Kitchen Organization Ideas

I found this helpful article on http://www.showmomthemoney.com/kitchen-organization-ideas/ that gives ways to organize your kitchen or remodel it to meet your needs.

When you decide that your mission this year is to get your home organized, you’ll find the kitchen has a distinct challenge as compared to the rest of the house. Unlike other rooms that may only need straightening up once a week or so, the kitchen requires constant cleaning and organizing throughout the day simply to maintain its function. But, you can save time, and your sanity, with some basic organizational strategies and ideas for clutter reduction.

Step One: Inventory
Take inventory of the kitchen. Pull out all of your pots and pans, utensils, storage containers, food wraps, plates, cups, cleaning supplies, and take note of what you have. Now is the time to get rid of anything you don’t need. If you haven’t used it in a year or more, donate it to someone who will. Don’t forget your ”holiday only” items and special serving pieces. Everything is going to need a spot, so be ruthless with your decisions regarding what to keep, especially if your space is limited.

Step Two: Function
Store your kitchen items based on each item’s function. This may seem elementary, but you are not going to save yourself any steps by storing plastic food containers in the back of the pantry with the muffin pans when you need them almost daily during clean up after a meal. For instance, keep the baking sheets in one cupboard near the oven, the cutting boards and knives near your vegetable chopping area, etc. Keep often needed preparation equipment near your general work area, not stuck in a cupboard or way up on a shelf on the other side of the kitchen.

Step Three: Consider Specialized Storage
Take into consideration storage units designed to use with specific items. A great space saver is a pot rack that can be hung from the ceiling. You must make sure you can identify the location of the ceiling studs and you must use the right kind of anchor bolts that will support the weight of the rack and pans. If you are not a competent do-it-yourselfer, or lack the proper tools, get the help of a certified carpenter before you attempt to hang a pot rack. Also check out the vast array of portable workspaces like rolling carts. They quite often have storage space built in and can be put in a corner, closet or pantry when not in use. Items as simple as spinning racks for spices, larger spinning trays for inside bottom cabinets, stacking shelves, wire pull-out baskets, and countless ready-made units, will amaze you with the “found space” you’ll be able to use at a relatively inexpensive price tag. If you don’t have a window above your sink, measure the space and go shopping! You’ll be amazed at what sort of inexpensive dish storage pieces you can find.

Step Four: Creative Storage
You might have an old bookshelf in your hallway or back porch that could be put to use storing extra canned goods, paper products and seldom used kitchen gadgets that are taking up room in your kitchen cupboards. Perhaps you could store your towels in your bathroom and your sheets in your bedrooms which would free up a linen closet for kitchen gadget storage. If you aren’t using your dishwasher, you might want to remove the racks and get creative with an alternate use for that space. (I use my dishwasher to hold my recycling until it’s pick up day.) Don’t forget to look up, as well. There may be some forgotten space between the ceiling and the cabinets that, with a few shelves, could be used for storage or display. You know all those baskets you’ve been collecting over the years? Hang one above the sink to store your dish towels. Use an assortment of small baskets to store your tableware and napkins. Any way you can free up some cabinets and drawers by using otherwise unused space will help relieve the congestion and frustration you are now experiencing in your currently crammed kitchen.

Step Five: Food Storage
Your refrigerator, freezer, and food pantry is a different sort of challenge. Because you are restocking food items at a much faster pace than you are buying utensils, you will need to take stock of what you have on a routine basis and develop a master shopping list. This will help prevent wasteful spending by not duplicating food items, and by not having to throw out food that you’ve forgotten you have in the freezer.

The steps listed here should get you on the right track to smoothing out the kitchen traffic and congestion you experience every time you try to simply cook a meal. Of course, with any first attempts at organizing a room in your house, you’ll need to “tweak” it a bit along the way. If something just isn’t working the way you expected, give it a second go around. You won’t know until you’ve lived in your ”new” kitchen what works and what just keeps making you shake your head. This is the one room in the house that you are going to have to put in some real time until you get it just right. Have fun and don’t give up if you get frustrated or overwhelmed. Take a break… then get back in there!

Check back for even more kitchen organization ideas in coming weeks. I hope this gets you started!

“Kitchen Organization Ideas” was shared by Selection Center. Selection Center is a home remodeling showroom located in Nashville, TN.

About Selection Center:
Our 9,000 square foot showroom is the largest in Middle Tennessee and has interactive displays for every room in the home. We offer a broad range of products and design services such as cabinetry, countertops, flooring, backsplash, appliances, custom closets, Murphy beds and more. Companies within Selection Center include Designer Kitchen Distributors, Floors by Design, Granite Direct, More Space Place and Siano Appliances. For more information visit www.selectioncenter.com or call 615.726.3755.

Custom Closets: What You Need To Know To Get Started

Thank you to
http://homeandgarden.whatitcosts.com/custom-closets-pg3.htm for providing this insightful article on custom closets. Hope you all enjoy it and happy closet planning!

If you have more clothing, shoes and accessories than you have space to store them, it is likely that your closets will be quite disordered. But you don’t have to waste any more time fumbling through piles of clothes in the hunt to locate your favorite pair of jeans or to dig out the mate to your best pair of shoes. Today’s custom closets feature high-end designs specially created to match your needs and your lifestyle. This can help make getting dressed something to enjoy, rather than something that makes you feel depressed.

When Space Is Limited
Whether you live in a very old house or a very new one, and whether the design is a sprawling mansion or a cozy little space or whether it falls somewhere between these extremes, chances are you probably just don’t have enough closet space. Most people today have more items than ever before and it makes it difficult to be able to put everything neatly away in a designated place. As a result, chaos reigns.

Part of the problem is that most older homes were designed for a time when people had much smaller wardrobes and much fewer possessions, and even newer homes with their larger scale rooms can be focused on getting in as much living area as possible, often at the expense of allowing adequate storage space. Yet despite these challenges, with the hectic pace of life today, being organized is more important than ever before. So what’s a person to do, then, you may wonder. The answer may be to hire a professional closet designer to assess your situation and reconfigure your closets so they will work with you in the most effective way. This can make getting dressed in the morning much easier and can also take much of your stress away.

The Choices That Exist
If you want to get custom built closets but aren’t quite sure how to accomplish this goal, the easiest way may be to hire a respected company that specializes in closet design and installation. There are likely to be at least a few companies in your local area that specialize in closet design and organization. In fact, one of the best known closet vendors is More Space Place, which has franchises throughout the country. Many people who have used this service like the concept, which pairs homeowners with a designer that can help them to envision the most functional use of their closet space and turn it into a reality. Better yet, the options are endless, from basic storage components out of inexpensive material to more complicated fittings made from the highest-end imported woods. Regardless of what you select from this or other similar closet installation companies, the final results can be easily changed or expanded as your needs shift over the years.

Or if you prefer, you can also hire an independent contractor to build up your closet to better accommodate your wardrobe and other items you need to store efficiently. A builder may be less skilled at envisioning the best storage options, but can certainly follow blueprints or photos of examples you like. Another negative of a builder is that those closets are built-in whereas other custom closet providers such as More Space Place are able to rearrange or move your custom closet.


In either scenario, just keep in mind that ordering a built-in closet organizer can be an investment, but in return, you will get lots of benefits. For instance, you will finally have a closet that is tailored specifically for your unique needs and your clothing, and this can save you frustration and time in the morning, while also helping to preserve your clothing and accessories. Further, the experts say that a high-end custom closet can add value to your home should you ever decide to sell in the future. While these are certainly worthwhile goals, though, most people with custom closets admit that more importantly, they just truly enjoy the neat and orderly storage of their clothes.

Find A Pro
To find a professional company or individual who can handle this project and give you expert results, you can do a search online, look in your local yellow pages or check for ads in your community newspaper from custom closet design companies. Most people will be willing to schedule a free consultation to learn more about your needs, see your existing closet space and your wardrobe and come up with a proposal and price estimate for you to consider.

It is also worth noting that before you meet with anyone, though, you may want to weed out anything you don’t wear or use anymore, so the closet designer doesn’t waste your time or money planning organizing tools for things you don’t even need to store.

Details To Consider
When meeting with a closet design company or contractor, you will want to find out how much experience they have in designing closets of the caliber you desire. You will also need to know how long they have been in business, if they offer a warranty on the final results and what it covers and who will be doing the work and installation.

It can also be helpful to determine the quality of the materials the closet will contain so you will know exactly what you are paying for. For instance, you can ask what type of wood or laminate will be used, what the finish will look like, if you can get metal hardware (not plastic) to ensure it wears well, what the closet rods are made from (chrome or metal are usually stronger than wood), and details about the quality and construction of the drawers. Finally, make sure to find out if all labor, installation and material are included in any price you get. You don’t want to get any unexpected surprises at the end.

The Sky Is The Limit
When it comes to crafting a custom closet, there is no end to the features you can find to incorporate into your design. In fact, the custom closet business is a booming field these days, creating closets that offer storage racks for hanging dressy clothes, shelves for sweaters and jeans and racks to hold shoes, belts and hats and even baskets or cubbies perfect for purses, scarves, belts, sporting equipment and other small items that need a place to keep them safe.

Just keep in mind that today, it is not only functionality that comes into play, though. You can also create a closet that is as pleasing to look at as it is to use. To this end, some of the upscale closet design companies offer many upscale wood finishes, as well as extras like carved molding, raised panel designs, stained glass accents and ornate lighting fixtures. Other special features to consider include a valet rod, an ironing board, built in-hamper and jewelry drawer. By incorporating all of these special details, you can create a closet that will continue to provide the perfect space for your favorite possessions for many years to come.