How I Organized My Kitchen
Hiiii it’s me, Remi!
Have you ever felt super stressed and overwhelmed trying to make breakfast in the morning? Or do you ever get annoyed when you can’t find the right utensil or spice you need to cook your delicious dinner? I can sooooo relate to that. But thankfully I’ve learned some AMAZING tips and tricks you can use to get organized and start maximizing your flow in the kitchen!
I recently remodeled my kitchen, but at first, I wasn’t sure how to organize my new space. I had appliances — like my favorite electric kettle from Smeg — on the counter, and I had a hard time seeing and reaching things in the high-up cabinets.
Thankfully, my friend Dany from Spatial Soulutions was available to come and teach me how to maximize my space and get the most out of my amazing new kitchen! I worked with Dany when I was redoing my bedroom, office, and bathroom, so I was SUPER excited to work with her on my kitchen.
We had to do some major decluttering before organization could even begin. She opened up every drawer and cabinet and asked me questions about what I use the most and what my daily routine looks like so she could get an idea of how my flow works. She also helped me clear out the things I didn’t need so we could make space for things that are important!
In this blog post, I want to share some great tips to help you clean out your space and get ready to organize!
Cleaning Up: The One-A-Day Challenge
When reorganizing any living space, I think it’s really helpful to start by going through and finding anything that you can throw away or donate. Definitely make sure you get rid of anything in your pantry or fridge that’s expired or out of date. Then, take a look at all your kitchen supplies — from cups and bowls to cooking utensils and small appliances — and ask yourself, “Have I used this in the last year?” If your answer is no about a certain thing, you can probably toss or donate it!
While you’re purging all of your unused kitchen supplies, you may come across things like nice plates or decorations that you don’t use very often, but you still like to have them for when guests come over. That’s okay! I have special flatware and napkins and things I only like to use on special occasions too!
If that’s the case, I recommend looking for a place that is out of the way or harder to reach to store those items. That way, they’re not taking up valuable real estate in the areas you use most often. For example, I keep my nice plates and napkins under my window bench. That way, I can easily pull them out when I need them, but they’re not in my way during my everyday routine.
If all this cleaning sounds overwhelming, don’t worry! There’s an easy way to get all your cleaning done a little at a time. I call it the One-A-Day Challenge!
Kitchen Organizing Tip #1: The One-A-Day Cleaning Challenge!
I totally understand feeling overwhelmed and stressed out by the idea of cleaning everything all at once — that’s way too much! So what I like to do is take a deep breath and start the One-A-Day Challenge.
So what exactly is the challenge? It’s where you commit to cleaning out just one drawer, cabinet, or cupboard every day. You definitely want to clean it WELL, but I recommend spending only 15 or 20 minutes on this — I even like to set a timer to make sure I don’t go over. You can even download this helpful guide I made to plan out how you’re going to clean and stay on track!
I’m still doing the One-A-Day Challenge as I write this. I add it as a step in my morning routine, after making my matcha, and then I dedicated 15 minutes to cleaning out just one drawer or cabinet in my kitchen. At the end of the month, I have a totally clean and organized space, and I LOVE IT!
I also recommend setting aside a bag or box at the beginning of the challenge to keep any items you want to donate. Add any new things you find to it every day, and at the end of the challenge, take the whole thing over to a donation site!
And of course, don’t forget to take plenty of before and after pictures and share them with me on Instagram, @rrayyme! And if you want, you can share this Instagram version of my guide to show me how much progress you’re making — I’d love to support you!
Cleaning out your space to get ready for a reorganization doesn’t have to be daunting! You can just take it in small steps, and you’ll be done in no time!
Kitchen Organizing 101
Now that your space is clean and tidy and you’ve removed items that you no longer need, it’s time to get organizing! This is where my friend Dany gave me some amazing tips and advice! She totally reorganized my space to create a natural flow.
Kitchen Organizing Tip #2: Think About Your Flow in the Kitchen
When you’re reorganizing your kitchen, it is so important to think about creating a natural flow. If you’re reaching diagonally or zig-zagging around the kitchen, you might want to think about reorganizing so that you create a more natural flow while you’re prepping and cooking. For example, I had to consider things like:
Where I prepare my grains, oatmeal, and breakfast foods
Where I make my smoothies
Where I prepare my matchas
Where I prep my food
Think about the things you cook every day. Do you make a smoothie or a matcha in the morning? How can you organize your kitchen so that the ingredients you need are near the blender? Do you cook often? How can you arrange your spices, sauces, and other frequently used ingredients near the cooking space?
The idea here is to make everything super accessible! Make sure everything is placed so that you can reach any ingredient or cooking tool as easily as possible. At this stage, it may be helpful to pick out some helpful containers and organizers…
Kitchen Organizing Tip #3: Get the Goods to Keep Ingredients and Supplies Separate
I met with Dany a few times during the whole kitchen remodel process, and in-between visits I placed a HUGE order at The Container Store. I picked up all kinds of things that I use to keep everything separated and visible so I can reach any ingredient or supply I need at any time.
I know it might sound counterintuitive to buy MORE things in order to tidy up, but with small things, it works! Here’s why: When you have a special container for certain items in your kitchen, suddenly everything is wayyyy easier to find. Remember that this is all about making things ACCESSIBLE. When you have separate containers for everything, it’s much easier to see what you have and find what you’re looking for quickly.
There are a few products that Dany recommended that I have found really helpful. One of my favorites is Elfa’s pull-out drawers like these. I use them to store snacks and small items in my cabinets — They’re really efficient because I can just pull them out and see everything inside very quickly.
Also, Dany introduced me to a couple of game-changing organizers. She recommended a bamboo organizer for cutlery and a lid organizer. The bamboo is great because it keeps all my cutlery separate and organized, and it’s better for the environment than plastic! And the lid organizer is fantastic because I can stack my glass tupperware and store all the lids next to them in a low drawer.
Finally, one of the most helpful tips Dany gave me was to place everything so I can see it! This has also been an incredible game-changer for me. I use elevated shelves for my pots and pans, and I love using bamboo lazy susans and staircase shelves for my oils and spices. They make it super easy to see all of the oils, sauces, and spices I have when I’m preparing dishes.
Guys, these are just a few of the products that I recommend, but seriously, they are incredible. I love being able to see all of my ingredients and supplies quickly and efficiently.
What ingredients and tools do you use most often? Could you benefit from some of these storage containers and supplies? They’re super helpful, and you don’t have to go on a shopping binge at The Container Store like I did lololol. You can even use old shoe boxes and paper and tape to make labels for containers in your cabinets or drawers. The point is to make things neatly separated, accessible, and visible — it helps SOO much.
My Kitchen Essentials!
Finally, I just wanted to share with you some of my most essential items in the kitchen. There are some cooking tools that are super important to me, and I think they could benefit you too!
Other Cooking Supplies
Japanese Donabe - 7.25” diameter for a single person, 9.5” diameter for 2 people
Wooden Chopsticks with White Ends
Glass Tupperware with Bamboo Lid
Pottery Barn Iron Cannister S, M, L
Other Organization Tools
Small Appliances
Essential Ingredients
A Few Other Things
Utensil Holder
Black circle dish
Aesop hand soap
Banana holder
Vases
Refrigerator
Candle
Knives
What Are Your Favorite Kitchen Organization Tips??
I hope these kitchen organization tips help you! I know they definitely helped me. I have absolutely LOVED having a beautifully organized kitchen. I feel like I have a much better flow, and my kitchen is a way better space to cook, work, and socialize!
If you have any other kitchen organization tips or any questions about mine, I’d love to hear from you! Please tag me on Instagram, @rrayyme, to share your best kitchen tips, or feel free to comment below this post! And don’t forget to check out my vlog that documents this process!
