I like my utensils by the stove.

I'm much more organic and much less organized.

It's been 9 months since I started using my new kitchen, and only about 3 or 4 drawers/cupboards have in them what I originally put in them......I moved stuff as I found it didn't feel "right". I stood at my sink and thought "where do I want to reach for a glass?", or stood at my stove and said "where would I reach for a spatula?" When I was cooking, I decided that where I put something worked or didn't work as I used things, and put them where I felt they belonged. No amount of "rules" can tell you what will make sense to you. In my opinion, this is a place where "best laid plans..." just don't always fit the bill.

Thanks Toronto! So true. organization rules do not fit everyone. I like the idea of standing in the place and thinking about it. Customizing it for yourself. This really sound like it will work for me to also find best placement.

Is there any items placement or flow of where you ended up putting things that really works for you?

Thanks again!

My cutlery drawer is to the left of my range in my island, which is across from my sink and dishwasher. It was my first winner. This plan isn't exactly right, but it's the closest I can find now. The changes from this are pretty minor.

Also in drawers in my island are my measuring tools (cups and spoons), my cooking utensils, and my pot lids. Dishes above the sink and to the left of the sink. My cookware (pots, pans, baking dishes) and collanders are in the drawers to the left of the trash pull-out, just behind me and to my right when I'm standing at the stove. Those are the things that most work for me. I'm still (9 months later) struggling to find the right place for food wrap/wax paper rolls, mixing bowls, large liquid measuring cups, and cutting boards. I'm thinking about moving the rolls to the pull-outs to the right of the stove, but I think I'd rather a wide shallow drawer than a tall narrow pull out. I'm still playing with it.

Our coffee station (which consists solely of the coffee maker and a coffee canister) is next to the refrigerator, because DH and I both take milk in ours. I guess we could keep the mugs there, but we take them right from the dishwasher in the morning, and after coffee they go right back in!

I keep cups in upper by the sink so you can easily grab a glass for a drink of water.

The most important "rules" are to put things near where they are used the most, and to put things used most often in the most convenient places (I think in terms of "valuable real estate").

The rearranging that Toronto did after moving in - I did that as I was designing my kitchen, so I specifically developed space for what I had and how I used it.

Near the range: pots and pans, cooking utensils, spices and oils, potholders. Dishes near the DW. Cutting boards, trash, knives in the prep area (but also consider trash in the cleanup zone). Allocate space for small appliances, cake pans, cookie sheets, stock pots, mixing bowls, towels, storage containers, bags and wraps. All of these things can be measured, so you KNOW how much space you need.

Be sure to leave your current kitchen at the door as you begin this process. By that I mean that this is a new space - you don't have to put up with things now just because you're used to doing it a certain way, because of limitations of your old kitchen. In my case, I wanted to eliminate clutter on the counters, so I made sure I had a drawer for knives, and enough space for things like the toaster, so it could get put away between uses. We don't have a pantry, so I have a drawer for canisters of sugar, flour, rice, etc.

To the right of your sink - are hose two separate cabinets? To the right of the range, is that a pullout for spices? Lots of people here have indicated that those are hard to use.

Walk yourself through several meals, start to finish: get a bowl of cereal and milk; assemble a casserole; make a sandwich; bake cookies or pie. Consider everything you need each step of the way, and where you would logically go for that.

You don't have a lot of upper cabinets - make sure your uppers go to the ceiling, and get extra shelves for each one, so you can store more without stacking. I put rarely-used items on the top shelves - I don't care if I need to get a stool to get things a few times a year.

Good luck with your project!

Figure out the design first.

Then: https://food.unl.edu/use-mise-en-place-make-meal-preparation-easier

AnnKH thanks for for the direction! wise words!

You bring up a point I am curious about "To the right of your sink - are hose two separate cabinets? To the right of the range, is that a pullout for spices? Lots of people here have indicated that those are hard to use."

I prefer not to have a lazy susan (both times I've previously had one I tend to avoid that cabinet). So I an going to ask to have him combine the 2 cabinets with a hing in the corner to open up to the other side. Hard to explain quickly but I plan to combine them to answer your question. The trash cabinet next to the sink will remain.

However I am curious you said the pullout for spices are hard to use. I would be curious to know more. Here is what mine would look like

Also, I'm curious about how people like their kitchen aid mixer lift cabinet. I was thinking about putting in one in my 21x24 cabinet on the island across the sink.

For people who might read this later. I like this thread on Houzz about whether or not for a spice pull out

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/base-spice-pullout-vs-spice-drawer-dsvw-vd~2682684?n=13 

And this thread for the appliance lift

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/appliance-lift-yay-or-nay-dsvw-vd~2686283

Putting spices in a pull-out often a) requires bending down to look for what you want, which isn't easy for everyone, and b) puts spices near a source of heat, and spices should best be somewhere dark and cool. Also, you have to consider that any loose item on a moving surface might move and shake, at least unless you move it very slowly, LOL. That's not a big deal if you're storing bags of onions or boxes of crackers, but if you're storing glass or metal, they might shake and rattle as they roll.

I had two Lazy Susans in my old kitchen - they were a pain. Now I have a Super Susan, and it's a different beast. A super susan has the turntables on shelves, with no center pole, so the storage is more efficient, and supports a lot more weight. I wouldn't rule it out completely. That would leave you a small cabinet between trash and corner for cookie sheets and cutting boards.

Thanks AnnKH! What are the dimensions of the super Susan?

They come in different sizes, but standard is 36" x 36".

Hi I love Kitchens. Key things is like with like. So where your coffeemaker is you want close to sink, mugs above or below and tea and coffee above or below. Doing stations is a great iea.

I split things up by function, even if they're the same category. I have a galley kitchen, so you'll need to adapt for your space.

I have one long counter w/ a sink in the middle; it divides the room into a "hot" zone and a "cool" zone. The range and microwave are in the "hot" zone, and the fridge and KitchenAid mixer are in the "cool" zone.

Hot = not just heat, but also urgency and speed; it equals quick activity that has to happen now. Cooking, chopping vegetables, etc. You need to be in frequent or constant contact with the stove.

Cool = not just the refrigerator and no heating element; it is where activities that have no time element take place.

When you bake, you can take your time, and you need elbow room.
Also, your engagement with the oven is calm and measured--you put the pans in the oven and walk away; then you come back and take them out when the timer goes off ("cool," see?)

So:

SPICES: in the "cool" / baking end, I have all the spices I use in baking (cinnamon and nutmeg, mostly--oh, and ginger; I store them with the vanilla and food coloring); in the "hot" / cooking end, I have all the spices I use in cooking (coriander, cumin, etc., and a 2nd bottle of cinnamon and of ginger). This way, I don't have to walk to the other end of the kitchen to get that.
I find there is very little overlap--only those 2 spices.

UTENSILS: Again, I have the cooking/prep utensils in a drawer in the "hot" end. Peelers, paring knives, whisks, can opener, measuring spoons and cups, rubber spatulas, lemon reamer, etc.

And in the "cool" / baking end, I have a repeat of those that apply (no paring knives; if I needed to cut something for baking, I'd borrow a knife from the other end, since it happens seldom enough; ditto for the can opener, though I've ended up w/ two and might move one down here). I have a second set of measuring cups and spoons, baking whisks, baking rubber spatulas. Yes, this is a repeat, but it works for me. When I'm mixing batters and doughs, I don't have to go to the other end of the kitchen.

SHEET PANS AND OTHER OVEN CONTAINERS:

Again, I mostly have two sets. Baking sheets and cooling racks are in the "cool" side above the fridge. I have a skinny base cabinet by the range that holds the big sheet pan for oven fries, and broiler pan, and splatter screens, and other flat stuff that one uses in cooking.

The baking pans that are NOT in the "cool" end are the cake pans, muffin tins, etc. Some are above the sink (so, straddling zones); others are in the space available in the "hot" end, for two reasons: 1, that's where they were put at the very beginning before I realized I wanted to divide it up; and 2, there's just not that much room on the "cool" end, since there are baking supplies and pantry/canned goods in the base cabinets.
I don't find this onerous because I only have to get them out and set them on the counter to fill right before putting them in the oven. It's not like I'm walking back and forth as I'm working.

(As i write this, I wonder if I should put the canned goods in the "hot" zone, but I don't think so--it's nice to have that stuff out of the high-action area, and the baking pans don't need as much space, so the swap wouldn't be equal.)

So, anyway, that's what I did. I stood in the baking/mixing spot and thought of all the stuff I would need if I were baking (tools, ingredients, etc.), and I put it within arm's reach. And ditto by the stove.


The repeats are few enough that they really don't cause a problem (and I had them all anyway, so it wasn't more expense). And the exceptions don't create a problem either.

A quick thought on mixer lifts. I'd originally wanted one but changed my mind after thinking about the mess that tends to collect around it. The lift itself may be solid, but it's narrow and hanging out in the air, so all the flour, sugar, and other detritus that I manage to create would wind up on the floor. I'd rather clean the counter than the floor, so I have the mixer on a roll out shelf and just lift it onto the counter.

Thanks to GW, however, I'm now longing for this mixer, so maybe it's the solution to all problems.