A major hub of the home is the kitchen. This space goes beyond meal prep and is the site of many a conversation, informal gathering, and memory made. It is usually high traffic and multipurpose. And, unfortunately, the kitchen can be an often-used space that could use a boost in the organization department. If you want to overhaul your kitchen’s organization this year, you are taking on a lofty but worthy project. Here are some ideas for getting it done right.
Organizing and cleaning really go hand-in-hand. This is a great time of year to give your kitchen a major scrubbing as you shape it up. Start with the “un-seen,” the cabinetry and drawers. Go cabinet by cabinet, drawer by drawer, and really analyze the contents. The pivotal question is what are you using versus what is just taking up your space. Start filling boxes with things large and small that just don’t cut the mustard in your kitchen any longer. Hone in on outdated and unused dishes, glasses, baking dishes, pots and pans, serving pieces, or small appliances that do not work or never get used. Get these items out, whether you donate them or throw away what’s unusable. Thoroughly wipe down each cabinet shelf and drawer as you move along and add or replace old drawer and shelf liners if you like.
Tackle the prime real estate that is the kitchen countertops. If it is not used on a daily basis, put it away in some of that space you just opened up. Keep counters clear to a) make your kitchen look larger, b) banish the clutter, and c) make cleaning fast and easy. Repeat the process with the pantry shelves as well. You want to ultimately not store things that you don’t deem worthy of gracing your table, oven, stove, or buffet. Why waste the space you have with things you don’t like or don’t use? Get them out and feel the freedom that comes with having neat, structured spaces that you can easily see into and quickly retrieve items from.
If you want to take it a step further, incorporate supplies to help you keep your kitchen organized. Turntables, drawer dividers, baskets and bins, small rolling carts, adjustable shelves for canned goods, and racks or pullout cabinet inserts to give shelving more stacking space can be great kitchen organizational tools. Put like items together to make specific kitchen projects very streamlined. For example, whisks, measuring cups, and mixing bowls in the same vicinity gives baking more easy access. Baking dishes, brownie pans, and muffin tins together keeps you from hunting for the right supplies. Allotting designated space for serving dishes as well as serving utensils makes setting the table or laying out a buffet straightforward.
However you slice it, an organized kitchen can save you time and stress as you prepare everyday meals and more elaborate feasts in a space that is really ready to cook.
DesignInMind Column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star January 16th.
