If you missed my post on ‘How I Organized Our Bathroom’, you can get to that right here. Now, are you ready for round two?
I’m going to show you the lions share of how I organized our kitchen, but let me tell you this process didn’t happen overnight. The biggest change we implemented, and the one that made a world of difference, was adding pull out drawers wherever possible. Once we knew we were going to make the cabin our full time home, we added them in every cabinet possible. They make such a huge difference in the functionality of the kitchen!
When we purchased the house this cabinet already had two drawers installed, but as you might imagine that left a lot of wasted space so Fisherman built one and we purchased another one. I tried as best I could to have each drawer specifically for each type of cookware, and the top two drawers house the pots and pans I use on a regular basis.
TIP #1
IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD PULL OUT DRAWERS, USE INEXPENSIVE COOKIE SHEETS. THEY WORK GREAT FOR HARD TO REACH CABINETS LIKE THE ONES OVER THE REFRIGERATOR, OR IN BASE CABINETS.
The cabinet just above the pots and pans is super deep, and without these drawers there would be so much wasted space! There is still a lot of space I don’t use in the backs of the bottom two drawers, but that’s because I don’t need it. It feels so good to say that…knowing I have available space in case I need it is a luxury I’ve never had before!
TIP #2
FOR HARD TO REACH AREAS, IT’S AN ESPECIALLY GOOD IDEA TO UTLIZE LABELS
I decided to use the cabinet above the oven for the microwave. Yes, it’s a little higher than I would like, but when I need to clean it I just grab the little step stool that I’ve stored right next to it on the left. Since this cabinet is fairly deep, it’s perfect for long items like cutting boards which I’ve stored just to the right of the microwave.
Shallow drawers are an organizers best friend. It’s difficult for anything to get lost in them, and they make great storage for sandwich bags, foil, wax paper, etc.
Long, flat items such as trays, roasting pans and racks always present a storage dilemma. Get some inexpensive vertical holders to keep them upright and easily accessible.
TIP #3
DON’T FORGET TO UTILIZE YOUR VERTICAL SPACE
The middle section of this corner cabinet is pretty high, so I used a three tier plastic dish holder for smaller plates. Don’t need that much plate storage? How about hanging mugs from cup hooks instead?
And speaking of corner cabinets, to prevent them from becoming the ‘black hole’ in your kitchen, invest in a lazy susan. Like pull out drawers, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
I even decided to use a lazy susan on my lazy susan :). I bought the lazy susan initially for use in the pantry, but it wasn’t working for me. Then I used it a bit in the refrigerator, and that wasn’t working either. But now it found a home and it’s great for smaller item’s like extracts, spices, cooking liqueurs, etc.
TIP #4
KEEP ITEMS CLOSE TO WHERE YOU’RE LIKELY TO USE THEM
I make smoothies fairly often, so it was important to me to have my blender easily accessible. Here it is directly beneath the stove along with some casserole dishes and platters.
The blenders neighbors are my crockpot, my hand held blenders, some more platters and casserole dishes.
I have a LOT of spices (this isn’t all of them), and since the kitchen has more than its fair share of drawer space, I had no qualms about dedicating a full drawer for most of them.
I also have a fair amount of knives. Good knives deserve their own dedicated storage space, whether that’s a knife block, a drawer like this or on your wall it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that they’re taken care of properly and are easy to get to.
TIP #5
CLUTTER EXPANDS TO FIT THE SPACE IT’S GIVEN. IF YOU CAN, USE TWO SMALL DRAWERS AS ‘JUNK’ DRAWERS RATHER THAN ONE BIG ONE AND KEEP ITEMS IN SMALL BASKETS.
I read an article recently on organizing where the author recommended not having a junk drawer. I disagree. Every kitchen needs a junk drawer. Our kitchen has three! Here’s where you can get really cheap dollar store containers and put small items in them like I did. Scissors, tape, ties, whatever. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t come across something that I don’t have the perfect place for, so here it goes!
I have more gadgets than I know what to do with! Admittedly, no one needs four can openers. Some of these items I use a lot, some hardly ever. But since I have the extra space I’m keeping everything for now. They will come in handy if we get an RV!
Told you I had a lot of gadgets! We used a towel bar behind the stove top to hold some of them, and even more are in that cute little tote a friend gave me last year.
TIP #6
NESTLE LIKE ITEMS ON TOP OF EACH OTHER TO SAVE SPACE
Honestly, I don’t think I can name one single thing that takes up as much space as storage containers! But they’re a necessary evil. All those bulky storage containers are kept in two large drawers located in the kitchen island.
I don’t know what I would do without this pantry! We converted the bifold doors to ‘french style’ doors so we could take advantage of the backs. I painted them with chalkboard paint but I’m finding I don’t write on them very often. We generally do that on the side of the refrigerator instead. But I do use them for things like the gym schedule, bills to be paid, upcoming appts, or anything else I don’t want to forget about.
We keep paper goods on top of the refrigerator but since they’re not super easy to get to there, I keep a supply of napkins and paper towels in the pantry and when they run out I just replenish them.
When you can combine something functional with something decorative it’s always a bonus, and that’s exactly what I did with this plate rack.
Here are a few links to some of my favorite organizing gadgets and websites (NOT affiliate links):
Two tiered organizers for drawers double your space. Find some here
If you like having a coffee or tea station type set up in your kitchen, it’s great to have a tea box. These boxes can also hold sugar packets, making them super practical.
If you need hair styling products in a convenient and safe location, this bamboo styling station will do the job nicely.
Labeling items is one of the best ways to keep things organized. This label maker is a popular one, and well priced.
Few items are as efficient for organizing as clear-pocket shoe holders. They’re not always easy to find, but one store that carries them and also happens to be one of my favorites is The Container Store. At only $15.00, you’ll get a huge bang for your buck. I use one in the pantry and one in my craft room and they’re indispensable. You can also use them for cleaning products, scarves and other accessories, first-aid supplies and even small toys.
In other news.,.
We are currently in Lake Worth, and by the time you read this will have been here for almost three weeks. It’s an artsy town filled with galleries, restaurants, bars and shops and we’re within walking distance of it all. We’ve been biking to the beach since that’s a bit further than town, but that’s only about 15 minutes so you really can’t ask for more than that. We’ve been visiting a few RV resorts while we’re here just to see if any of them are places we’d like to hang our hats at some point, and the verdict is ‘maybe’. How’s that for decisiveness?
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Brenda Kula says
Great ideas here! When we remodeled our kitchen when I was married and living in TX, we had cabinets turned into pull out drawers. Made so much difference! Things behind doors just get lost.
Brenda
Selene Galindo says
Great tips, Doreen! I especially like the idea of using cookie sheets to easily pull items out! Genius!
Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse says
You’re so organised! I’m a little envieoux of all your drawers!
Danni@SiloHillFarm says
Wow! YOu sure gave a lot of great tips in this post! I love how much stuff you can store in that tricked out pantry. Also love your lazy suzan in the lazy suzan! Too funny!
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says
Great tips for organizing your kitchen, Doreen! We were lucky enough that the kitchen here had several of those pull outs in the cabinets, as well as the lazy susan in the one corner cabinet. I was also happy to have a thin cabinet that was perfect for cookie sheets and the pizza pan (and others of that type). I have the same spice organizer in one of our drawers! I keep the smaller containers in there and use the big ones I have in the upper corner cabinet. I was also happy to have an appliance garage here. It is nice for keeping the toaster and can opener plugged in and handy, but out of sight.
Cecilia says
Great tips, Doreen! Want to come organize my spaces? 🙂 I like the idea of drawers; they would make everything so much more accessible! If we redo the kitchen I am adding those!
You sound like you’re having a good time. Come visit me when you get an RV…we have the correct plugin. 🙂
Hugs,
Cecilia
Dewena says
Wow! I think you have an answer for about every need here, thank you! And yes, oh how I wish we’d had all of the lower cabinets made with pull out drawers when we added on our kitchen. Only have two of them done now and I love their efficiency, while I mutter to myself every time I have to practically stand on my head to reach what’s in the back of the other lower ones. and that corner cabinet? Our contractor played dumb when we tried to explain to him about lazy susans so we’re stuck with not only standing on our heads but doing it squeezed into a corner.
Your pantry: how smart to have the french doors instead of bifolds! I can see how great it would be to have the backs of the doors to make use of. Our pantry is very wide and is in the narrow space that used to by my old kitchen, which in turn was the original narrow back porch of the farmhouse, so I’m afraid the doors would nearly block the space when opened. I did get some ideas just by looking at how your pantry is organized.
So many ideas here, thank you! And don’t we all wish we could peek into the cabinets when we visit a house? I loved the peek!
Okay, I wish you could do an office organization, and a living room that doubles as a writing/blogging room next! Great job, Doreen!
Dewena
Jane says
Great, great ideas here. I think the pull out drawers should be in all home builders plans. And your pantry…I want one! I have been de~cluttering the kitchen and moving items from one place to another to see if I can get more room. It’s frustrating, and like the linen closet, it requires being kept neat every day.
Bike rides to the beach…I’m so envious!
Jane x
Julie says
Thanks for sharing these great tips for the kitchen. I love how much cabinet space you have too. Enjoy the weekend.
Alycia Nichols says
Another wonderful project for me to look forward to when I’m finally up and around again! I know lazy Susans are terrific, and we have a corner cabinet that could greatly benefit from the installation of of one. I like a lot of the other ideas here. I plan to visit our new IKEA store when my body is finally able. I feel sure t will be able to find comparable items to pimp our kitchen! Thanks for sparking the flame!
kelly says
I think you would make Martha Stewart proud! Your kitchen is super organized. Thanks for sharing so many great tips.
Feral Turtle says
How wonderful to have so much space Doreen! I would love to put a few more drawers in my kitchen. I think they are the best! I actually built a large floor lazy susan for my pantry and it is awesome. I keep my flour, sugar and other large buckets on it, and I am going to make more for in there. Corners are always so awkward.
Amy @ StowandTellU says
Okay, you’ve really given me some great ideas that I never would have thought of. The hanging bar along the back of the stove area, using a drawer for the tin foil and such, and using small dividers in the junk drawer. Love the lazy susan on your lazy susan, too. Thanks for all the tips, great food for thought!
Carrie@northwoods scrapbook says
Such ingenious uses of space Doreen! We have the pullout drawers too and I couldn’t get by without them as I’m way too short to reach the back of the cabinets!! Lol I didn’t get to design our kitchen but thrilled that it came with designated spaces for pans, sheet pans, spices etc. They must have gone to the school of Doreen as well. 😉 Love these peeks into your home and all the wonderful tips & advice. Thanks for sharing. Xoxo
Christine says
I am so jealous of your pantry….I have a small closet too but it is definitely not a walk in! lol You put together such great tips for organizing a kitchen it makes me want to go check out my drawers and spice cabinet! and then hit Bed Bath and beyond my budget….LOL
Vashti Quiroz-Vega says
Hi Doreen! There are so many great tips here. What an awesome post and couldn’t have come at a better time. My kitchen is being built as we speak and yes, there will be a Lazy Susan for each corner cabinet. I love the idea of labeling the items that are hard to reach, using clear-pocket shoe holders in the kitchen pantry, and using a towel bar to hold some of my gadgets! Brilliant! I’m going to pin this article to have it for future reference. Thank you! 😀 <3
Poppy says
You have made such amazing use of your kitchen and its various spaces, Doreen! I never really thought about the advantages of pull out drawers until I reached 50, and since I am not as fit as I once was, reaching and actually grabbing that pot or pan when the stove is already turned on has become a hazard in itself!
My goodness, you DO have a lot of gadgets, but you have organized them so well that they really are at the ready. And I couldn’t agree with you more re: those junk drawers – totally necessary! I have one in my kitchen island and another in my credenza/hutch, and I know exactly where to find all those very useful things that don’t neatly fit into categories, when I need them – imperative, I tell you!
Thanks for sharing all your amazing tips!
xoxo
Poppy
Sue says
All this space and a pantry too. Honestly you have great use of space with your kitchen. I like the big cabinet for the pots and pans and pull out drawers for the big appliances; these are kind of my problem areas. I have too may pots and pans too though. Loved this kitchen tour!!!
Vicky Hunt says
I’m naturally organized, but things have begun to get cluttered and I am on a mission to clean them up and re-organize! I love all the storage in your kitchen. It looks great. Glad to hear you’re enjoying your time here in Florida! I just hope it’s a little warmer where you are. It’s been pretty chilly here recently. Have a wonderful week!
Blessings, Vicky
Amy @ Ms. Toody Goo Shoes says
Lots of great tips, Doreen! I have to say my kitchen is the one room in my house that is pretty organized. I love the idea of a lazy susan on your lazy susan! I have got to get one for mine! Hope your are having a great time in Florida! Enjoy! My husband can’t wait till we can spend winters down there – we are thinking of the Boca area.
Mimi says
Doreen you are the Queen of Organised! These are great tips and you’re right that little things like the cooking sheets to assist in pulling things out makes such a difference. Genius! I use baskets to the same effect, and it’s been a great way to keep things in reach in deep old style kitchen cupboards. On another note…our kitchens are almost identical, cosmetically speaking. Same whitewashed wood, same granite…freaky! Mimi xxx