Expandable Kitchen Drawer Organizers

The kitchen drawer organization solution for every drawer

OXO

Client

OXO
Industry

Consumer Goods
Services

Customer Research, Industrial Design, Human Factors, Design for Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, Prototyping

Client

OXO

Industry

Consumer Goods
Services

Customer Research, Industrial Design, Human Factors, Design for Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, Prototyping

With the vast expanse of kitchen tools found in people’s homes, many struggle to organize all their favorite items into drawers.

Spoons, knives, and other combinations of serving utensils can pile up haphazardly making it hard to retrieve the right tool at the right time. Current drawer organizer solutions are clunky and never quite fit correctly. The OXO Good Grips Expandable Kitchen Drawer Organizers provide a true custom feel to your kitchen cabinetry organization.

Smart Design and OXO teamed up to design the OXO Good Grips Expandable Kitchen Drawer Organizers to help consumers conquer kitchen clutter.

International Design Excellence Awards

The OXO Goods Grips Expandable Drawer Organizer won Silver in the Home category at the 2022 IDEA Awards.

Improving a classic

The design of the OXO Good Grips Expandable Kitchen Tool Drawer Organizer was meant as a refresh of OXO’s existing Expandable Utensil Organizer. We wanted to keep the functionality the same while improving the design and execution.

Currently, custom-built drawer solutions are the only way to achieve a truly seamless in-drawer organizational experience. We wanted to give everyone the opportunity to customize their drawers without a major investment. Our reimagining was designed to fit flawlessly into anyone’s drawers while providing a custom look.

As part of our user research, we collected over 250 pictures of people’s kitchens to determine how people organized their tools and what kind of solutions they were currently employing. We found that no kitchen is created equal, meaning every kitchen had different dimensions for its drawers. Consumers didn’t want another drawer organizer for their flatware, tools, and gadgets. They wanted an organizer for their drawer that made it easy to find the items they needed at the moment.

Installing new features

As people go through different styles of cooking, the tools they use may change or move to more prominent placement. The movable dividers are meant to accommodate those changing needs. By being easily adaptable, the organizer can be redone to meet your needs.

Another innovative facet of the organizer was the flatware tray. Typically, flatware trays are designed to be dropped in and not moved. By making it removable, functionality and adaptability were added to the overall design.

Refining the design

The designs feature a balance of soft and inviting interiors with a crisp and contoured exterior structure. This makes for a seamless, built-in, custom kitchen feel for the user at a fraction of the cost. Subtle color–breaks communicate special features and interactive functions. Besides providing optimum organization within your drawers – thoughtful features, such as the removable flatware caddies, create a seamless transition from drawer to point–of–use at the table or from dishwasher to drawer.

The space-maximizing designs features square corners to deliver a clean corner-to-corner, edge-to-edge fit. Each organizer includes a different solution to fit the needs of different people. A storage cup provides a tidy landing spot for small gadgets, like wine stoppers and bag clips, while the dividers provide infinite customization for long–handled tools and odd–shaped gadgets. The utensil organizer features a space–maximizing lift and carry–holder that doubles utensil storage and ease of table setting and cleaning. The non-slip feet keep the organizers in place when you open and close the drawer.

The one-drawer solution for all

Customizable features of the tool organizers include an extendable open area perfect for irregular-shaped or long-handled utensils, while the semi-modular architecture allows for personalization to accommodate silverware and people’s storage methodology. The subtle but sufficient dividers allow the consumer to display their tools in a clear and ordered manner, while also customizing the organizer for their kitchen’s needs.

The narrow and expandable nature of The OXO Good Grips Expandable Kitchen Drawer Organizer system makes it easier for people when they’re shopping for a new drawer solution. Consumers may not know the size of their drawers while browsing for an organizer, so they might buy the wrong size or get frustrated in the process of shopping for a solution that doesn’t fit their needs. The organizer simplifies the shopping process by delivering a customizable experience that will take the guesswork out of the shopping experience.

Our final design toned down busy features and introduced flexibility through simple, adaptable elements. We were able to achieve the fit-to-fill in kitchen drawers that is simple, highly functional, and work for most scenarios.

The organizer launched in July 2021 and can be purchased on oxo.com and other select retailers, such as Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, and the Container Store.

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