4 Ways to Organize Your Kitchen

If you’re ever helping a client redesign a relatively small kitchen, it’s especially important for you to fully optimize all the space available to you.

In such a functional, purposeful room where tasks need to be completed every day and tools must remain conveniently accessible, creativity is crucial in your effort to develop some resourceful organizational shortcuts. Getting started, here are 4 we recommend:

1. Island Shelving- Many small kitchens include an island eating space, typically separating said kitchen area from a small dining or living room. If this is the case in the space you’re working with, try installing some fitting shelving units down below the island’s counter space to provide more easily assessable organizational options.
2. Clean-Up Drawer- One of the main things you should remember as a designer is that cleaning supplies are tools- not décor. Tons of people make the mistake of leaving Clorox wipes or paper towels on the kitchen counter as if they’re aesthetic additions to the room design. Instead, dedicate an easily accessible drawer or cabinet space to house these tools. Not only will you be opening up counter space where the client can prep food, you’re eliminating visual eyesores from the room.
3. Under Sink Storage- Far too many people overlook the utility of this space, opting instead to haphazardly throw supplies into an out of sight heap below the sink. To help keep the bottom space available for other supplies, we love the idea of hanging an adjustable shower curtain rod across the inside of this interior cabinet space, then hanging spray bottles by the nozzle instead of tossing them below. That way, you can stack things like Swiffer refill pads and other flat objects below.
4. Pantry To-Do List- In place of the all too common junk drawer that quickly becomes loaded with post-it notes, pens and soon-to-be lost lists, try utilizing the interior panel of a pantry door to create a to-do list center. Chalkboard paint is extremely inexpensive. Try spraying the inside of an eye-level cabinet and hanging some chalk by a piece of silk nailed to the top. Your clients can use this space to jot down phone numbers, keep grocery lists and track appointments without accumulating a mess and wasting drawer or counter space with a jumble of paperwork.

Want to learn more? The New York Institute of Art and Design’s interior design school can help you reach your goals while you learn interior design. Request your free course catalog today!