10 Steps for Organizing Kitchen Cabinets
Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More »
Are we all totally sick of the resolution "I'm going to GET ORGANIZED!"? I know I am. I did manage to drop off a carload of stuff at the Salvation Army yesterday, but that was only because I'd put it in my car several days prior and needed my trunk back. The rest of my organizing efforts are somewhat in limbo at the moment.
One easy and satisfying place to start is kitchen cabinets. I'm not saying you have to tackle the pantry (that's for a day when you have just watched a Hoarders marathon and you are supremely motivated!) or that blind bottom corner cabinet where you throw the strainer in and try your best to slam the door shut as quickly as you can before it all topples out. Those are no fun. Just pick the one that already looks semi-decent and follow these steps.
1) Pretend it has a glass door on it and everyone is going to see what's inside from now on.
2)Take a look at the photos below for inspiration.
3)Remove EVERYTHING and scrub the shelves with some soapy water.
4) If your a contact-paper type of person, rip out the old and replace it with new. There are some really cute ones out there lately; I've seen them at Target (please share in the comments section if you have another good source).
5) Take a gander at the contents. Is there anything you don't use anymore? Donate it to charity if it's in good shape, recycle it if it's not.
6) Think about what you reach for the most often and make sure it gets a position that's easy to reach.
7) Arrange everything in a composition that makes you happy. You're on your way.
8)Perhaps take a cabinet full of glasses and line them up by color. Make sure all of the fronts are facing out and straight, Jeff Lewis-style.
9)Take a step back after one shelf is done and admire your work.
10) Make someone else come look at what you've done and congratulate you. You deserve it. No you can work your way up to that horrible blind corner cabinet.
BE BRAVE! AND GOOD LUCK!
One easy and satisfying place to start is kitchen cabinets. I'm not saying you have to tackle the pantry (that's for a day when you have just watched a Hoarders marathon and you are supremely motivated!) or that blind bottom corner cabinet where you throw the strainer in and try your best to slam the door shut as quickly as you can before it all topples out. Those are no fun. Just pick the one that already looks semi-decent and follow these steps.
1) Pretend it has a glass door on it and everyone is going to see what's inside from now on.
2)Take a look at the photos below for inspiration.
3)Remove EVERYTHING and scrub the shelves with some soapy water.
4) If your a contact-paper type of person, rip out the old and replace it with new. There are some really cute ones out there lately; I've seen them at Target (please share in the comments section if you have another good source).
5) Take a gander at the contents. Is there anything you don't use anymore? Donate it to charity if it's in good shape, recycle it if it's not.
6) Think about what you reach for the most often and make sure it gets a position that's easy to reach.
7) Arrange everything in a composition that makes you happy. You're on your way.
8)Perhaps take a cabinet full of glasses and line them up by color. Make sure all of the fronts are facing out and straight, Jeff Lewis-style.
9)Take a step back after one shelf is done and admire your work.
10) Make someone else come look at what you've done and congratulate you. You deserve it. No you can work your way up to that horrible blind corner cabinet.
BE BRAVE! AND GOOD LUCK!
Keeping to a white china, clear glass and stainless steel palette is very striking. Even the sugar in the bowl matches!
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More disciplined people who love white...
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...and some more. Love those little tins of herbs!
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O.K., this is the styling gold standard. Does anyone really live this way? Not me. However, if you have a zillion cabinets, you can make sure the display set looks this good.
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This is a display from a store, but there is something about it that just works. Look to store displays for inspiration, especially when storing items like vases and candlesticks.
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This looks so good it makes me want to start growing and canning stuff just to get the look! Even though the mason jars vary in content and size, there is a uniform look here because it only mason jars were used. Mason jars are really inexpensive and look fantastic.
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Using pieces that are all the same color is a great way to keep things uniform. Check out the way they have put their wedding china under the spotlights at the top. It's a good way to enjoy it every day instead of the one time a year they probably use it!
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| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
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| I can't even put into words why this works; the person who styled it clearly has a great eye for composition and details. Get ready to arrange and re-arrange until you get a composition you like. It sounds ridiculous, but I swear it feels SO GOOD to open an organized cabinet! Private Comment
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This is not some persnickity matchy-matchy Martha Stewart arrangement of copper pans and the like, yet it is equally pleasing. It's a great example of how a closet/pantry organization company and/or kitchen designer can help you out in the long run.
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Ditto.
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OK, and here is the aforementioned stunningly gorgeous collection that most of us will probably never achieve but like to strive for!
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The hanging boxes absolutely knock my socks off here, and the baskets in the cubbies can hide a multitude of sins while looking neat and beautiful.
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The composition of the glass cabinets is clearly well thought-out as a whole. You can tell whomever did it took a few steps back and really tweaked it until it was just right!
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Comments
Jill Asher says:
I seriously OBSESS about organizing my cabinets. Last year, I did a huge job organizing my pantry - and found packages of food that I forgot about. I did not need to go food shopping for a few weeks! (Wow, the $$$ we saved).
I also love reorganizing and bringing out dishes, cups, and serving utensils that are burried! It feels like I have new wares!
Thanks for this FANTASTIC ideabook .... you have inspired me to get organized!
I also love reorganizing and bringing out dishes, cups, and serving utensils that are burried! It feels like I have new wares!
Thanks for this FANTASTIC ideabook .... you have inspired me to get organized!
2 years ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
Thanks svmom ;) Not having to go to the grocery store is motivation enough!
2 years ago ·
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kristid says:
Serious cabinet obsession here too. My kids were jet lagged on new years day so we were up super early. I started with the lazy susan and powered through the entire kitchen before lunch. Now I find myself walking around in there and opening the cabinets just to impress myself. (especially the lazy susan!)
Great book. Love the mason jars.
Great book. Love the mason jars.
2 years ago ·
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janice power says:
I love open shelves, so I went and bought shelves and now my wall looks fab with the chelves and colorful bowls that I had, tea cups from my grandmother are now displayed....thanks for the idea;s everyone
2 years ago ·
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Connie says:
I love the cabinets that look like they have been pained a light blue on the inside. Nice collection of kitchens.
2 years ago ·
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knockaderry says:
These shelves and pantries look quite nice, but when I see that they are "styled," I find it hard to believe that their owners have such few possessions. Either that, or the rest of their things are stacked and stored elsewhere, and they have chosen to use their pantry's storage space primarily as display space. Nothing wrong with that, but it wouldn't work for me. I want and need to use my storage space to its fullest advantage. I own multitudes of china, stoneware, bowls, cookware, glassware, etc. and keep lots of food staples on hand. I couldn't possible justify "displaying" one or two items like some of these pantries or shelves show. I stack, stack, stack! LOL
I am lucky that in my kitchen, both my food pantry and my china/appliance pantry are ceiling height and measure 7ft. wide by 2 ft. deep. I keep them neat and organized but would never want to "style" them and make them into "show" pantries. I'm too practical, I guess, because I use every square inch of storage space. My pretties are on display elsewhere. :-)
I am lucky that in my kitchen, both my food pantry and my china/appliance pantry are ceiling height and measure 7ft. wide by 2 ft. deep. I keep them neat and organized but would never want to "style" them and make them into "show" pantries. I'm too practical, I guess, because I use every square inch of storage space. My pretties are on display elsewhere. :-)
2 years ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
Knockaderry, I think if you look at 1 and 4 you'll see that they are pretty chock-a-block full, just organized and arranged well. It helps to have all white and clear plates and glasses though for sure! After writing this ideabook, I attacked all of my china (don't need the Pier 1 peach plates from my very first apartment), appliances (don't need the extra coffeemaker anymore), mixing bowls (why do I have ten?), silverware, etc. and donated appropriately. Someone who needs them more than I do will get use out of them. Of course, I'm single, so I don't need as much kitchen stuff!
Janice, I have those Crate and Barrel nesting bowls - they are the bomb!
Janice, I have those Crate and Barrel nesting bowls - they are the bomb!
2 years ago ·
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barefootbeachchic says:
January must be the month to get organized! I picked up a bunch of wicker baskets for my home office and reorganized the white bookshelf units that hold my paged treasures. Paper/envelopes in one box, printer cartridges/Post Its in another, etc. I lined most of them up on the bottom shelves w/just a couple at eye level. It looks great. Then it was on to my vintage pie safe where I threw out a ton of icky, old, fattening recipes I've had for years that were just laying in a messy pile, donated a bunch of old cookbooks, and trucked a ton of seldom used food items down to the basement pantry - keeping in the pie safe only things we use on a regular basis. What a difference! Hmmmm...after eyeing my linen closet, I tackled that the same way I did my office. Wicker baskets look beachy, clean, sweet, and clean! Love my organized beach cottage! :)
2 years ago ·
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Anita says:
Wow, love the look of all those kitchens. But I'm not sure they all fall under "organizing a kitchen" as much as making it look pretty. Where are all the pots and pans, or all the plastic containers? There is so much more to organizing the kitchen then just displaying and organizing your dishes and serving pieces. But they are lovely to look at!
2 years ago ·
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Sue Batson Feuer says:
I'm itching to take down my garage-grade cupboards and hang long shelves!
2 years ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
Barefoot Beach - don't you feel lighter now? It's funny, I wrote this right after seeing "Up in the Air" and was thinking about Clooney's speech about his backpack, even though the message of the movie was that one should not travel that light and have no roots. It does help me clear my head and my organize my life when I clean out literal clutter!
AAHadley, I'm with you - they are impossible standards, however, my point is that they are inspiring, and I love to have a few cabinets that look totally gorgeous when I open them, and then when I attack the less glamorous stuff (you know, whatever is in the BOTTOM cabinets), doing it after I've done the pretty cabinets helps motivate me to keep it super-organized and enjoy having a place for everything, and everything in its place. My quest for making it pretty also helps me get rid of some of the extraneous stuff I don't need anymore.
That being said, my pantry is SCARY! I am not yet motivated enough to figure it out - it's one tall deep cabinet that makes it hard to see/get to stuff in the back. Perhaps some sort of system on sliders that I can roll out would help. Time to hit The COntainer Store!
AAHadley, I'm with you - they are impossible standards, however, my point is that they are inspiring, and I love to have a few cabinets that look totally gorgeous when I open them, and then when I attack the less glamorous stuff (you know, whatever is in the BOTTOM cabinets), doing it after I've done the pretty cabinets helps motivate me to keep it super-organized and enjoy having a place for everything, and everything in its place. My quest for making it pretty also helps me get rid of some of the extraneous stuff I don't need anymore.
That being said, my pantry is SCARY! I am not yet motivated enough to figure it out - it's one tall deep cabinet that makes it hard to see/get to stuff in the back. Perhaps some sort of system on sliders that I can roll out would help. Time to hit The COntainer Store!
2 years ago ·
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Anny says:
These kitchens are gorgeous but I could never maintain the look - even my sugar is brown LOL
2 years ago ·
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gabbi says:
These cabinets/pantries are nice to view, but I wouldn't want them. I don't like white cabinets. Had them once and they were a constant chore keeping them clean ffrom cooking. Ditto open shelves in the kitchen. They and anything on them need frequent washing. If you have a household staff, it might be worth it, but these pics look like a lot of extra work to me. They are pretty not practical. Who needs the extra work?
2 years ago ·
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Erin Lang Norris says:
Wow, so pretty!
I just painted our cabinets white about 4 months ago- it was the first thing I did to our new house! A previous commenter said that they are a chore to keep clean, but they really aren't too bad. Whenever I do the dishes, I just do a quick wipe down if I see any spots. So they manage to stay very clean.
We have been slowly replacing our hand-me-down dishes with nicer ones. I love organizing the nice looking ones to look pretty! My friends think I'm OCD- but I just like to open a well-styled cabinet...what's so wrong about that?! :)
I just painted our cabinets white about 4 months ago- it was the first thing I did to our new house! A previous commenter said that they are a chore to keep clean, but they really aren't too bad. Whenever I do the dishes, I just do a quick wipe down if I see any spots. So they manage to stay very clean.
We have been slowly replacing our hand-me-down dishes with nicer ones. I love organizing the nice looking ones to look pretty! My friends think I'm OCD- but I just like to open a well-styled cabinet...what's so wrong about that?! :)
2 years ago ·
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Sandra Howie says:
Becky,
Such an incredibly inspiring post you gave us!
I love the pretty factor for the room that we all seem to spend the most time in. Many of us now enjoy open concept spaces and even one well chosen cabinet with either glass or no door can relieve the space of repetitive doors and create a focal point as I have done in my kitchen. I added my extra mugs to the bottom where I can reach and used the other shelves to display my collection of antique and new stoneware. You don't have to have all white china and accessories, can showcase a collection of anything to bring personality to this utilitarian space. As far as organized goes if you can afford it then adding rollout trays to your base cabinets will make your life a dream, trust me I did and kick myself for not doing it sooner. I have always suggested that my kitchen customers incorporate as many pullout, rollouts as they can as they will not regret it. I always say to my customers function first, now lets make it look good!
Such an incredibly inspiring post you gave us!
I love the pretty factor for the room that we all seem to spend the most time in. Many of us now enjoy open concept spaces and even one well chosen cabinet with either glass or no door can relieve the space of repetitive doors and create a focal point as I have done in my kitchen. I added my extra mugs to the bottom where I can reach and used the other shelves to display my collection of antique and new stoneware. You don't have to have all white china and accessories, can showcase a collection of anything to bring personality to this utilitarian space. As far as organized goes if you can afford it then adding rollout trays to your base cabinets will make your life a dream, trust me I did and kick myself for not doing it sooner. I have always suggested that my kitchen customers incorporate as many pullout, rollouts as they can as they will not regret it. I always say to my customers function first, now lets make it look good!
2 years ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
top of the hill, that looks so good!
I have white cabinets but I am not much of a cook so I've never had a problem. The one dark cabinet in my house is a bit of a magnet for strange things like lint and cat hair, I have no idea why. Maybe it just needs a good wipedown or something!
I have white cabinets but I am not much of a cook so I've never had a problem. The one dark cabinet in my house is a bit of a magnet for strange things like lint and cat hair, I have no idea why. Maybe it just needs a good wipedown or something!
2 years ago ·
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Anita says:
Becky I too have the tall deep pantry that is a nightmare to find anything in. My microwave is even in there. That's how it was when we bought it this summer! So, I will be working on figuring something out for that soon! First the cabinets need painting. Yes, white is harder to keep clean but these old stained oak cabinets are bringing me down. Too dreary. So, I will gladly wipe them down more if I can brighten up the space. I will be removing some doors and replace some panels with glass. It already has new granite and new stainless, they just left the old yucky cabinets in place! Just need to find the right white! Need to be more of a creamy white because of the granite color, any ideas?
2 years ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
Hmmm, I don't know of the perfect shade, however, I do have a warning from learning the hard way: Make sure you carefully consider your wallcolor. I have a pretty light off-white trim in my house that originally went with a lot of these subdued Restoration Hardware colors the previous owners used. When I used a pink and a light blue (in different rooms) next to that original trim, all of the sudden the off white looked a bit dingy somehow - like it needs a bit of brightener added to the mix. It would be worth getting a mini bottle (Benjamin Moore has these great little tester bottles) of the paint you choose, painting a board that color, and then holding it up to the wall color and granite during daylight hours to make sure it really works.
I think you are smart to go light though. While I think the dark cabinets in a Lettered Cottage look PERFECT in there, my kitchen does not get much natural light and needed all the light paint colors it could get!
I think you are smart to go light though. While I think the dark cabinets in a Lettered Cottage look PERFECT in there, my kitchen does not get much natural light and needed all the light paint colors it could get!
2 years ago ·
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Anita says:
Thanks for the suggestion. I happen to be a painter tester aholic! The wall color won't be an issue as it too will need paint. It is now just a dingy beige color. The granite will be my main worry. I have no idea what is called. Not my fav but its growing on me. Yes, 2010 will be all about painting for me! I love the black of the Lettered Cottage and wish I could go in that direction but I too do not have the greatest natural light. I am thinking of doing the corbels under the cabinets as Layla has done though!
2 years ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
I didn't even notice the corbels until you wrote that - it's such a smart detail that really adds to the look!
2 years ago ·
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Anita says:
I just noticed Becky that you are from Atlanta. That is where we just moved from. Well, Marietta really. My two oldest sons are still there. One is at Ga Tech and the other is a photographer. You can check out his work at www.justinhadleyphotography.com or http://justinhadleyphoblography.blogspot.com
2 years ago ·
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uttara and adwait says:
people with organized kitchens most often lead a well-planned life. it reflects a certain discipline and order, that most of us find so hard to adhere to.
personally, i am a great admirer of well organized and well-facilitated kitchens.
personally, i am a great admirer of well organized and well-facilitated kitchens.
2 years ago ·
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leaca young says:
I love organized clean kitchens that you can see the storage. Does that make sense? Anyway it is hard for me to hide all my kitchen stuff in cupboards....some of it ends up on the counter. I like seeing ways to do that tastefully.
2 years ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
Oh boy, I am thinking about some of my cabinets with shame right now! And I've been trying hard to get things looking good ever since I put this ideabook together!
2 years ago ·
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Donna Gelineau says:
I like open shelving in the kitchen. For the last 10 years all my closets have been open so they were all on display. The house around it is usually in disarray, but the closets look great! We are doing a quick reno of our kitchen, at least 2 of the upper cabinets will be left open and I am debating on the rest.
14 months ago ·
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