Kitchen organisation hacks for increased functionality and desirability...

House Proud Solutions
Mar 31, 2020
5 min read

Updated: Apr 17, 2020

Whether you just want to get your kitchen organised so that it's a pleasure to be in and cook your meals or staging it ready for a potential buyer or renter it's important that it's a practical yet desirable space to be in.

Designers have studied for years to create the most aesthetically pleasing looks which is important in a kitchen design but functionality has to be the top goal here, so remember when looking at all the Instagram posts, if the 'look' doesn't fit in with your lifestyle it's not the right one for your home.

I am naturally a very organised person; some might say to a fault. I’m sure my partner gets annoyed when I constantly move things back to where they actually live when he’s emptied the dishwasher. I like everything to have a place and it to look and feel organised even behind closed doors, cupboards and drawers. I know what's in them and even when others cannot see, I know if there's a mess hidden.

My kitchen is no exception, in fact it's probably one of the most organised spaces in my home. The reason for this is it's a very tiny space being 10ft by 10ft with a limited number of cupboards and drawers. I utilise every square inch of my kitchen to make it practical for cooking whilst ensuring it still looks streamline, clean and appealing to the eye.

There are lots of people on Instagram showing off their immaculate, matching glass jars, labels and containers in their cupboards and drawers, let’s face it look like they’ve come out of a magazine and they look incredible. I admit I even get cupboard envy, but I know that my day-to-day lifestyle would never allow for them to be practical solutions in my kitchen. I am a busy working Mum and I need my space to be organised in a way where I can see everything I have at a glace so I can easily do a visual inventory before making a list to go food shopping. This not only prevents over buying so saving money, in this current climate, it helps to prevent panic buying as you know what you’ve got and what you need. Being organised by creating a weekly shopping list helps prevent wastage of perishable goods as our meals are based on ingredients I have combined with things I’ve bought to cook things I know my family love to eat, therefore, we throw very little food away. This makes me feel good as I know we are doing our bit for the environment as well as our bank balance.

I will share with you some of my top tips when organising your kitchen. These methods have been tried and tested over the years by not only by me but by my clients also, I hope you’ll discover ones that work for you too.

1. Utensils and cutlery drawer- Declutter the things you don’t use often and those you never use donate. Those you use regularly (at least once a week) keep in a 'drawer tidy' that’s easy to access. I like keep cooking utensils in a pot next to my hob.

2. Pots and pans- Take them all out including oven trays and baking dishes. Match the lids with the pans and stack on top of each other either in a drawer or a cupboard. You will probably find that you only use about three baking trays regularly. The rest can either be put in a cupboard for occasional use items or donate them if you know you never really use them. The reason I stack pots and pans with their lids, not only does it look nice it is practical for when you’re cooking, you can easily find everything at a glance.

3. The Tupperware cupboard or ‘drawer of doom’ as I like to call it- We all have one, at least I used to until I labelled mine with matching numbers of lids to pots to save the time, I used to waste so much time trying each lid on each container. You can use a sharpie for this or those washable stickers that can go in the dishwasher. Go through each container, if it doesn’t have a lid put it to one side (you can use these in drawers later to help organise them). Number the containers to their matching lids, stack into each other and put all the lids in one big pot.

4. Herbs and spices- While it’s true they don’t really go off they do have a best before. I have to admit when I did my herbs and spices organisation (I now do this once a season) I found some basil from 2013 which no longer looked green, this would not add the desired flavour to my dishes so I threw it out, recycled the container and bought a new one. I group mine by type e.g. herbs, spicy spices, sweet spices, baking spices and meat seasoning as that’s how I use mine when I cook. Find a system that works for you and your lifestyle. I always ensure the labels face outwards so I can easily read them. I also add labels to any lids that don’t have them using my label maker, meaning I can pull out the container they’re in from the cupboard and easily see the ones I need without getting them all out this saves time and my sanity when cooking.

5. Crockery- I like to stack mine by type and use them from the shelf in a cupboard, some people like plate racks, open shelving and cupboard shelving organisers. Use what you find most practical in your space.

6. Fridge and freezer- I organise mine based on food hygiene recommendations of keeping raw and cooked food especially meat and fish, separate. I keep all raw food at the bottom, cooked meats and meals on the next shelf, fruit and vegetables together in the salad tray and dairy products at the top of my fridge. I use my bottom drawer for condiment jars and sauces. I like using the fridge organiser trays from Wilko, they’re just like the Addis ones only cheaper.

7. Food and drink in cupboards- I again organise by type, I take everything out and categorise. You will find your own categories that work for you but here are a few of mine. Cereals and snacks, pasta/rice/pulses, tinned food and jars, sauces, bread/wraps/pittas/crackers etc

8. Laundry and cleaning products- I keep mine up high in the top cupboard as I have a small child and the little Houdini has found a way to break every child lock going. My clients love the under-sink shelving tidy units I recommend as they can see everything easily and it’s accessible when they need to use things.

If you would like help with organising your space or places I recommend for purchasing products to assist you please feel free to contact me for a consultation. I would love to see your kitchens and before and after photos of any spaces you have organised and decluttered. Please use #HouseProudSolutionsUK when tagging us.