Kitchen Organisation Buying Guide

Everyone loves home-cooked, mouth-watering meals, but it’s just as important to make your kitchen stylish, safe, and uncluttered so you can cook and prep meals like a pro. So what’s the secret to this kind of kitchen? Organisation. This step-by-step Buying Guide will help you create an organised kitchen masterpiece!

1. Declutter your kitchen space

If you’ve been rummaging around kitchen drawers full to the brim with tongs, peelers, cutlery and other knick-knacks, you’re wasting precious time trying to find kitchen tools. This could result in that steak on the frying pan becoming well done instead of medium rare, or burning a batch of sauce. Avoid these disasters by decluttering.

Start by emptying out the dishwasher and keeping the kitchen benches completely tidy. Once your kitchen is mostly clean, section off areas and systematically remove items by keeping them in three boxes labelled ‘donations’, ‘rubbish’ and ‘keep’. Make your way through pantry shelves, drawers and cupboards, and also be thorough by sifting through objects on window sills and bench tops. Be honest – if you haven’t used something in months, it’s time to let it go.

2. Select the organisation solutions you need

Take a good, long look at what is left in your ‘keep’ box. Do you have an abundance of spice jars and herbs? Are your recipes floating around on different bits of paper?

Once you have analysed what is going to stay in your kitchen, you can select which storage containers will best suit your needs. For example, a recipe tin will neatly keep your culinary jewels, and also protect vintage recipes that have been passed down the generations from tarnishing.

Containers, jars and canisters

Clear containers such as glass mason jars make it easy to spot cereals, grains, baking powder and other ingredients inside them. These jar-like storage items are also very on trend, in keeping with the industrial chic look taking the interior design world by storm.

Spice racks

Spice racks with layered or tiered levels are great for easily spotting the labels, instead of picking each individual bottle up to check what’s what. An even better option is to choose magnetic spice racks, so you can quickly spot the spice you’re after and effortlessly remove it from its magnetic base. If you often cook with spices, be sure to place the spice rack near the front of your pantry shelves.

Drawer dividers

Drawer dividers or trays are a must-have. Keep forks, spoons and knives in their own compartment for easy access, and use the smaller pockets for items such as wine bottle stoppers. Don’t just limit dividers to cutlery, though! By keeping dividers in all your drawers, you will create a smart system for storing bottle openers, gas lighters, straws, peelers, graters and measuring spoons.

Another alternative is to have a ‘theme’ for each cupboard or drawer, so all your baking goods and gear are in one place while savoury cooking needs in another.

Take inspiration from these practical tips to eventually pick organisational products that are ideal for your own kitchen’s layout.

3. Use organisation as decoration

Kill two birds with one stone by creating a stunning interior design in your kitchen, displaying items you need to store as decorative objects. For example, a rustic country kitchen style comes to life if you hang your pots and pans from hooks, next to wooden stirring spoons. By having such bulky items on display, you will be clearing up a lot space inside cupboards in the process. The same rule applies for showing off your crystal glassware by hanging the stem of wine glasses upside down from racks nailed to the wall.

Many cookbooks have beautiful covers and glossy pages full of scrumptious pictures. Show these off! Rather than keeping ugly, bulky kitchen gear on open shelves that are visible, stack your cookbooks like a library in clear view. You can even colour co-ordinate your arrangement for added flair and a chic look. Put the unsightly kitchen tools inside closed storage for a minimalist, relaxed feel in your kitchen.

For a contemporary kitchen in a sleek modern home, stack minimalist white marble jars with wooden lids. These products look very sophisticated, and will hide away your messy teas, beans and coffees.

4. Clever storage options

They say location, location, location is the mantra in real estate, but space, space, space is the chant for kitchens. Loose plastic containers and lids can quickly fill up an entire drawer, which is why intelligently designed nest storage boxes are your knight in shining plastic armour. They work like Russian dolls, neatly fitting one inside the other for using up minimal space.

Such products that smartly use spatial design are your ally in kitchen organisation. Some even make cleaning up a breeze, such as folding draining mats for safely letting washed dishes drip dry with reduced spilling and wet areas.

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