During the pandemic, many people expected that getting a new home would be difficult or even impossible. However, according to experts, the housing industry showed resilience with double-digit home appreciation and low mortgage rates one year after the start of the pandemic. Moreover, Fortune reports that homes sold at the fastest pace in history in 2021, with average listings finding buyers in just one week.
Many individuals and families were able to purchase their dream home even during uncertain times. If you are one of these families, you may already have moved into your new house. You may also think unpacking is the easy part of the whole moving-in process.
It can be quite challenging, especially if you’re particular about certain rooms, such as organizing a kitchen. Having a well-organized kitchen can instantly make you feel more at home in your new space, since it’s where most people gather to eat and bond. By having a plan before unboxing your kitchen items, you can have a wonderfully organized kitchen that feels warm and inviting.
Keep Essentials Within Easy Reach When Organizing a Kitchen
While unpacking your kitchen equipment in your new home, it is best to immediately sort them out as you take them out of the box. First, identify the most essential items, which are the kitchen items that you would use on a daily basis. These essentials usually include cutlery, dishtowels, kitchen cloth, the coffeemaker, knives, mugs, and the like.
Then, you can sort the seldom-used items, like big pots, pasta maker, and special cooking tools in a different pile. Finally, you can place the special occasion items, like fine china, on a third pile. Having the items sorted this way will make the next steps in organizing the kitchen much easier.
After sorting, you should properly organize your everyday items. To enhance the functionality of your kitchen, arrange your tools based on your lifestyle or your activities in your cooking space. Do you cook daily? What are the spices you frequently use? Which items do you reach for all the time? You should keep all these things out of your cabinets and within easy reach, and store them in accessible drawers or attractive containers.
This will help your family spend less time searching for them, making the kitchen space more functional. Try organizing these items using some organizational tools. Consider using magnetic caddies for spices, cabinet racks for daily use utensils, or magnetic bars for knives when organizing a kitchen. You can also create specific zones by using racks to hold other essential items, like pitchers and cups for drinks, on the kitchen island. This technique will make items easily accessible, but conveniently out of the way at the same time.
Sorting Items In The Cabinets
Cabinets are still the number one storage space in the kitchen. Homeowners today even ask builders to upgrade their cabinets, with 63% of them adding pullouts for waste and recycling, and 40% wanting deep drawer storage. If your cabinets do not have these features, there are other ways to make it as functional and as organized as possible.
First, you need to take inventory of your dishes and other items you want to store away when getting your kitchen cabinets organized. Identify which of these items you will use frequently, like pots and other cookware. These are the items you should place on the bottom shelves where they will be easily accessible. You can stick special occasion items, like porcelain servers or crystal bowls, on the top shelves, so they’re out of reach of little ones.
Display other items, like patterned china sets and mugs, on open shelves to enhance your kitchen’s aesthetics.
Do Not Overbuy Organizing Products
In your goal to keep the kitchen organized, you may have bought many items for organization, like baskets, bins, containers, and trays. You may have even bought them because they’re pretty and they improve the aesthetic of your kitchen.
However, these items often become part of the clutter problem rather than the solution. According to pro-organizers, less is more in organizing, and having containers that feel like a hassle to maintain can set your system back. Before buying organizing products, make sure that you have maximized your shelf and cabinet spaces first.
Now that you’re living in your new home, it’s time to organize it to match your family’s lifestyle. This does not have to be stressful or complicated, especially when it comes to your kitchen. With a bit of planning, you can easily make the heart of the home organized and functional.