5 Steps to Organized Cabinets

An organized kitchen is a happy kitchen. It’s easier to be creative, make quick meals and you’re more likely to enjoy spending time in your kitchen if it is clear of clutter. While we’d all like to start fresh and design the perfectly organized kitchen – that’s not always an immediate option. So here are 5 steps you can take right now to organize your cabinets.

1 the purge

I can guarantee, without even seeing your kitchen, that there are items living there that do not need to be there. Every 6-12 months it’s worth taking an inventory of what’s in your kitchen cabinets and what you actually use. Anything that doesn’t fit into the latter category shouldn’t be taking up valuable real estate in your cabinets.

Move seasonal items into other storage areas – basement, attic, guest room closet. It’s OK to keep your Holiday turkey platter under a bed for 11 months of the year. Trust me on that one. Invest in some clear plastic tubs to store those seldom used pieces. Organized cabinets are frequently used cabinets.

2 Access all spaces

Now that you only have the items you regularly use in your cabinets, it’s important that they are easily accessible. The deep dark corners of your cabinets can be made useful with some clever storage accessories like the Magic Corner. Adding roll outs inside your lower cabinets will give you full access to everything stored inside. Choosing drawers instead of open shelving will also mean that no useful items are lost in the back of, leading to more organized cabinets.

3 Hardworking drawers

Drawers are the work horse of the kitchen. Make your drawers do the work to keep you organized by giving each drawer a specific purpose. An in-drawer knife block will keep your knives both sharp and safe. Silverware dividers are a given, but dividers for your larger utensils are often overlooked.

Consider a bread drawer, there’s no good way to stack loaves of bread and bagels on a shelf, the bags aren’t pretty on the counter and a bread drawer will keep the crumbs contained. Vegetable drawers also contain those root veggies and keep them fresher longer. A spice drawer can be the perfect solution for short spice jars that take up lots of surface space and very little vertical space.

4 Create zones

Creating zones within your kitchen can keep your space a lot more organized. A couple of drawers and one or two fridge drawers (the best!) can make up a kid-zone. Starting with bottles, sippy cups and pumped milk, moving onto juice boxes and goldfish crackers and then to seltzers, soda and corn chips – the kid-zone can change with the family. And once the kids move out it can even become a little extra storage for that special bottle of wine or craft beer selection.

Baking zones can house the mixer, basic ingredients and bowls. While food prep zones may be situated near the utensils, cutting boards and sink. Zoning your cabinets changes they way you choose to store items from things that may look similar – to things that are actually used together.

5 rethink your layout

Get your steps in somewhere else. Your kitchen should be all about efficient movement. For example, ideally you should be able to move dishes from sink to dishwasher without steps – and them from dishwasher to plate cabinet or drawer in one movement. Think about where your plates, bowls and glasses are stored. Are they in close proximity to the sink and dishwasher or are your traipsing all over the kitchen to put them away, when your plastic wrap and dish towels are right next door.

Pro Tip

It’s always a good time to organize your cabinets. Even if you’re waiting for that perfect time to remodel your kitchen, start doing the work to organize now. Your existing kitchen may not be your dream space, but every kitchen can benefit from a little organization TLC. And, the process of organizing your cabinets will will help you identify exactly what you want and need in your dream kitchen.

Swing by a JF showroom for ideas, inspiration and to see our organized cabinets. Chat with one of our designers and start working on solutions for your perfect kitchen.