How to organize your kitchen to create a beautiful and functional space
Is your kitchen in need of a little TLC? If you worry about opening your kitchen cabinets (wondering what may fall out this time), or have given up on locating those lost serving trays – then perhaps it’s time for a kitchen revamp.
Let’s talk about how to organize your kitchen.
From decluttering old items to investing in the right organization products, here’s how to create the kitchen of your dreams with these 5 easy kitchen organization ideas.
Purge old kitchen items
Before you dive deep into organization, take some time to do a complete purge of old kitchen items. Get rid of any unused or unwanted items that are taking up unnecessary space. These items can range from old appliances you never use, to expired spices that haven’t been touched in years. Toss out anything that’s expired or no longer functioning, and donate anything that still works that someone else can benefit from.
Tip: Purge one area at a time in your kitchen. This will help you avoid the overwhelm of purging your entire kitchen in one go. Start with one kitchen cabinet at a time, work your way over to each drawer, and eventually get to the fridge, pantry and so on. Organizing your kitchen can be a long and cumbersome process, so take it one step at a time!
Assign designated areas in your kitchen
There are many different purposes we use our kitchen for: cooking, storing food, making coffee, putting away dishes and plates, and so much more.
Assign designated areas in your kitchen so that each item has a spot.
The cooking area may be near the stove. This is likely where you store all your spices, utensils, pots, and pans.
The coffee area may be near the sink so you can quickly boil water. This is likely where you’d put your coffee machine, store your coffee beans, and possibly your mugs.
The food storage area can be your pantry, or a few designated kitchen cabinets that always hold the food.
The idea here is that with every new item that comes into your home, you know exactly where it should go. By designating areas for certain functions, you’ll keep your kitchen arranged neatly. And, it’ll be way easier to navigate.
Tackle the danger zones
There are a few danger zones in our kitchen that need a bit more attention than others. That includes the:
- Fridge
- Drawers
- Pantry
- Cabinets
Once you’ve purged these areas (as per step 1), the next thing you want to do is create a system that keeps these areas organized.
A good way to do this, is to group items together and put them near each other in each “danger zone”.
Let’s look at the pantry, for example.
Organize all the remaining items in your pantry into canned foods, snacks, drinks, breads, carbs (pastas, rice, etc.), and keep grouping these items until everything has a “family”.
Put these items back into your pantry in a designated area, with ample space between items.
Tip: Getting baskets and organization tools can really help with this. Check out our next tip!
Invest in organization tools
Investing in organization tools is worth every penny when it comes to keeping an organized kitchen. These tools and gadgets not only optimize your space, but add just enough flair to keep the aesthetic strong.
Here are a few kitchen organization products that are helpful.
| Item | Purpose |
| Jars | Empty out unsealed bags into jars for a uniform look. Ex. flour, rice, pasta |
| Drawer organizers | Stop items from collapsing into one another with simple drawer dividers to keep things in place. Ex. organize cutlery, utensils |
| Baskets / bins | Place a “family” of items into a basket so they’re grouped together and are easily accessible. Ex. snacks, canned food |
| Lazy susan | Access hard to reach items with the spin functionality. Ex. great in kitchen cabinets to store oils, condiments |
| Label maker | Label all of your items for a consistent look, but also to avoid any mix ups once things are in jars. Ex. label flour, label corn starch, label sugar |
Make it functional
Though a perfectly organized kitchen can go a long way, the most important thing you need to make sure you have is a functional kitchen.
The way you organize your kitchen has to be sustainable. All the effort put into tidying up your kitchen needs to last so the disorganization doesn’t creep up again.
Everyone uses their kitchen differently, so make sure you’re optimizing your space so that it works for you.
Things to avoid when creating an organized yet functional kitchen:
| Don’t | Do |
| Put items where they can’t be seen | Pull everything to the front and make sure it’s visible to the eye. A lazy susan can help you create this function in small spaces with its spin feature |
| Stacking jars on top of one another | Get a small shelf to create division so that you can pull each item out individually |
| Just go for the aesthetic | Organize so it looks beautiful but is also sustainable. Having all of your spices tucked away in the back shelf may look neater, but is it going to last? |
How to organize your kitchen – and maintain it!
Once you’ve made the move on these kitchen organization tips, create a weekly or monthly schedule to maintain your neatly organized kitchen.
Dedicate time for regular purges, and do a quick brush up of anything that might be out of place.
Read more: How to Update Your Kitchen Without Remodelling it in 5 Easy Steps
