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Being Organized Can Help on Many Levels
My kitchen cabinets were installed this week, and I
am delighted. While there are still a few weeks to go
before I will be able to actually cook in my kitchen,
the end is in sight. The cabinets are Shaker style,
in gorgeous natural cherry, and black granite will complete
the contemporary look.
I can’t wait to finally put all of my things
away. My family sometimes thinks I’m crazy, but
I truly enjoy the process of organizing my things. I’ve
given a lot of thought to the storage and organization
in my new kitchen. Being organized gives me a sense
of peace. It makes life easier and more pleasant because
I spend less time looking for things. Being organized
also saves money, because, since I can see what I have,
I don’t buy the same items again and again. And,
I must admit, I also love the look of an organized kitchen.
I love opening the cabinets and seeing the glasses all
lined up. I love to see a bit of empty space on the
shelf. I love to see the counters free of clutter.
For those of you planning your own kitchen remodel,
I encourage you to spend a great deal of time analyzing
your storage needs and how you use the kitchen. The
result will be worth all of those hours. For those of
you who are not remodeling, I challenge you to reorganize
your existing space to gain that sense of control over
your environment. Below are some of the ways my new
kitchen will be organized. I would love to know if any
of my suggestions help you.
- Keep related items together for easy preparation.
For example, instead of keeping the coffee in the
pantry, I will keep the coffee, filters and mugs together
in the cabinet directly above the coffee maker.
- Keep dishtowels in a drawer next to the sink and
potholders near the oven.
- Keep all food storage items such as plastic containers,
foil and Baggies in near the food preparation/clean
up area.
- Store pots and pans next to the cook top and bake
ware next to the ovens.
- Keep spices and cooking oils in their own pullout
drawer next to the cook top.
- Store dishes and silverware near the dishwasher.
If you have kids, dedicate one of the lower cabinets
for dishes so they can empty the dishwasher easily.
- Maximize shelf space in your pantry with tiered
racks and lazy susans.
- Keep seldom used items such as serving platters
and your fondue pot high in the upper cabinets.
- Outfit your deep cabinets with pullout drawers for
easy access.
- Establish a filing system for all of those miscellaneous
papers sitting on your counters. For instance, create
a file for take-out menus, another for coupons, another
for bills to pay this month. By having a dedicated
place to keep all of these papers, you can eliminate
a lot of clutter.
This article first appeared in Alameda Newspaper
Group papers on Jan. 22, 2005.
Go
back to the list of decorating columns.
All articles copyright 2003-2008 Anna
Jacoby.
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