How many times have you been frustrated because you can’t find the right pot, lid, or utensil? You’ve invited friends to dinner (well, maybe not this year!) and cooking for them is a time consuming, tedious, nightmare. Maybe it’s time to organise your kitchen.
Well, it doesn’t have to be like that, no matter the size of your kitchen, you can make it work for you. It’s all about organising the space efficiently.
Whether you’re reinventing your existing space, or creating a completely new kitchen, the same rules apply:
Empty the cupboards, ditch all that is chipped/cracked or buckled, and donate what is good but unused
Look at the remaining items and identify where and what they are used for.
Assess your space (identify each main focal point)
The final step, (after following my guidelines), will be to implement your practical kitchen haven.
SO, LET’S BEGIN!
A kitchen has 5 “high traffic areas”
Cooker
Sink
Fridge
Food Storage
Coffee and tea making space
COOKER
Needless to say, this is where your pots, pans, chopping boards, measuring jugs and other cooking utensils should be kept. Now you’ve ditched any worn, tired items, return one set of pans, baking trays etc so they are easily seen and accessible. Plate racks, dividers or even hanging hooks for saucepans are all great to assist you to organise your space.
SINK
I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know, that the cupboard under the sink is where I see the most kitchen chaos. A mass of washing up liquid, spare hand soaps, cloths, bin bags, dishwasher tablets, bleach ecetara, ecetara, ecetara! Completely overloaded and impractical.
It doesn’t need to be like this, and can be remedied with a custom-built shelf, or some specific under sink storage containers. My under-sink cupboard is double width so I’ve put an expanding curtail pole in, meaning I can hook up all my spray bottles. I’ve also used easily pull out plastic trays, making access to the back of the cupboard a lot easier.
The dishwasher is usually next to the sink, so bear this in mind when choosing the area for your crockery, keep it in close proximity.
FRIDGE
Think about what you use to keep your food fresh and keep it close by. I’m thinking, Tupperware, cling film, tin foil, make your life easy by not hiding it away.
Fridge organisation is a subject all on it’s own, and one I’ll save for another day!
FOOD STORAGE / PANTRY
3 simple steps:
Take it all out
Check BBE (best before end) dates and ditch accordingly
Consolidate and decant – (ie 3 bags of open flour or pasta into one container).
Containers are great for saving space, keeping things fresh and saving money. Plus, you will always know where your flour is!
For those of you that did an “apocalypse buy” earlier in the year, now’s the time to start eating up (or, in extreme cases, donate to a food bank)
TEA & COFFEE MAKING
Don’t make the mistake of putting your mugs/cups away with your crockery. Store them next to where they will be used, I’m betting you keep teabags, coffee and sugar there so why not your mugs and cups.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Spices can be a clutter zone, all of their very own, many people have them in a drawer or stashed in cupboards.
There are lots of fab ideas available for spices, like this magnetic wall storage below from HomeLoft UK. Or you could even use something as simple as an over the door clear shoe store.
Magetic Spice Storage from HomeLoft UK
Make sure you store them alphabetically, it really does make finding what you need so much easier.
Now that you’ve worked out which items go where, it’s time to consider how you use them:
keep what you use and need the most at eye level
items used occasionally need to be kept up higher or down lower
Try as best you can to keep work surfaces clear, it will make entering the kitchen more appealing, giving you the space to get creative.
After a month or so, reassess. By now, you will have worked out what works and what doesn’t and you can adjust accordingly.
AND FINALLY
I find that my kitchen, and the way I use it, keeps evolving and it’s an absolute pleasure to work in.
Good luck with your project, I hope you manage to organise your kitchen successfully. Please do let me know how you get on and if you need more guidance, please contact me.
