I’m super excited for today’s kitchen organization post because I don’t think I’ve ever showed you our entire kitchen behind the cabinets and inside all the drawers in one post.
Today, I’m sharing how I organize every.single.thing in my kitchen and how I’ve minimized so that there’s less to store and organize. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that when I have too many things, I feel overwhelmed.
By letting go of so much stuff, I’ve been able to breathe easier. I have more time for my kids, and less time to worry about having to clean, repair, store, organize and keep track of all that stuff.
I joke with Brian that I’m a MINIMALIST and he laughs, but I consider myself MINIMAL-ISH. I like to have the things I use and I will also keep things for no other reason than that it gives me JOY to look at them.
I love decor and pretty things. I like our home to feel cozy, warm and inviting. But, I don’t want to be a slave to the things I have in my home, where I’m spending more time on them, than with the people in my life. It’s been a slow process, but very freeing and rewarding.
Kitchen Organization
STEP 1 : EDIT/DECLUTTER
Before you can organize effectively, go through your kitchen and edit out the unnecessary, unused, and/or broken items.
It’s also important to remove things from the kitchen that don’t belong there. I recommend starting one drawer at a time and taking everything out, starting with a clean slate. Wipe the drawer clean, then go through each item and see if it’s something you need or can donate or recycle.
The less things you have, the easier it is to organize. Aim for 80% capacity in your drawers and cabinets so there is room to breathe.
STEP 2 : ORGANIZE
Think of your kitchen in zones and keep like things together. Each drawer or cabinet contains its own category of items. Store things where you’re most likely to use/look for them. Make it intuitive so that it makes sense to you and your family.
For example, your pots and pans live near the stove, your coffee maker sits close to your coffee mugs.
Utilize drawer dividers to contain things. You’ll want to measure your space to make sure the dividers fit properly. I also use drawer liners to line my drawers.
STEP 3 : MAKE IT PRETTY
After you’ve gotten things organized, take care to make it look good. Have fun arranging things so that they are pleasing to your eye. I bet that inspires you to keep things looking good!
There’s still some areas in my kitchen that I think could be prettier, but it’s good for now.
STEP 4 : KEEP IT TIDY
One thing I’ve done throughout my home, but especially in the kitchen and bathroom, is to experiment with removing EVERYTHING from the counters. It feels so fresh and clean when you do that! If nothing lives on the counters and there’s something on them, you know it’s out of place and needs to be put away.
I started with this principal and it was really interesting to see how wonderful it made me feel.
I realized that I don’t like things completely bare (a bit too cold and sterile for my taste), so I added back in some decor items and things I want easy access to, like the hand soap and the coffee maker. I also enjoy keeping fresh fruit and vegetables out to remind us to eat well.
The toaster, however, I realized, I preferred to be stored out of sight.
Countertops are often the “clutter landing zone.” I have one counter I like to keep completely clear, except for a vase of flowers or currently a basket with faux apples.
In order to achieve this, everything needs to have a place. Mail and papers like the kids school work is the first thing to accumulate here. When I bring in the mail, I automatically recycle the junk, then put the bills or important things in my office. I go through the kids school work with them, then either hang it on the fridge, move it to their memory box, or recycle. I only keep a few special pieces now per year.
OUR KITCHEN
Marble Lazy Susan • Similar Marble Lazy Susan • Tea Kettle • S&P Shakers • Butter Crock • Grinders • Fruit Basket • Banana Hook • Cuisinart Knife Set • Art • Mini Faux Plant • Macreme Plant Holder • Fruit Ring Brush • Scrubber Brush • Similar Wooden Bowl • Light Wooden Bowl
Welcome to my kitchen! I wish I could have you over for a chat and cup of coffee! I guess this is the next best thing!
Our home was a custom build and, coming from tiny apartments and a small townhouse, storage was on the top of my list of things I wanted in my new house. Also, I really enjoy organizing and may or may not be a touch OCD, so I wanted ample storage space for everything so I could keep like items together.
Having good storage available definitely makes the organizing process easier, but you’ll see that I have empty cabinets and drawers because I’ve paired down.
Coffee Maker • 3-Tier Stand • Coffee Mugs (Similar) • Straws • Diffuser • Heart Stick Decor
SILVERWARE DRAWER
Let’s start with the silverware drawer. I have a bamboo silverware holder that neatly contains our silverware, soup/cereal spoons, chip clips, chopsticks and cute little spoons (gold, wooden) I like to use to stir my tea. The chop sticks were a gift from my Mom, and while I don’t use them often, their delightful shape and pop of color makes me happy every time I open this drawer.
SNACK DRAWER
To the left of the silverware drawer is our lunch snack drawer. I have more snacks in the pantry and fridge, but there are things my son eats everyday, so it’s convenient to have them here for him to grab and pack his lunch box.
KID DRAWER
We have enough drawers in this kitchen so that James has his own “school drawer”. I also keep my dry erase markers for my magnetic fridge planner here. Jordan’s iPad is hidden away when not in use so she’s less likely to see it out and start watching.
ELECTRONICS DRAWER
This drawer is mainly for electronics items. When my phone, computer, or camera isn’t charging, the cords live here. I found these nifty cord keepers that corral the cords together and keep them from getting tangle. Also, I labeled one cord with washi tape so I could remember what it was for. My screen cleaners are also in here.
If I need a tape measure or piece of tape, I know exactly where to go. That notepad usually lives in the next drawer, but I wanted to fill up the space for the photo!
MOM’S DRAWER
Here’s where I keep my daily necessities like pens, paper, scissors, lighter, nail file, hand lotion, letter opener and stamps and envelopes. I also have a return address stamp. I decided I only wanted to keep my very favorite pens here, so that’s what I have. Any other pens I gave to my kids or donated.
Basket • Faux Apples
This photos shows the open shelving we have above these drawers. The top two shelves are mostly decorative, but we do use the bowls, plates and cups often. You should see James unload the dishwasher. I do use lots of different dishes often and they’re stored in different places, so it’s kind of a maze to put things away (his job). But, he can’t quite reach yet, so he puts things on the counter below where they go, and I put them inside.
SMALL APPLIANCE STORAGE
I keep my Kitchen Aid Mixer, Air Fryer, Slow Cooker, Food Processor, Blender and hand mixer here. I should move that coffee cleaning cleaner to under the kitchen sink.
My mom confiscated my egg cooker, and sadly, my Ninja blender that I loved to use to make smoothies stopped working.
MIXING BOWLS
To the right of this lower cabinet are my mixing bowls. I have three sets and use all of them for different things. A true minimalist would probably only have one set. My colander also lives here.
BAKEWARE & GLASS MIXING BOWLS
Next to that are our glass mixing bowls and baking dishes, along with white serving bowls and the deviled egg holder. We also use that when we decorate eggs for Christmas.
Coffee Maker • 3-Tier Stand • Coffee Mugs (Similar) • Straws • Diffuser • Heart Stick Decor
This section of our kitchen is Morning Central, where I make my coffee daily and it holds our everyday dishes and glasses, along with our bread and toaster. The wooden tray is where we keep our “cup of the day.” That way, the kids aren’t using 15 different cups throughout the day. They use one cup each day and then it goes in the dishwasher at night.
3-Tier Stand • Coffee Mugs (Similar)
BREAD & VITAMIN DRAWER
I never could figure out where to keep the bread, then realized I could make room to store it in this drawer. I also keep our multivitamins, sleep gummies, tea, my BCAA, and green veggie supplement powder here.
I prefer to keep our counters mostly clear, so our toaster (and butter dish) lives here. The toaster is sitting on a stiff placemat so it’s easy to pull out and doesn’t make a mess of crumbs on the counter everyday. It takes mere seconds to pull it out and put away, and then I don’t have to see it out all day long.
BAKING DRAWER
Here are baking items we don’t use often, like cookie cutters, rolling pins, serving pieces. I also have cupcake liners and treat bags.
CUPS & DISHWARE CABINET
We don’t have that many regular cups – a few broke recently, so I am currently looking for a good set on Amazon. James usually prefers to drink out of a plastic Astros cup and I’m usually drinking from a big tumbler, so this small collection has worked for us.
I do have several coffee mugs I really enjoy. And the set of Calvin Klein plates and bowls were one of my first “adult” purchases I made. I’ve had them for probably 20 years or more and I still love them and use them often!
I also have more dinnerware in the cabinet in the breakfast room. I use these plates and bowls often too, depending on my mood. I like them displayed here because they look so pretty. Cloth napkins are in the baskets and we use those instead of paper napkins most of the time.
It drives my mom and Brian crazy that I rarely use paper towels! I will keep a roll on hand in the mudroom, but I generally use my microfiber cloths or kitchen towels instead of paper.
Over by the stove, you’ll find cooking utensils and our pots and pans.
Similar Cutting Boards • Basket • Glass Jar
I’m currently keeping our cutting boards out and have my wooden spoons in a jar and the kids’ pancake mix in a glass container for easy access. Plus, I think it looks cute in the basket.
CEREAL CABINET
Cereal Containers • OXO Container
I really love the cereal containers I found on Amazon last year. They keep the cereal fresher with the air tight seal, and I like being able to quickly see how much is left.
BAKING CABINET
Expandable Shelving
On the left side of the stove are things I typically use for baking.
KITCHEN UTENSILS DRAWER
In the top drawer are spatulas, the kids’ knives, scissors, and cooking tools.
LIDS & STRAINERS DRAWER
Mesh Strainers • Fry Strainer
My pan lids and strainers are in the middle drawer.
BAKING TRAYS DRAWER
And two cookie sheets and silicone baking mats are in the bottom drawer.
POTS & PANS
Always Pan
Pots and pans live beneath the stove.
Marble Lazy Susan • Similar Marble Lazy Susan • Salt and Pepper Shakers • Butter Crock • Grinders
SPICE CABINET
On the opposite side are the larger spices I use for cooking.
SPICE DRAWER
Similar Storage Container • Similar Spoon Rest
In the top right-hand drawer are small jars of spices. I’ve seen these gorgeous, minimalist labels and have been tempted to decant. That may be a future project!
TOWELS & POT HOLDERS DRAWER
Below that are my kitchen towels and oven mitts. I just got these new towels from Amazon and they’re great!
The drawer below that is empty.
KITCHEN UTENSILS DRAWER
White/Wooden Cooking Utensils • Rae Dunn Spatulas • Lemon Squeezer • Peeler • Can Opener • Pizza Wheel
There are more cooking tools in this top drawer. I like to keep all the rubber spatuals here and the more black/silver pieces in that other drawer. I don’t keep too many kitchen gadgets, but I find the lemon squeezer very handy, the can opener is a necessity, and the pizza roller works great to cut up pancakes.
Corn cob and taco holders are nice to have. And aren’t those feather cheese knives gorgeous? Rhonda gave me those for Christmas along with this personalized cheese board.
JORDAN’S DRAWER
Jordan’s drawer is next and I’ve been so happy with the set of plates, bowls, trays, and utensils from Target. They hold up well and are super inexpensive- just 59 cents each! She takes these cups to school.
BAKING DRAWER
In the bottom drawer are all of my baking pans.
KITCHEN ISLAND STORAGE
I love having a big island to prepare food on. We have three large drawers in the island and they are so handy!
Similar Storage Container • Reusable Lunch Snack Bags • Similar Metal Measuring Cups • Gold Soup Spoons • Similar Coffee Scoop • Similar Straws
The top drawer gets used daily, and is where I keep plastic baggies, measuring cups and spoons and straws.
Glass Containers • Reusable Sandwich Containers • Similar Food Scale
The middle drawer holds my Tupperware and lids. I stack the containers largest to smallest and keep the lids in a large bin.
Reusable Food Containers • Cheese Board
The bottom drawer holds my meal prep containers and another cheese board.
UNDER SINK STORAGE
The under sink storage never looks that good with all the plumping under there. I have a couple of bins to keep things tidy, and that’s been working well.
This basket holds cleaning supplies, bug spray and disinfectant. I’m really liking the spray dish detergent. I feel like less goes to waste and the spray bottle is nice and easy to use.
Microfiber cloths are in daily use here. I bought a large set and keep them together with rubber gloves. I cannot wash dishes or wipe down counters without them!
I’ve also come to rely heavily on Magic Erasers. They clean so well! The steel “soap” will eliminate any cooking odors from your hands, like onion or garlic. Just rub your hands with it under water and the smell vanishes!
CLICK THE IMAGES TO SHOP
If you’re reading this post in your email, click through to my blog to see the shoppable pictures
AMAZON KITCHEN ESSENTIALS
And so you can have most of the links in one place, I’m including a few collages that share most of my Amazon kitchen essentials.
Kitchen Aid Mixer • Kids Kitchen Knife • Toaster • Stainless Steel Whisks • Bamboo Cutting Board • Peeler • Can Opener • Pizza Wheel • Cereal Storage Containers • Butter Crock • Measuring Cups
Dish Towels • Sponge Holder • Mason Jar Soap Dispenser • Le Creuset Dutch Oven • Cookware Set • 20-Piece Silverware • Microfiber Dish Mat • Stainless Steel Strainers • Marble Serving Board
Microfiber Cleaning Towels • Rubber Gloves • Coffee Mugs • Microwave Cover • Nutribullet • OXO Food Containers • Salad Dressing Maker • Kitchen Mat • Food Storage with Lids
Mini Waffle Maker • Nespresso Machine • Cuisinart Knife Set • SilIcone Baking Mat • Air Fryer • Cooking Utensils • Mixing Bowls • Meal Prep Containers
Wow, that was a lot! As I got going, I wanted to make sure I had a comprehensive list of tools and gadgets for you and I think this pretty much covers it! I’ll do a live kitchen tour on Stories this week too. Make sure you’re following me on Instagram so you can join!
If you have any questions about my kitchen or about organizing in general, drop it in the comments. I read every one and love chatting with y’all there!
Now let’s go kick Monday’s booty!
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