shelf above. By simply installing hooks under the cabinet shelf, she was able to hang her favorite decorative mugs in the open, unutilized space to add extra mug storage and display them clearly within the glass door cabinet. With a DIY project that only requires a drill and a few minutes of your time, you can maximize your kitchen mug storage capacity for only pennies.

This beginner-friendly DIY is an easy solution for doubling your cabinet mug storage without taking up any additional space. Begin by selecting affordable, small decorative hooks with a threaded screw base. The screw portion should be shorter than the thickness of the shelf so it doesn't poke through the wood. Measure the shelf and mark out the evenly spaced locations you'd like to install each hook, giving each mug plenty of wiggle room so it doesn't hit the others when hanging. 

Using a small bit, drill a shallow pilot hole into the underside of the cabinet shelf for each hook location. Screw each hook into place by hand, facing each opening toward the front of the cabinet. Finally, hang your favorite mugs on the hooks so they are simple to grab. For a glass-front cabinet, it displays them in an organized and attractive way.

Use the same method to hang your matching or curated collection of mugs on the underside of the cabinet or below open shelving to save additional cabinet space. Because the hooks would be visible and impact the aesthetic of your kitchen, you can showcase unique decorative hooks for more design impact. Alternatively, if you're a renter and don't want to drill any holes, you can buy hook brackets that simply slide over the front of the interior shelf and require no tools, such as this Ecroby set of two brackets that hold six mugs each. Regardless, take advantage of vertical hanging space by using hooks to efficiently organize and display mugs. No additional cabinet space needed.