When we move into a new property, or have a renovation completed, we are often in such a rush to start using the kitchen that we unpack things into the first cupboard we come across. Properly organised kitchen cupboards, with clear zones and purpose, can be life changing on a daily basis. As the heart of the home, cooking in your kitchen should be a relaxing, enjoyable pastime (even if you have young children). I believe that beautifully organised kitchen cupboards & clear surfaces are worth spending some time & effort to achieve. Once finished, your kitchen will be so much easier to navigate, clean and tidy.
Before you organise the kitchen, you must first empty the contents of the cupboards & worktops completely into the largest space you have available. As you empty, put the contents into specific categories so that by the end of the process you can see at a glance how much of each category you own. It may also be worth at this stage creating an area for anything which doesn't belong in the kitchen at all! We must have a clear vision of how we want our kitchen to feel at the end. For me, I like a calm kitchen with no clutter on the surfaces and cupboards where everything is visible at a glance.
Once you have your categories, begin to declutter within the categories asking yourself the following questions:
Do I use this item?
Is this out of date?
Will I ever actually eat this?
Is this item a duplicate, and if so, is this the best I have?
Do I have space for this item in my kitchen?
Do I love this item? (particularly relevant in the mug category - don't drink hot drinks out of a mug you hate, life is too short!)
Would I buy this item again?
Am I keeping this item in my space just because it cost me money?
Anything which no longer has a place in your kitchen can be donated to charity for somebody else to make use of, and you regain space in your kitchen to be enjoyed! The aim is to have a streamlined kitchen where everything is necessary and used frequently. If we keep excess stuff in any part of our home, we are denying ourselves space, calm and clarity and no physical item is worth making ourselves stressed. Decluttering is the single most satisfying and worthwhile thing you can do in your home for overall wellbeing. A tidy, organised space gives us freedom to do the things we love without the nagging stress of clutter which needs to be addressed.
Clean the emptied kitchen thoroughly, enjoy the feeling of a clean slate, and with your decluttered items bagged & ready to head in 3 directions - Bin, Donate, Recycle - you are ready to begin organising!
Organising Your Kitchen
Before you begin putting things back into cupboards, think about the 5 Zones which exist in any kitchen & identify where these are in yours:
Consumables Zone
Preparation Zone
Non-Consumables Zone
Cooking Zone
Cleaning Zone
1. Consumables Zone
Of course, perishable items all live in the fridge, but any other food should ideally be stored together, close to the Preparation Zone & the Cooking Zone. In a large kitchen, there may be a designated Pantry or Larder specifically for food storage, but in a small kitchen we can also create this zone using a cupboard in the ideal location for prep and cooking. Most used ingredients, such as bread, spreads, cereal, pasta, rice and canned goods are to be stored within easy reach, whereas more occasional ingredients (such as baking ingredients) can go on higher shelves. Of course, this will be different for everyone but the principle remains the same. Oils, vinegars, seasoning, herbs & spices should be stored as close to the Cooking Zone as possible so that when cooking a more complex dish like a curry these are all in easy reach.
If you are one of the many who makes protein shakes regularly, consider keeping your protein powders and shake additions together near your blender. Always try to think of the ways that you specifically use your kitchen and create a section to streamline the process.
2. Preparation Zone
Your preparation zone, where you chop, slice and mix, should be near to your knife block, chopping boards, hob & oven (in other words - the Cooking Zone). We want a clear, large surface here to make cooking enjoyable and relaxed, but also within close proximity to our hob so that we can multitask.
If it suits your household, an area for Tupperware, lunchboxes, and water bottles is a good idea for stressful mornings when you need to get packed lunches ready in 30 seconds! Foil, baking paper and sandwich bags are also handy kept in a drawer close to your Preparation and Cooking zones.
3. Non Consumables Zone
The Non Consumables Zone is your plates, glasses, mugs, pots, pans, chopping boards etc. Crockery, glasses and mugs should all be stored within easy reach of the dishwasher, ideally close to the Cooking Zone too (but given a choice, the dishwasher proximity always takes priority!). I like to store plates & bowls in a large drawer, but I know some tall clients prefer them in higher cupboard. Glasses should be near the sink, and mugs should be stored close to the kettle & coffee machine, ideally in a cupboard with tea, sugar and even your supplements if you take them each morning.
Pots and pans should be stored low down, near to the hob. Baking sheets should be stored under the oven if possible, or as close as possible (I have actually stored these inside the oven in kitchens with really limited space). Heavy dishes & serving platters should again be stored low down to prevent breakages.
4. Cooking Zone
This is of course your hob and oven. In an ideal world our hob would live close to our kettle (or boiling tap) for ease when boiling pasta or rice. You also want to ensure that there is a clear space on our worktop next to our hob, so that you aren't carrying hot pans around to serve meals.
5. Cleaning Zone
Our cleaning zone is our sink & dishwasher. Cleaning products should be stored under the sink (with extra in utility room if you have one). Keep like with like and in the best possible position in your cupboards (ie dishwasher tablets & rinse aid right next to dishwasher)
Now that you have identified where the zones are in your kitchen (or created them!) now we can put everything back! It's entirely possible to reorganise your kitchen using no additional storage, but I will offer a few clever storage tips if you wish to enhance the final results!
(Always measure inside of cupboards and shelves before you buy)
Containers
I use a lot of containers as a Professional Organiser. I use them to create categories in cupboards, stop things falling over in pull out larder set ups and use them as drawer dividers. Bonuses are that instead of digging through the whole cupboard, you can grab the whole container while cooking to have the whole category within reach. They really do stop cupboards and drawers becoming a random mess where everything falls out, and when you want to wipe inside the cupboard you can simply remove the container! Of course, if you are using these they definitely need to be labelled unless you choose transparent!
iDesign Cabinet Containers - https://amzn.to/3z5cY6q
Wham Studio Containers - https://amzn.to/3K5Vygm
IKEA Variera Containers - https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/variera-box-white-30155019/
Lazy Susans
A turntable is not only fun to spin around, but is also so useful to reach all the items in the cupboard, so nothing gets lost at the back and forgotten! I use these in clients kitchens for herbs & spices, supplements, spreads, oils and vinegars and table sauces. I find them to be so useful and they also look amazing in your cupboards.
iDesign Lazy Susan - https://amzn.to/3ZiU6LU
mDesign Lazy Susans - https://amzn.to/3K7kXpV
Drawer Dividers
These can either be a drawer insert for cutlery, knives etc or you can buy adjustable drawer dividers to suit your space. Either way, they create clear categories to stop your drawers becoming a random junk drawer! Also, you will be able to see everything you need at a glance.
Bamboo Cutlery Insert - https://amzn.to/40y1kwI
Knife Drawer Insert - https://amzn.to/40D0X3R
mDesign Drawer Dividers - https://amzn.to/3Kacq5U
Drawer Dividers - https://amzn.to/40yCSeL
If you are limited on space, there are clever space storage solutions such as these spice bags (which line up perfectly inside iDesign Small Cabinet Bin). Other amazing space savers are additions like these baskets IKEA basket, shelf inserts and JosephJoseph do lots of clever things like these.
Of course, if you really get into organising you might like to decant dry foods into jars and canisters. This is a lovely way to store food, as you can see exactly how much you have at a glance and it makes preparing a meal feel really special. There is also so much less chance of waste, especially if you visit refill stores to restock! I personally don't decant as I don't keep up with restocking, but if you know that you will - and enjoy it - is really stunning inside a pantry or larder to have the uniform aesthetic!
If you can dedicate some time to reorganising your kitchen you will honestly feel like you have a new one. You will be amazed at how well it flows, and how much more enjoyable cooking is! The middle part where you have everything out will feel very overwhelming, but this is a totally normal part of every kitchen organise I have ever done! It's so worth it at the end and the satisfaction is second to none!
Happy Organising! :-)