Kitchen Cabinets
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10 Steps for Organizing Kitchen Cabinets
Houzz Contributor. 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.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... 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!
by Gast Architects
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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.
by Global Living
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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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| 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! |
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.
by Gast Architects
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Ditto.
by Gast Architects
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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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Ideabook updated on Nov. 9, 2012.
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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!
Great book. Love the mason jars.
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. :-)
Janice, I have those Crate and Barrel nesting bowls - they are the bomb!
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!
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?! :)
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!
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 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!
personally, i am a great admirer of well organized and well-facilitated kitchens.
and great tips- thanks!