Creating An Organized Kitchen

An organized kitchen makes everyday life easier and efficient. It’s easy to lose perspective in the kitchen no matter what size. Here are three thoughts that you can use to have the organized kitchen perfect for you. My next blog will be kitchen themed too, as this is a pretty common area of clutter and disorganization.

1. Assess: Get a look at the lay of the land. This will be the deciding factor in what organizing systems you can use and how many items you can accommodate.
   • How much space you have to work with in cabinets? Countertop?
     • You may want to take “before” photos and then clear out the space to see with fresh eyes
2. Create Zones: Walk the space as you use it. What do you like about it? What don’t you like?
   • Take the time to figure out what you would like to have in close proximity to the appliances. This is really a good place to start. Sounds simple? Honestly, this is what makes the kitchen functional for you. In turn, your kitchen should allow you to be efficient in all aspects of kitchen performance from meal prep to clean up.
3. Food Storage: This is definitely space dependent.
   • In a small kitchen, you have to decide what is most important to you, food or non food items.
     • If the choice is food, could you scale back on the non food items such as small appliances or larger items that take up space but are used infrequently? If not, is there another area you could use to store these items? (Ex: closet, basement shelving, garage shelving or a dining room area)
   • In medium-large kitchens with adequate cabinetry or a pantry, the focus should be more on better utilizing the spaces.
     • Be realistic about the amount of food you need to store. This also includes spices and baking items which are less frequently used but take up space.
     • Store your food as it makes sense to you. As this is your custom space, give this some thought. 
       • My tip is to group like items so it’s easier to find things.
     • Remove items from packaging as much as desired. The ability to better maximize your space and effectively store multiple items increases with the use of organizing accessories. It is also a very practical way of keeping dry goods fresh. You could use containers that are more uniform in shape and size or baskets and bins that will allow you to group like items together.

A well organized kitchen starts with a plan. It’s not too late to revamp what isn’t working in your kitchen without doing a home renovation. As I have shared three thoughts with you on how to begin the process, I hope this will be the impetus to start.

“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” - Anonymous