Kitchen Organization

Wendy W
by Wendy W
Despite having a generous sized kitchen, it wasn't working for our family. With a complete organizational overhaul & some DIY we were able to make the space function so much better! You can see the full reveal on my blog at http://www.designedtodwell.blogspot.com/search/label/Kitchen. (Some projects have yet to post, so you may have to keep checking back through 4/22/13.)
First, we used two cabinets to create an area for pullout trash & recycling bins. Basically, we moved the pullout shelf to the bottom.
Next, my husband cut strips of plywood & nailed them in vertically at the front of the shelf. He added two more towards the back of the shelf, but not all the way at the back so the bin would fit snugly.
Next, he added strips of plywood to connect each of the vertical pieces at the top.
Finally, we added the trashcans. The framing around the recycling can is shorter to avoid hitting an electrical junction box.
I moved my cutting boards, knives, & kitchen scissors to the drawer above the trash. Now I have an easy prep area.
Every morning I pack my kids' lunches. I used to have to open at least 3 different cabinets for lunchboxes, cups, & plastic containers. I streamlined the process by creating a "To Go" cabinet.
The top pullout shelf holds cups, divided containers, napkins, & notes. Below, a basket easily pulls out to grab lunch bags.
The next cabinet holds smaller plastic containers my husband uses to pack leftovers for work. The bottom shelf holds all of our water bottles & to-go cups.
My husband built a cleaning caddy for the door under the sink. It holds our most-used kitchen cleaners. Above it, small adhesive hooks hold a plastic container for sponges & scrubbers keeping them in easy reach.
We moved the can opener to the Lazy Susan with all of our canned goods.
We moved the kids' cups & dishes to deep drawers. They can easily reach them now & I no longer have to lug stools back to the island when it's time to eat!
We DIYed a custom drawer for our utensils. This holds so much more than the shallow store bought organizer.
I wanted the unit to be removable, so, after figuring out the measurements, my husband took them & nailed these small spacers onto one side of the drawer. Eventually, the slats would slide into them.
Because we have storage going both vertically & horizontally in this drawer, he cut a piece of wood (we used lattice molding) the depth of the drawer & hot glued on more spacers (parallel to the ones attached to the drawer).
To make it stable, he routed some space in between the middle section of this piece.
Then he cut a piece of trim the width of the drawer & routed a section of the top to fit into the routed space from above. This would give the dividers some stability.
Here they are in the drawer. This gave us the two vertical storage bins & divided the silverware storage in half.
Next, Mark cut some trim pieces to sit between the spacers.
Here it is after all the pieces are put in.
We used the same process to create custom storage for our cooking tools.
We lowered another pullout shelf to create easy access to cookie sheets & muffin tins.
After lowering the shelf, Mark cut a piece of wood the width of the shelf & nailed it in. (He actually routed a handle on the front piece.)
Next, He added two slats for the sides & nailed them in.
Here is the tin & tray storage with the rest of our bake ware.
I used a small basket inside a cabinet to hold cooking magazines.
I created a separate baking cabinet. Cookie cutters are contained on the top shelf since they are rarely used. Cake decorating supplies are held in a plastic shoe box. Measuring cups & spoons are also kept in this cabinet.
The cooking cabinet houses spices, on a tiered rack. Spice packets fill a small container.
Painting chalkboard paint on the inside of this cabinet allows me to post my weekly meal plan. (I use a chalk pen.) I also keep my recipe cards on a hook above.)
I use the chalkboard on the other door to list items I need from the grocery. I also hung another set of plastic measuring cups & spoons on this door to streamline the cooking process!
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  • Karen Stutts Karen Stutts on Mar 26, 2014
    These are great ideas! I especially love the chalk board paint on the inside of the cabinet door for the weeks menu. Great post! Karen at www.makeitfixtiplanit.com
  • Vicki Vicki on May 09, 2014
    will save this for my soon future project. ty for sharing.
    • Wendy W Wendy W on May 09, 2014
      @Vicki Thanks! I'm glad you found it useful!
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