50 simple kitchen organisation hacks to clear out clutter
As one of the most frequently used spaces for many families – whether it’s eating dinner, gathering around the island with friends or hosting a party – the kitchen truly is the heart of the home. However, that also means it’s most likely to accumulate clutter. Whether you have a small kitchen layout or an entire butler’s pantry to work with, these kitchen organisation ideas will help you declutter efficiently.
When it comes to organising, one of the best ways to get started is to decide what you use everyday and what you rarely use. 'We all have small appliances, such as a stand mixer or food processor, that we need infrequently but take up a lot of space. If you are designing a new space, be thoughtful about appliance storage and make sure there is space for evolving appliances,' says Barrett Cooke, co-founder of Arterberry Cooke.
From spice rack ideas to food storage container recommendations to general organising tips, we’ve rounded up kitchen storage ideas to keep your kitchen tidy all year round.
Divide kitchen tools
Cabinets don't only work for larger appliances and glassware. You can also customise them to accommodate large, small and oddly shaped utensils like designer Valerie Helgeson did here.
Use kitchen tools as decor
If you have beautiful dinnerware, cutting boards or other kitchen tools, show them off on your walls and shelves. Not only will you free up cabinet space, you'll also add stylish decor to your space.
Add a bar to the kitchen island
Don't have the extra room for a separate bar space? No problem. Take inspiration from designer Cassia Wyner and build in a few slots for wine or other drinks within your kitchen island so it serves as a countertop, tabletop and bar space for the family.
Group similar items in the pantry
Similar shaped items like jars, bottles or storage containers should be placed next to each other for easier storage. Plus, your pantry will look more visually appealing this way. 'Use jars and containers that stack and play nicely together', says Cooke.
Add deep cabinets to the island
If you have a large family that needs a spacious island, you may struggle to find room for appliances elsewhere. Try incorporating deep cabinets underneath the island for maximum storage space like Arterberry Cooke and Captex Construction did in this setup.
Create an appliance or pantry garage
If you don't like to look at certain appliances all day or if your home simply doesn't have the room to keep them out all the time, try storing them behind closed doors like designer Cheryl Clendenon did here. When you're ready to use them, open up the 'garage' door for easy access. You can also use any additional space to store snacks and other supplies in metal bins.
Design a wine and drinks section
Instead of throwing all of your drinks into one cabinet, take inspiration from designers at Kavina Studio and create a wine and drinks section of your kitchen for added organization. Not only are drinks easier to grab from open shelving, the bottles also act as decoration.
Match kitchen appliances
Take note from Sofia Clara Interiors and organise appliances by colour. Matching appliances can make all the difference if you're going for a monochromatic look in your kitchen. Shopping for the same brand create consistency in your space, and it may even help you feel more organised.
Group dishware
Ample storage is key in the kitchen. For a minimal look like this shelving system by design-and-build firm Forge & Bow Dwellings, display similar dishware in cabinets with glass fronts, allowing space between the items.
Install pull-down shelves
For most, upper shelves can be hard to access. Pull-down shelves, like this setup from Malka Helft of Think Chic Interiors, is a great fix.
Cut down on duplicate items
Spatulas, utensils and kitchen tools quickly accumulate in the kitchen. 'While it’s tempting to buy the latest kitchen gadgets, such as bagel cutters or egg slicers, it’s more efficient to get into the habit of investing in kitchen items that have more than one use', says Jen Nash, senior design lead at Magnet Kitchens.
Stock shelves with essentials
Fill shelves with food staples to minimise shopping trips. Hint: Place the newest boxes, containers and cans behind the older stuff, so you’ll use the older food first.
Label food storage canisters
Transferring dry ingredients into air-tight canisters is a genius idea, until you forget what's inside. To avoid any confusion, label each jar with a paint marker.
Add shelves in the cupboard
Extra shelving will double your storage space. Jen Nash, senior design lead at Magnet, suggests: 'Measure the existing shelf, find some new ones of the same size and insert them into cabinetry with mounting hooks. This hack also enables you to customise your shelving.'
Build in kitchen island storage
Open shelving is making its way into kitchen islands. Here, custom shelves make it possible to stow away ingredients — while still keeping them within reach as you prep.
Give everything a place in the fridge
When everything in your fridge is visible, it makes meal prep way more efficient — plus, you'll waste less food when nothing is hiding in the back. Organise fresh fruits and vegetables on shelves and in the crisper drawers (leafy greens are best kept here, for instance). Place dairy products at the top of your fridge and use lower shelves or bottom drawers for meats.
Hide pantry Items in baskets
Anastasia Casey of The Identité Collective likes corralling essentials in baskets, even in the kitchen: 'You need to be able to see what is inside the organisational pieces if you’re ever going to use them', she says.
Create an electronics drawer
Say goodbye to messy cords. In this professional organiser’s Tribeca kitchen, designed by Ellen Schott of Bakes & Kropp, devices stay concealed and charged.
Suspend open shelving
Take note from interior designer Kate Marker and mount a storage shelf from the ceiling. Full of a mix of glassware, kitchen essentials and decor, this tiered shelving system clears up counter space.
Use a pegboard drawer organiser
Customise a pegboard organiser to fit your dishes, bowls and plates — a great way to ensure everything stays in place and doesn't break.
Hang a magnetic knife holder
If you've got an impressive knife collection, why not turn it into decor? Hang a magnetic strip and put your knives on display right above your prep station.
Frost your pantry doors
You may have intentions of a well-organised pantry, but that may not always be a reality. If that's the case, add a coat of frosted glass spray paint to your doors and don't worry about your kitchen storage being on constant display.
Put glassware on display
It's no secret that glassware can double as decor, so they're likely the best fit for cabinets with glass doors. Here, interior designer Caitlin Kah carefully arranges clear and colourful glassware.
Ditch countertop produce bowls
Pack a deep drawer full of removable bins (like in this custom cabinet from Watchtower Interiors). If you use them to sort produce that doesn't need to be refrigerated, you'll never lose precious counter space to a fruit or veggie bowl again.
Consider pot racks for your walls or pantry
Pot racks are great for hanging pots and pans that can't fit in your drawers or oven. Use racks to hang them in an empty space on your wall or inside your pantry, where they'll be hidden yet secure for grabbing.
Add corner shelves in a small kitchen
Fill that empty corner with functional accents. Designer Kate Lester upgraded this kitchen with reclaimed barn wood shelves — perfect for a farmhouse flair.
Attach a spice rack to your walls
Keep condiments away from your counter space with a well-organised spice rack. Attach the rack to one part of your kitchen wall or use a hanging rack on the pantry's door.
Store pots and pans in sliding shelves
If you can't fit pots and pans into your square cabinet, consider installing a corner pull-out cabinet system. It'll easily open and close, while making your pots accessible.
Install a pull-out pantry
Pull-out cabinets are sneaky ways to keep your kitchen organised. They allow you to grab items from both sides, plus it provides easy access to what's hidden in the back.
Or try a tall pull-out pantry drawer
Keep unsightly — but frequently used — cans, bottles and other staples within reach with this sleek pull-out pantry setup from Diamond Cabinets.
Create a slide-out prep station
Here's a clever solution for a kitchen that's short on counter space: Build a butcher block board into a drawer like designer Jenn Feldman did here. With a hole right over the trash can, it's easy to dump peels and pits as you go, using a scrapper-chopper.
Design a beverage nook
Similar to this look by designer Kate Marker, you can upgrade your kitchen with a pantry cabinet that's functional and eye-catching. This one includes a beautiful counter workspace that's brilliant for prepping your morning coffee and storing mugs and cups.
Mount a double-duty shelf
Here, one shelf gives you two smart ways to store kitchen essentials: Stick seasonal platters and pretty dishes on the top shelf for all to see, and hang cutting boards and oven mitts on the lower hooks.
Designate a drawer for dishes
Keep your dishes protected and in place with adjustable plate holders, perfect for deeper drawers. Opt for holders with carrying handles, so you can lift them out of the drawer when it's time to set the table.
Add bins to your bottom drawers
Reserve your bottom kitchen drawers for jars and cans. Use 16"-deep bins to keep them organised and label each bin so you know where to find what you need quickly.
Add a paper towel cabinet inside your trash bin drawer
What makes this trash and recycling bin drawer from Diamond Cabinets stand out from all the rest: the built-in paper towel rod above it. Cleaning up kitchen messes has never been easier.
Use inserts to maximise space
You lose so much space when you stack platters and casserole dishes on top of one another. Reclaim precious kitchen drawer space with a set of plastic or wood customisable drawer dividers.
Add a built-in storage block
Build a knife block into a narrow drawer to keep your knives sharp and secure — and your hands safe.
Fill up clear canisters
When done right, pantry staples can make an eye-catching display. Transfer all of your nuts, cereals, pastas and baking ingredients into glass jars, marking each and every one with a custom chalkboard label.
Arrange utensils on a pegboard wall
When pegboards are painted in a bold accent colour, they become a functional focal point. Screw in a range of angled, straight and curved hooks to hang mugs, measuring cups and other cookware.
Give everything a place
For a seamless look, use dividers that match your drawer's interiors, often made out of different variations of bamboo.
Install bracketed shelves
If there's an open space you haven't yet designed, install bracketed shelves for a practical look. They're not as bulky as cabinets and they'll make great storage for your colourful and cute glassware.
Create a command station
Stick chalkboard contact paper and adhesive pockets to the inside of a cabinet, so that everyone in your household knows where to look to find the grocery list, coupons, recipes and WiFi password. Add a plastic pouch to store coupons and receipts!
Arrange baskets high and low
Fill lower baskets with anything safe for your kids to grab hold of and reserve the higher shelves for gadgets, spare linens and your secret chocolate stash.
Make the most of drawers
Find ways to make your drawers work for you. Carve out spaces to hold your most-used utensils, baking supplies and spices. In this case, an ice cream-obsessed family dedicated an entire drawer to their sundae-making essentials.
Get creative with shelf storage
Even if you don't have a separate pantry, you can incorporate these organisation ideas into your kitchen. Take the wine glass storage, for example: Mount a hanging wine rack under a cabinet to save space and prevent glasses from knocking into one another.
Hang a towel bar over the sink
Nail a metal bar to the blank wall above your sink and use it to store whatever you need to keep within arm's reach: soup spoons, cheese graters, spices and so much more.
Stack baskets up high
Easy-to-grab bins are great for corralling any extras on the top shelf. Just be careful about placing heavy items in the bins since it may be harder to grab.
Build a bench with storage
A breakfast nook bench takes up less space than dining chairs, and works double-duty with storage under the seats.
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