1. Take Stock
What items do you have? How much space do you have to store everything? I made a list of items as well as a (super simple) diagram of our cabinets so I could remember the dimensions while I shopped for supplies.
It's amazing how quickly organizing projects can start to cost if you're not careful. I decided to set my budget to around $75 for our kitchen cabinets. This was a pretty easy budget to keep, as I purchased most of the glass jars and plastic containers from Walmart. I used colorful duct tape to label everything. The most expensive items were the pullout cabinet organizers. I shopped around and found some inexpensive ones that fit our cabinet size at Home Depot.
3. Visual Labels
Adding labels is such an obvious solution to help you better see what's being stored where. I would also add, make sure your labels are easy to see. This is why I added all our dry ingredient labels on top of their respective glass jars, instead of the sides. I can see the labels easily when I pull the drawer out to get an item.
Store things that are often used together, together. I have a small, easy-to-pull-out basket labeled "Bake Me." This container holds lots of items I often use when baking, including: salt, non-stick baking spray, vanilla extract, and baking soda. I can pull this small drawer out and set it on the counter while working on my next-baked goods adventure, and many of the items I'll need will already be there!
It's easy to think you should get a small area like this organized in a day. And that's totally possible. But believe it or not, this project actually took me a whole week to complete. I had to plan what I needed, find and buy affordable supplies, and get everything put together and labeled. If I had devoted my whole Saturday to this, I'm sure I could have completed it. But I honestly think I did a better job and kept the project cheaper by spreading out the work. Do what works for you.
I feel so good every time I open our kitchen cabinets now. I just LOVE how easy everything is to find and how simple it is to pull items out of the sliding drawers and small containers. Getting organized is such a good feeling, no? Thanks for letting me share! xo. Emma
Credits // Author: Emma Chapman, Photography: Sarah Rhodes and Emma Chapman. Photos edited with Petal of the Fresh Collection.
52 Comments
Hurray for organizing! At the moment I’m in a state where I’m organizing everything I can as often as I can, so now I’m organizing my kitchen one drawer/cupboard at the time. The bathroom’s up next 😉
Those pull-out baskets were really clever! I think I’ll look around for something like that for all my spices and baking supplies; what about sorting spices into groups after cuisine? Like french, mexican, etc? I think I’ll do that 🙂 Thanks for the organizing inspiration!
xo
Camilla
http://kapteinmoe.blogspot.no
Love these ideas!
Organizing can be so satisfying!
Janine Maral from http://www.janinemaral.com/
This is a really great idea! For someone living in a tiny apartment, organization is key. 🙂
Great ideas! I just organized my kitchen cabinets about two weeks ago. One of the things I like to use is re-purposed jars, labels, and stickers in order to identify foods based on healthiness. It works wonders in a house full of kiddies, lol 🙂
Love and Luck,
Laurali Star
http://www.thesecretsurprisinista.com
Oh I like that thought about grouping spices!
-Emma
How cool! I love that you label based on healthiness as well. Smart.
-Emma
Having a budget before you get organizing is so important! Thanks for the tip 🙂
http://everydayingrace.blogspot.ca/
Oh man I so need to do this…I love wire racks too, since you can still see what’s in them easily.
http://theflyingarmchair.me/
Okay, this doesn’t have anything to do with the post, but I noticed you’re wearing suede minnetonkas in one of the pictures! Do you have any problem with rain getting soaked through? I’ve bought target ones before, and I’m interested in a pair of suede thunderbirds (I love my leather ones!), but I don’t want cold, squishy shoes, ya know?
Elisabeth
http://faerietaledreamsblog.blogspot.com/
I don’t wear suede shoes on days it rains. As much as I can help it anyway, since you don’t always know when it might rain. Rain is not great on suede and Minnetonkas are such quality shoes that I don’t want to wear them out sooner than they ought to be. 🙂
-Emma
This is something I really need to do in my cabinets. Currently, I have a little bucket (actually the ice bucket from my freezer, since we never use it) and it has all of my favourite go-to spices in it in a specific order, so I don’t even have to look at them to know to pick out the right one! What I’d REALLY love to do, is buy jars for spices and then do the top label thing like you did. Need to put that on my ever growing to-do list!
Please don’t shop at WalMart…
1. I love your shoes! 2. Yes organising stuff is a secret guilty pleasure of mine. I’m soon moving into a smaller apartment with no pantry so I am going to do some organised cupboards like yours. Thanks Emma 🙂
http://www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com
I’m so not there yet – but go you for organizing the spice drawer!
I know that these comments are monitored so this is more of a general comment on the blog rather than this post. I feel liket here have been so many DIYs lately that require power tools. It also seems like there aren’t as many at home with posts 🙁
Great idea! I’ve been meaning to find a way to better organize my kitchen cabinets, and I think this will be helpful! Thank you! <3
Organizing can be really hard to get started but something you are glad you did when you finish. Thank you for sharing your tips!
Great ideas! I have another tip: I love using lazy susans in cabinets to easily get to smaller item, like spices! I can even fit a two tiered one in my cabinet with short spices on the top and taller ones on the bottom.
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Awesome idea!!!
I absolutely love the idea behind this post and you fabulous solutions. My partner and I are currently building a home, where we’ve put draw in absolutely everywhere, which is going to be an absolute God send despite the ridiculously crazy price. However, in the cupboards w do have, say under the sink, I’m definitely going to do something like this, where we store our kitchen cleaning products.
Love your work!
http://www.lioninthewild.com
Oh, this update is so spot on! In couple of months I’ll be moving to my very own place (yay), but it has a teeny tiny kitchen with very little cabinet space (nay). So all organisational ideas are more than welcome. I hope I will be able to find pullout organisers round here (I always this feeling that the selection of such little wonderful things is so much bigger in the States than in Europe).
I agree to the small apartment shout out above. I have also found awesome storage things at Asian markets near my home, that might be worth looking into sometime! Bonus that the items are also totally kitchy cute with panda bears on them;)
Emma, I love this! I’m in the process of organizing a whole house since I moved in with my boyfriend. Would you consider a post on how to organize a wardrobe (clothes, shoes etc) and a cleaning closet (dirty laundry hamper, cleaning supplies etc)? That would be awesome!
thanks
Anto
These baskets are great ♥
Maria | marygoesround.de
Cool! Sometimes need to check for those product’s expiry date as well, always tend to forget when they are in the cabinets.
Such a good idea! With cabinets like this you’re always going to be in the mood for baking!
Love from France
http://olaf-et-olga.blogspot.fr/
This is great! I’ve been loving your posts about organization. Organizing creatively can be somewhat of a challenge at times! This is great!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
Big labels are a great idea. Sometimes I have so much in my cupboards I cant really see what I’m looking at!!
http://www.thetelephonebox.blogspot.co.uk
I love this. My roommate and I have already got a head start with a great spice rack on our counter and some pretty well-organized shelves, but I love the idea of a removable basket labeled “Bake Me” for baking things, since they almost always call for the same ingredients. Might have to try that one!
I love to organize but finding a system that works in the kitchen is always the most difficult! Granted, when you move once a year, by the time you get a system in place you move to a new kitchen and nothing fits at that one.
I adore the “Bake Me” idea since I too am often baking something up in my kitchen. I am very much looking forward to the day when I buy a place so I can set up a fantastic organization system!
xoxohannah
Wow, this is the dreamed kitchen!
locking this away for when i have a kitchen of my own!
xx
this is a great idea!! so simple, yet effective!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
Thanks Emma! 🙂
Love and luck,
Laurali Star
Your “Bake Me” basket is very smart!
Your “Bake Me” basket is very smart!
Your “Bake Me” basket is very smart!
I have been looking for a way to organize our cabinets in our new house to make them more accessible for me. Since I am in a wheelchair, reaching to the back of bottom cabinets in next to impossible (unless I want to end up on the floor) so this looks so fantastic and easy to do! Thanks for a great post!
All these home decor/organization posts SERIOUSLY make my day. I don’t know why I have a obsession with good design and “spring cleaning,” but I do know you guys help my craving everyday. Thank you so much for continuously making me smile with your fun, creative, inspiring posts and photos. Keep up the good work team!
I can relate to how frustrating it can be not having a pantry in a kitchen! We have that problem in our unit, but thankfully, the house we are building has a huge pantry! I’m glad you’ve come up with ideas for it. Keeping similar items together in baskets is the only thing that keeps me sane in our current place! 🙂
ohhh i am in the process of finding baskets for organising like this! why are cupboards so awkward?!?
Looks great and organized. I did read that vanilla extract, once opened, should be kept in the fridge.
This is amazing! I am wondering what I can find at the dollar store that may help me organize my baking cupboard into less of a willy nilly space. And our spice cabinet too! Thanks for the inspiration!
god I need to do this.
Valentina
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/
I recently went through a similar kitchen organization project and combined function with style! I bought clear plastic bins from The Container Store and adorned them with these Martha Stewart Labels from Staples (see link below)- their chalkboard surfaces allowed me to write my category (pasta, cans, baking goods, etc.) with chalk, and I can change them up when I reorganize my kitchen.
Cheers,
Lauren at http://thechicagolifestyle.com
http://www.staples.com/Martha-Stewart-Home-Office-with-Avery-Chalkboard-Labels-Flourish-2-1-2/product_366165
They clearly showed the difference between having drawers and with out drawers . Organized kitchen look more better compared to the unorganized kitchen buy drawer online/a> you can see lot of same types of drawers
This is great! A hardcore organization streak can feel like such a weight off of your shoulders. My bedroom and kitchen are definitely both due for an overhaul.
Quick question, what in the world is Arrow Root? : )
Thanks,
Emma
http://www.theromanticrealist.net
I’ve been trying to put aside time to organize my baking products and spices for weeks now! This is just the motivation I needed! 🙂
This is very informative. Surely, bloggers will learn so much from this post. Thanks for sharing and keep posting more educational posts like this.
This is surely help us to used a little space of kitchen. i m literally suffering from the space problem with my kitchen.
Thnku so much for helping.
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