WHAT IT TAKES
TIME: 3 hours
SKILL LEVEL: Seasoned beginner
R ecently we remodeled our kitchen: new cabinets, countertops, appliances, the works. Yet the first thing we show off when people visit isn’t the fancy new stove, but the ingenious two-tier spice tray. When we open the drawer, we can slide the top tray all the way back into the cabinet to access the entire bottom layer; no need to lift out a separate tray or sort through layers of stuff. It’s not only a space-saver but also a smart organizer since all the spices are in one place, face up. We used the same basic design to make a two-tier utensil drawer too.
Do a little measuring before diving into this project. You can install the 1-3/4-in.-thick tray (like ours) if your drawer is at least 4 in. deep on the inside. Also, these trays are most useful if your existing drawers have (or you install) full-extension slides on the main drawer.