Having well-organized and easily accessible storage in the kitchen can make all the difference when it comes to enjoying time spent cooking and baking. Rather than rummaging around in cupboards and drawers, imagine being able to instinctively reach for the tools and ingredients you need. With a bit of strategic thinking and clever solutions, you can transform your kitchen into a highly functional workspace where everything has its dedicated place in plain sight.
Audit What You Use Most
The first step is taking stock of the items you use most on a daily or weekly basis. Make a list of the tools, appliances, cookware, utensils, pantry items, and other essentials you reach for regularly. Consider which foods you cook with often, which prep tools streamline your work, and what tasks you perform frequently at your kitchen workstations.
Items that see constant use, such as your favorite knives, cutting boards, pots and pans, and commonly used spices, deserve prime real estate in your kitchen where you can easily grab them. On the other hand, specialty appliances or infrequently used items can likely stay tucked away in cupboards. Focus your efforts on keeping the 20% of kitchen stuff you use 80% of the time readily accessible.
Clear the Clutter
Now that you have identified your most used kitchen items, it’s time to clear the decks. Remove everything from your countertops, drawers, and cabinets and sort them into “keep” and “toss” piles. Be ruthless here – if you haven’t used it in the past year, it’s unlikely you’ll need it in the future. Toss or donate anything that is broken, duplicated, or simply unused.
For items you’re keeping, thoroughly clean each piece so everything starts from a fresh, clutter-free foundation. Wipe down cabinets, drawers, and shelving using a degreasing cleanser. A clean slate helps immensely when it comes to effective organization.
Organize Pantry Items Strategically
Take a thoughtful approach when it comes to arranging your pantry staples. Place frequently used items like oils, spices, canned goods and other shelf-stable ingredients on shelves or in cabinets closest to your food prep area. Install extra shelves if needed so you don’t have to stack items too deep.
Use tiered racks, turntables, bins, or tension rods to double your storage space. Designate the upper cabinets for large appliances and infrequently accessed items. Install motion-activated under-cabinet lighting so you can easily see what’s in the back. Keep like items together and label each shelf.
Optimize Drawer Space
Don’t just toss loose utensils in a jumbled drawer. Use shallow organizers, in-drawer wooden dividers, cutlery trays, and other inserts to section off space for specific items. Store items used together near each other – like whisks with spatulas, and measuring cups with measuring spoons.
Invest in quality organizers designed to maximize vertical space too. Store knives in countertop blocks or magnetic strips for safe, easy access. Install little rail racks above your work area to hang oft-used tools like ladles and tongs.
Display Essentials on the Countertop
Free up your countertops by keeping only essential items out like your knife block, cutting boards, oil and vinegar cruets, fruit bowl, and stand mixer. Install open shelving above the counters to store pretty cookware and glassware.
Turntables are great for housing spices, condiments, and bulk foods while saving space. Mount pot racks and utensil racks on walls to get these essentials up off the counter while still keeping them in plain view. Task lighting under the cabinets will illuminate your workspace.
Take Advantage of Dead Space
Don’t ignore the corners and walls in your kitchen – these areas offer prime real estate for DIY storage solutions. Install floor-to-ceiling shelving in blank wall space for extra pantry storage.
Mount rails, ledges, and wall-mounted knife strips in wasted space near corners. Install a custom spice rack inside a vacant spot between wall studs. Use magnetic strips and hanging rods under cabinets to hold knives and paper towels.
Store Cookware Smartly
Instead of stacking pots and pans in a chaotic tower, use hooks, vertical racks or hanging pots rails to neatly store them while freeing up drawer and cabinet space. Mount the racks near your stove for easy access while cooking.
For lid storage, use wall-mounted strips with removable hooks rather than cramming them haphazardly in a drawer. Opt for lid organizers or racks that store the lids vertically and labeled – you’ll instantly see the right lid.
Final Touches for Functionality
Those final touches like baskets, turntables, and lighting enhance convenience and make items easily visible and accessible. Install under-cabinet lighting or puck lights inside cabinets to illuminate interiors.
Use pretty woven baskets or bins to corrallike items on countertops and in pantries. Incorporate a few turntables in cabinets to see what’s stored in back. Work in shifts – don’t try to do it all at once. As you identify new regular-use items, find them a home in plain sight.
Maintaining the Organization
An organized kitchen doesn’t happen overnight. It takes diligence and adopting new habits over time to maintain order and prevent entropy from taking over. Here are some tips for keeping your plainly-visible kitchen items where they belong:
- Do regular “sweeps” before bed to put items back in their designated homes. Don’t leave it for morning.
- When putting groceries away, take a minute to return items already out to their proper places.
- Never return an item to the wrong place – put it back where it lives. Don’t take shortcuts.
- When unloading the dishwasher, put things directly into their assigned drawers and cabinets.
- Edit out items you no longer use frequently to avoid clutter accumulation.
- Do a deep clean/purge at least twice a year to clear out stale items and dust.
- Integrate labeling, photos, or color coding so the whole family remembers where things belong.
Benefits of Plain-Sight Storage
Keeping your most-used kitchen items stored plainly and accessibly provides some tangible quality of life improvements:
- More efficient food prep since you aren’t searching for tools and ingredients.
- Reduced frustration from cluttered, disorganized kitchen spaces.
- Promotes cleaning up as you go when everything has a dedicated home.
- Safer workspace with knives and other sharp tools properly stored.
- Less money wasted from buying duplicate items you already own but can’t find.
- Makes cooking and baking more enjoyable rather than a chore.
- Family members and guests can easily find what they need.
- Overall calmer, less stressful environment.
Solutions for Small Kitchens
Limited kitchens with confined cabinets and counters require even more creative solutions for keeping essentials visible and close at hand. Here are some tips:
- Make the most of vertical space with wall shelving and mounted racks.
- Consider open-style shelving to replace upper cabinets doors and walls.
- Use multi-tiered carts with casters for additional and movable prep space.
- Opt for retractable drying racks, pot racks, and suspended utensil racks.
- Store lesser used items in another area like a pantry closet or the basement.
- Remove upper cabinet doors and replace with mesh grill inserts for visibility.
- Incorporate pieces that serve multiple purposes like microwave-spice rack combos.
DIY Plain Sight Storage Ideas
With a drill, some elbow grease, and a bit of creativity, you can craft custom storage solutions for your most-used kitchen items. Check out these DIY projects:
- Under-cabinet knife strips made from wood molding
- Spice storage racks cut into wall studs or back of cabinet doors
- Hanging pan lids rack made from boards, rope, and dowel rods
- Wall-mounted pot lids storage using pegboard, sticks, and s-hooks
- Magnetic strips to hold knives, tools, towels on walls and range hoods
- In-drawer dividers made from scrap wood, dowels, or old utensils
- Wall rack for spoons and ladles from wooden board and hardware
- Under-shelf racks created using tension shower curtain rods
- Vertical in-cabinet coffee pod holder made from copper pipe and flanges
Pantry Storage Tips and Tricks
Keep your pantry items visible and within reach using these clever ideas:
- Store everyday items at eye-level, lesser used ones up high or lower down.
- Use over-the-door racks, hanging Wall clips, or mounted shelves for extra space.
- Opt for glass jars or containers so you can easily see contents.
- Group like items together – pastas, oils, snacks, canned goods, etc.
- Label everything clearly using chalkboard labels, vinyl cutouts, or painter’s tape.
- Incorporate turntables, tiered shelving, and risers to better see items.
- Store bulk dry goods in clear stackable OXO POP containers.
- Use drawer organizers to neatly arrange packets, sauce pouches, etc.
- Install motion-activated under cabinet lights so you can see everything.
Maintaining Plain Sight in Shared Kitchens
For shared home or office kitchens, everyone needs to be on board to keep frequently used items out and readily available. Here are some tips:
- Have a house meeting and explain the purpose of plain sight storage.
- Make it a policy to put things back exactly where they were found.
- Assign zones/drawers for each person plus communal space.
- Labeling helps – attach name stickers or painter’s tape with names.
- Install extra racks, shelves, and storage for personal items.
- Compromise – allow some personalized items out but not all.
- Lead by example – be diligent about cleaning as you go.
- Periodically purge unused items and rotate stock.
- Praise success when the kitchen stays organized!
Conclusion
Achieving optimized plain-sight storage for your most used kitchen items takes effort but pays dividends in enhanced convenience and efficiency. By thoughtfully auditing, strategically placing, and creatively storing your daily essentials, you can transform your kitchen into an organized workspace where everything has a home in easy reach. Maintaining the system simply becomes a habit over time. With a bit of work upfront and some diligence, you can join the ranks of people who love to cook in a decluttered, high-functioning kitchen.
