From Chaos to Order: Transforming Your Kitchen with Smart Organization Solutions
I think organizing a kitchen is one of the hardest rooms to get right. In every home, the kitchen is a work horse room. Meals, conversation, homework all happen in the kitchen, but everyone’s needs are slightly different. This is also what makes organizing a kitchen fun - we get to understand more about a family and create a space that truly enhances their lives on a daily basis.
When organizing any space we often hear about creating zones - and that is true - zones are crucial for a high-functioning kitchen. The challenge in most kitchens is that zones often need to overlap or serve more than 1 purpose. Additionally, each person has different rhythms and habits when cooking.
Are you someone who cleans as you cook or do you leave it all to the end?
Do you employ “mise en place” or do you gather ingredients as needed?
Do you have small children at your feet while cooking or are you navigating around a gaggle of teens?
All of these and more factors contribute to the rhythms of your kitchen. To bring order to the chaos, we need to understand how you best function in your kitchen and how can your kitchen serve you.
This has nothing to do with size or space - big kitchens can be inefficient if not set up properly and small kitchens can be masters of the home with the right organization.
A few rules I like to follow are:
Like goes with like. When you can, keep items that are used together in a similar location. For example, keep spices and oils near your cooking space so you can season appropriately. Store leftover containers near the refrigerator to make clean up a breeze.
You don’t need as many utensils as you think, but some you need multiples of. For me, I need multiple spatulas and tongs. I will frequently use 2-3 of each when cooking a meal. When in doubt, get rid of duplicate utensils and see if you miss them. If not, you’ve helped yourself stay more organized. If you do, then you know it’s worth the investment.
Everything has a place - even within a drawer. I like to use these dividers or these bins to keep even a junk drawer organized.
Some other favorite kitchen organization tools include these bins for the refrigerator, this hidden corner maximizer, and this spice organizer.