In my Brooklyn apartment, I had exactly 9.5 inches of counter space next to the sink. Watching anyone cook in that kitchen was like watching some sort of freak choreography: chopping on a small cutting board placed inside the sink and balancing bowls on top of burners. No dishwasher either, but I wasn’t giving up those precious 9.5 inches to a clunky dish drainer. We went for an over-the-sink wood version instead and it was a lifesaver—often doubling as an extra surface.
Here are the 10 best space-saving dish racks for freeing up the counter.
Above: The Umbra Sinkin Mini Dish Rack in black and nickel is designed to be used inside the sink (but can also pair with a tray for the countertop). It’s $9.99 on Amazon and also available for €12 at Merci in Paris. Above: The RigTig Dishy Dish Rack is designed by Stelton as a two-in-one product—washing-up bowl and dish rack—for small kitchens. It also includes a drain board and cutlery compartment; $56 at Scandinavian Design Center. (You can also find the rack on Food52 in grey or green, though it’s currently out of stock.) Above: From Japanese housewares company Yamazaki, the Tower Wire Basket Sink Drainer is designed to sit at the edge of the sink (note the built-in drainage system on the bottom) or set into larger sinks on the side; $49 at Amazon. Above: The Polder Compact Stainless-Steel Dish Rack with Utensil Holder is $29.99 at Amazon. Above: Another solution from Yamazaki, the Tower Dish Drainer is a modeled after a washing up tub but has groves for keeping plates, bowls, and cups organized and a compartment for cutlery. It’s $28.99 at Overstock. Above: The Hay Dish Drainer Rack can be used alone or paired with a different tray, dish, or tea towel for tight spaces; $29.30 at Finnish Design Shop. The full set, including the tray seen here, is available through Hay and earned a spot on our list of full size countertop dish drainers. Above: The Tornillo Wooden Dish Rack is made from tornillo, a South American hardwood, and hooks onto the edges of the sink; $115 from A Détacher. Above: The simple Oggi Dish Drainer 3-Pc Set is made of stainless steel; $21.99 at Target. Above: The Vintage Draining Rack makes use of vertical space with two levels of stacking and a section for cutlery; £45 at Garden Trading. Above: The Muji Stainless Steel Basket Sliding Type has an extension that fits to the sink; $38 at Muji. Above: The Yamazaki Tower Sink Drainer fits across the sink (it expands or contracts to fit different sizes) and is made of heavy plastic. It comes with two removable compartments for utensils and the whole thing can be used to rinse vegetables after washing; $35 AUD at Father Rabbit. Above: The Made by Design Over-the-Sink Wire Dish Rack adjusts to different sink sizes and can be fitted across or lengthwise over the sink; $12 in white or black at Target. For more dish drainers see our posts:
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.
Full Access Individual Subscription
Benefits include:
Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive the full-text daily newsletters
All features that Members have access to
Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Become a Member at no charge
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?