Cabinet space is a premium in any home, whether your kitchen boasts sprawling countertops and spacious cabinetry or is about the size of a postage stamp. You can never have enough. Working to organize your kitchen is the key to getting the most out of your storage and workspace, however — regardless of its size and layout.
If you think keeping your cabinets orderly requires just separating plates from bowls, think again. Kitchen organization tools have come leaps and bounds from the drawer organizers of old. Here are a few practical tips from the experienced design team at A&S Home Interiors to help you organize your kitchen cabinets and optimize their space and functionality.
1. Lose The Clutter
Before you can properly organize your kitchen, you must get rid of the items you no longer need. Parting with your belongings may be challenging at first, but making room to cook, clean, and entertain with ease will be well worth the effort to get rid of things you no longer use.
Start with five boxes to keep the decluttering process fast and easy, and label them:
- Donate
- Sell
- Trash
- Recycle
- Keep
Working your way around the room in a circle, decide if each item in your kitchen is useful or meaningful to you. If it’s in good condition, decide if it should be donated or sold. If it’s not, toss it — recycle things that can be recycled, and trash the rest.
Pro tip: Be sure the pieces you decide to keep are practical and necessary. Just because you’ve had a utensil for 20 years or a loved one gave you a particular knick-knack doesn’t mean you are obligated to keep it forever (nor should you). Parting with what you don’t need will help you organize your kitchen in no time.
2. Create Kitchen Zones
Once you’ve gotten rid of any unnecessary items in your kitchen, create zones for everything you plan to keep. Some practical zones could include:
- Consumables: edible items that will go in the fridge and cabinets
- Non-consumables: dishes, utensils, etc.
- Preparation: the place where you plan to prepare food
- Cooking: the appliances you plan to use for cooking, including the stove
- Cleaning: any items used to clean, including your sink and dishwasher
It’s important to set up your zones in a manner that flows naturally and makes sense. For example, storing plastic wrap near the refrigerator will make for easy clean up after meals. Likewise, it’s wise to store pots and pans near the stove for convenient cooking.
3. Get Organized
Once your food, cooking, and cleaning items have been separated by zones, it’s time to take your organizational skills to the next level. We recommend the following to organize your kitchen, plus keep it tidy and easy to use:
Pots, Pans, and Storage Containers
Pots and pans are some of the more frustrating things to keep organized in the kitchen, especially if they have lids. To keep them all neatly tucked away while still being easily accessible, store pots and pans on a pot organizer that will fit snugly in your cabinet. The lids can be filed away on a lid organizer secured to the inside of the same cabinet. Hanging pots and pans on hooks is a great way to free up valuable cabinet space as well if you have the room.
An adjustable bakeware rack is the way to go for cookie sheets and baking pans. By lining them up vertically, you’ll easily be able to see each one for easy use and also optimize your cabinet space.
Storage containers can be a major pain to keep organized. A pull-out food storage cabinet organizer can make all the difference in easily separating small containers from large ones, as well as securing tricky lids that always seem to be in the wrong place.
Food Storage
The goal is to use all the space available in your pantry or cabinet, while still being able to identify what you need. Remember that stackable can organizers, lazy susans, and expandable kitchen shelves are your friend when you organize your kitchen. Line up food that should be kept in its original packaging — such as boxed macaroni — to keep them visible but tidy. Dry goods, such as beans, pasta, and cereal, can meanwhile be poured into clear storage containers for easy access.
Cleaning Supplies
It’s best to store cleaning supplies away from anything you plan to consume (for safety). The safest place is usually under your sink. If you have children at home, installing a child-proof latch on cabinets that contain chemicals and cleaners is always a good idea. The cabinet under the sink is also an ideal place to hide your trash or recycling bin.
General Items
- Store dishes and appliances that you rarely use — think fine china or your ice cream machine — out of the way in upper cabinets.
- Dishes should be kept near the dishwasher to make unloading a breeze.
- Keep utensils and dinnerware separated with drawer organizers, preferably near the dishwasher or above the cabinet that holds the pots.
- Use the back side of cabinet doors whenever possible. This is the perfect place to hide spice packets, receipts, lids, and even dry erase boards.
- Try to utilize every inch of available cabinet space by inserting expandable kitchen shelves in wasted space.
- Label everything so you know what you have and where things belong when it’s time to put them away.
How to Create More Space As You Organize Your Kitchen
Your cabinets aren’t the only spot where you can maximize space as you organize your kitchen. Various countertop layouts available on the market today can effortlessly enhance the room with which you have to work and play in your kitchen. Some options that are as stylish as they are practical include:
- Tiered countertops
- Extendable countertops
- Sliding countertops
- Islands on wheels
- Pull-out cutting boards
Transforming a chaotic kitchen into one that is harmonious and well-organized may seem like an overwhelming feat, but it doesn’t have to be. A&S Home Interiors is here to help you from start to finish on your organizational journey. Visit our Lorton Virginia showroom or call to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced interior designers today. We can’t wait to help make your kitchen dreams a reality.
