Kitchen Calm
For the past decade, we've gone with our dearest friends to Salem NY for Independence Day. I took this photo during a house tour there in 2017. The design is not mine, of course, but it's just perfect for talking about kitchens this week, don't you think?
New Yorkers Don't Cook
The best part about organizing a kitchen is that, although it's the heart of the home for many, it's not an emotional space. It's unusual for a family to be attached to a burned dishtowel or expired box of quinoa. For that reason, it's a simple space to delegate.
And yet, they're the hardest space in the home to organize in a way that stays organized... if used regularly. Why do I need to say that? Well, 3/4 of my clients haven't really used their kitchens pre-COVID.
Most NYC kitchens make it easy to enjoy a smoothie, coffee, or tea in the morning and a La Croix, a glass of wine, or White Claw in the evening. There's the packet drawer, some savory snacks, a bit of fruit, maybe a chocolate bar stashed in the butter's penthouse. That's it because people were rarely home for dinner and ordering in is so simple.
It wasn't uncommon for me to unbox a set of pans. Not because someone moved but it's a good idea to have a set of pans just in case you do want to use your kitchen one day. For all your new chefs out there, your kitchen struggles are common, and here are a few tricks that just work.
Just Because It Fits Doesn't Mean It Functions
Early on, a client yelled at me for how I organized his kitchen tools. Why was he so upset? You could fit so much more in the drawer! I didn't maximize for storage, I maximized for functionality. To see how I organize the drawers in my own kitchen, check out this video.
When you're in the middle of cooking on the stove, you want to find the right item in seconds within a few feet of your arm. Because location really matters in the kitchen. That's why so many people keep stove tools on the counter right next to the stove.
Something that's universally true is just because it fits, doesn't mean it functions. When you have too much in a drawer, opening it can become a struggle, and closing it again can require knowing the right way to do it. Drawers like this can prevent someone you live with from feeling comfortable emptying the dishwasher or using the kitchen at all.
Pantry 101
There are a lot of kitchen activities that are done rarely but need to be accounted for in a small space such as baking. The perishable items are also constantly changing. Think through your kitchen with post-it notes before doing the work of moving things around.
This "dinner pantry" is a great example of how, when you think it through, you can get a lot out of a smaller space. Who's ever heard of a Dinner Pantry before? Do you know what it is right away? If you want dinner, you'll find it here. That instantly makes life simpler for you on a daily basis. Looking for cereal or chips? Won't find it here.
Having categories makes life so much easier than looking for individual items. Labels help other people find and put away things, too! Small baskets are best here since larger ones would get too heavy. Again, they are labeled with broad categories to keep life simple. Just to state the obvious, if you overstuff things in baskets and don't stick to the categories the system stops working.
Location matters. Decanting grains and having jars on lazy susans makes it easy to find and store many options on the most accessible shelf or, as I like to call it, Below 14th Street. The rest of the pasta is stored on the shelf above the turntables, a bit harder to reach. The top shelf requires a step ladder so the top shelf is items for baking since that is done less often.
Open Shelving
Open shelves can be so beautiful and so dusty! Open shelves are great for everyday dishware on the most accessible shelf and cookbooks or decorative serving on shelves that require a step ladder. Serving items should nest. Matching containers with pantry goods look beautiful, too.
Open shelves require restraint and discipline to keep them from looking messy. Stacks of items of different sizes that fit in a stack but don't nest don't look so good on open shelves. Putting small appliances and cookware is also hard to pull off. Like the patriotic glasses in the first photo, open shelves are just as much about display as they are about use. If maintaining negative space is hard for you, stick with cabinets.
If you use an appliance every single day it has permission to live on your countertop. If you use it less than three times a week, that space is better used for other things. As always, these are guidelines and not rules. It's your house!
Kitchen Calm
This beautiful pantry was organized by a member of June's Comfortable at Home Seminar! Baking is front and center in their kitchen in 2020 so this cabinet is filled with perfect flours to make croissants, muffins, cakes, and even key lime pie from scratch. Decanting is the key to keeping small amounts of specialized ingredients super accessible!
Home Seminar
Want to get results like this?
Join July's Comfortable at Home Seminar.
Click here to sign up!
I teach a few ways to reframe looking at your home and your belongings and you will work out the kinks in the trickiest space in your home with the help of the group by the end of the 4 weeks. You will have a new skill for life!
- There is an online portal with course materials.
- All the sessions are recorded and password accessible on Zoom.
- The class has a private Facebook group.
- I'm available outside of class and will check in at least once a week if you don't reach out to me.
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