oops... there's a stray letter in my topic line! ignore it - otherwise, I have no idea how you'd pronounce it!

Hey, desertsteph, I think thats how Canandians pronounce 'jabot.' Right, prairie? :0)

You know, for the shabby-chic set that want to dress-up their kitchens.

lol @ jabot, mama goose :o)

Great links, Steph, thank you! It's always great to look through other people's drawers.

No, really, lol, I do like to see other folk's organizational stuff - they often have such great ideas!

~ Missy

GOOD LORD, STEPH!!! Buehl's kitchen drawers are awesome.
And I thought I was going to have a lot. I wonder how much square foot her kitchen is, and how much square feet of drawer space she has. If every drawer is 24 x 24, and there are 110 drawers, then that would be FOUR HUNDRED FORTY SQUARE FEET OF DRAWER SPACE. But some are larger, some smaller.

And each one of Buehl's drawers is organized and dedicated to each type of activity which goes on in her kitchen.

I do so thank you for starting this thread. This is taking the subject of high density storage and kicking it up a notch. BAM.....

I have saved that link and will study her system of organization later. I'm tired from house cleaning today.

lol! i guess 'jabout' could be a short cut for 'just about' too!

looking at people's drawers - a great pass time on here - lol!

buehl's got a nice kitchen! so does rhome. a lot more kitchen than I need these days. or want to clean or try to find things in!

Here is a link that might be useful: more gw drawers

Wow, what a great kitchen, all that storage space, and done so well! I can only dream! Thanks for posting the link, I enjoyed it.

Steph, I'm liking very much the idea of storing canned goods in a horizontal position. Besides viewing the labels, it allows placing the drawers an optimal distance apart. With most canned foods, the diameters are pretty standardized, unless you are dealing with potted meat or short bottles of pimentos or cocktail onions. Or even the big cans of coffee and now sugar comes in a container similar to coffee as well. But I don't buy sugar any more, just Splenda, and transfer it to a tight gasket-sealed glass container, which I will be keeping on open shelving on the cooking side of the kitchen. Just a small shaker/bowl of the Splenda near the coffee pot.

I personally like my pans hanging up, but others might not like that cozy cottage look. Even the stainless steel IKEA bars mounted on the wall can hold pot lids behind them, or even allow the pots to hang from hooks and be flat against the wall. Currently I only have one such IKEA bar, and my flipper, slotted spoons, spaghetti fork, etc, hang there, just behind my 2burner hot plate. A few other implements are sequestered in the two drawers beneath the countertop.

I like the rolling "island" now serving as my cooking surface so well, that I want to find a way to include it in the kitchen redo. It is long and fairly skinny, and with the wheels on it is about 35 or 36 inches tall. I'm thinking to slide it into the area beneath the high bar which will be at right angles to the cooking area. In effect, I envision it rolling under the bar, so I can pull it straight out for a temporary island in the middle of the galley kitchen.

I love having an island AND a rolling cart in my kitchens. But with the traffic pattern requiring enough open space to cross the middle of the kitchen to reach the back deck or to come inside from the back yard, a stationary object would be intrusive. Thus, in keeping with my usual habit, I will try to reuse a favorite thing in the redo.

The rolling cart/island has a stainless top, and the rest of it is a natural light wood, forget what kind. It is the only piece which will not be painted white. Since it will be obviously a movable object, I can find no reason to think it would look out of place. I am still planning to have stainless counter tops on the cooking side adjacent to the stainless range. On the other side, where the sink, dishwasher and fridge are lined up (in a crooked line), those counters will be some color of Silestone quartz. I will be trying to decide the color. Up north, DH has Silestone STELLAR SNOW, which is white with gray and sparkley flecks in it...goes great with gray speckled granite floor tiles and glossy white cabinets and walls. It is really a black/white/gray minimalist kitchen. Tiny U-shaped, all stainless appliances with a black glass GE range top.

But anyway, no upper cabs on the cooking side. Only two small ones flanking the sink.

"looking at people's drawers" --desertsteph, I'm shocked!!

LOL, I really have drawer envy. The drawers is my kitchen were built by PO on wooden slides. The slides have worn so much that I have to rinse sawdust off all my pans before I use them.

"looking at people's drawers - a great pass time on here - lol!"

Yah Steph. I knew this post would deteriorate fast. Hehehehehe Whispering so far it is not nearly as bad as the dirty knees and funky bras thread of years ago on the garden junk forum. Now that was hilarious. Sorry it is long gone.

Back on topic. I am a total drawer fan myself. I also designated drawers for certain activities. The down side is they are not nearly as tidy as they should/could be.

Great links.

Chris

Now she has 'big' drawers, lol! And they are really organized to the max.
My kitchen has 13 new drawers and 3 of them are still empty. So is the cabinet over the stove. I never thought it was possible for me to have unused storage space. I guess its time to shop!

LOL Loretta they will fill with out shopping unless you want to. There seems to be something in the air that will not allow an empty space to stay that way for long.

Ok, you know that in many HGTV shows they also organize the closets and drawers of the homes for sale, because potential buyers ALWAYS LOOK IN THE CLOSETS AND THE DRAWERS. Yeah, right. Presumably, they want to know if there is adequate storage in the home, before they buy it. So if you are going to be selling your house, dump a few of the drawers.

Well, Idie, don't feel obliged to shop til you drop. You can do a lot of it online. The UPS guy who comes here said he wondered where I keep all the deliveries. So I told him it was a lot of decorating and remodeling going on. It's sort of slacked off since my DH went north.

This is about the best place for me to mention this, about a house we rented in Virginia Beach. In the "manual" for the property, they had a photo section of the contents of every drawer in the kitchen. And when we left, we were supposed to return everything to its proper place. Our deposit refund was contingent upon that being done. But I always thought that was a perfect way to keep track of where things belong. Obviously they had no cluttered drawers, it was all plain as day. Lovely home, great kitchen, and the house had everything a full service kitchen needed. That is the house where I fell in love with an outdoor shower, and decided I MUST have one.

Since THE HOARDERS program on A&E, I've been more conscious of shedding extraneous items. I keep whittling away at the contents. Just think, if you get rid of the marginal things, you don't really NEED a lot more storage space.

While I admire Buehl's organized drawers, she has more things in her kitchen that I consider best located elsewhere. Like the batteries and flashlights. And I'd put all the rolls of foil and saran and waxpaper in one drawer, since you could count the times I bake anything (except biscuits or cinnamon rolls or cornbread) on ONE HAND.
And I usually put pot lids in one spot if they are small, and in a huge mixing bowl if they are large. I also hang my pots as much as possible. Also, if I do not have room to accommodate all the glassware, I have been known to OOPS!!! sort of DROP one. I've also used the windows to suspend my stemware...heck, it's clear glass and you see through it, and it sort of sparkles too. Storage space is where you find it. I lived on my houseboat for 10 years, worked on big boats 20 years, so I do know how to make the space I have WORK. It's when I spread it all out that I forget where I put it. :)

I'm glad you all like the drawers/ links etc!

""looking at people's drawers" --desertsteph, I'm
shocked!! "

lol! think of me on 'kitchens' posting a thread titled something like 'buehl show me your drawers'.
btw, there were some giggles on 'kitchens' when someone posted 'panties' instead of 'pantries' - a couple of times!

moccasin - I really like the idea of putting some canned goods in drawers also. I first saw that on this board. I want to keep some in a drawer in my kitchen - mostly for times when I can't walk very well or days I'm otherwise sick. so it'll mostly be soups and dog food. There's a pantry within about 8' of the countertop but some of those days that would be a far ways for me to walk - then walk back to the counter again.

I've lived fine w/o a lot of kitchen stuff i use to have since I seldom cook anymore. I don't plan to rebuy most of it either. I think I'll be fine with 3 not that big drawers - 1 for spatulas, dippers (cooking stuff), 1 for silverware and 1 for the misc stuff (can opener, veggie peeler, beaters to mixer, etc).

Steph, if you get any more kitchen implements, get one of those crocks or even a short pitcher and put them in it. I'm very pleased with my hanging bar from IKEA, it was cheap at half the price, and it means I don't have to answer questions about WHERE IS IT when DH is doing some cooking.

But before he left to go north, I banned him from the kitchen. He worked hard outdoors, then was grumpy if it was his turn to cook. Hey, HE set up the routine, NOT ME. So, I just said OUT OUT and began doing all the cooking. He stopped being grumpy.

Steph, one of my favorite books from YEARS ago, was MANAGEMENT IN THE HOME by Lillian Gilbreth. You know, the mama of the CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN FAMILY. She was one of the first industrial engineers, and she measured optimum distances for you to reach for things in a cabinet, she figured out how hotel maids should efficiently make up a bed, table heights, etc etc. I loved her writing. But it was in the kitchen arrangements that she was the best, IMO.
I have not checked to see if it is still in print, but if you find an old copy, it will help you set up your kitchen for any kind of disability.

Sooner or later, many of us will encounter the same issues you are dealing with. That's one reason I'm going for the roll outs in my cabs, and also changing from shelves to drawers with new cabs.

moccasin - I'll look for that book! it sounds like it'd be a great help. if it's not in print, maybe the library has a copy...

I do have a crock somewhere. it even has my last name on it! my x's family owned a food warehouse and grocery yrs ago and someone revived the bz name and made up mugs and stuff with the original company name on them. The company was sold many, many yrs ago and name changed so I guess it was to resurrect some of the founding companies of the town. I bought a few mugs and a crock.

anyone building or remodeling when they get up around their 50's or so should plan some things in case there is a physical need in their future. My sister built about 2-3 yrs ago and learned a lot - and I've learned a lot by what she learned and did and by what she didn't do and now wishes they had done - just in case. It's a lot cheaper while you're doing things than changing things again in 5 or 10 yrs to widen a hallway or doorways etc.
Even things like larger, very plain cabinet handles - easier on the hands and easier to clean. the 1 handle faucets, drawers in base cabs, easy care floors, etc.

moccasinlanding, I haven't read MANAGEMENT IN THE HOME, but CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN was one of my favorite books when I was 10. I remember that the parents assigned the younger children the tasks of dusting the table and chair legs, because they could reach them easily.

desertsteph, how lucky you are to have a crock with your family name. I love crocks of any kind, but I keep a vintage vase beside the stove for frequently used utensils.

I once read an article on de-cluttering, that recommended putting a utensils in a crock after you've used and washed them, and at the end of the month getting rid of all the other utensils left in the drawer. These days that would mean saying goodbye to my cooky cutters. :(

"desertsteph, how lucky you are to have a crock with your family name."

yes - I think so also! I bought mugs for the kids (adult kids) too. I was shocked to run across them since 'grandaddy's' company had been gone for over 40 yrs! I think my FIL sold it back in the late 50's. It's a piece of family history to hand down to the kids and gkids someday. My youngest son is interested in 'family' stuff and often finds things at garage sales / flea mkts with the family name on it. a few yrs back he sent me a spice can with it. He has a pretty good collection of that stuff now!

i also have a photo of the original warehouse when built in our home town - will pass on to the kids someday.

no! not the cookie cutters! lol! gotta keep those...

and I have to add that book to my book list before i forget.