I’ve been waiting for this day since we started the kitchen renovation – it’s time to organize! For our family of seven, function matters just as much as style — so I focused on simple, practical kitchen organization to keep everything in its place. From drawer organizers and baking sheet dividers to a water bottle rack and pan organizer, these small upgrades completely transformed how our kitchen works day to day. As always, my goal was finding solutions that actually work and make life easier.
When we found out I had to go on bed rest with the twins and the kitchen renovation came to a sudden halt, we basically just put things wherever they’d fit. Between limited time, not being able to do much, and just being generally completely stressed out, organizing the kitchen wasn’t exactly top of mind. Everything had a place. It just didn’t all necessarily make sense or make the most of the space.
So once we were able to get back to it and finish the renovation, organizing was the next priority!
** PS: see the full Kitchen Renovation here.
Drawer Organizers
We’ve been making an effort to move away from plastic as much as is reasonable, and bamboo is a great renewable material. There’s quite a selection of bamboo organizers – not only for drawers, but the whole kitchen – and they looks nice and clean against the wood cabinets!
I moved all the silverware, cooking utensils, and miscellaneous kitchen items (bottle openers, straws, corn holders, etc.) to the drawers in the island. The middle drawer is wide enough to fit all the cooking utensils, which was perfect since they take up quite a bit of space. And I put the smaller silverware and miscellaneous things in the two smaller side drawers. The dishwasher faces the island, so it makes unloading quick and easy!
Silverware Organizer \\ Kitchen Utensil Organizer \\ Misc Kitchen Drawer Organizers
Water Bottle Organizer
This is one of my favorite kitchen organization items OF ALL TIME. The water bottle situation used to be a daily struggle. Every time someone opened the cabinet, it was like a mini avalanche and you couldn’t find what you were looking for. The water bottle tower is seriously a game changer. Worth every penny. Now each bottle has its own slot and no more tipping or rolling.
Water Bottle + Mugs Organizer \\ Plastic Bins
I added a second tower for our to-go coffee mugs as well. And I put two medium containers on the bottom shelf for lids – one for water bottle lids and one for coffee mug lids. I went with plastic for those so it’s easier to see what lid we’re looking for. If you prefer to keep that extra cabinet space, you can store the bottles with lids on. I also left a small spot for our short mugs.
Pots, Pans, and Lids
We had our pots and pans stacked in this cabinet, which worked fine. But, FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I could not get anyone else in the family to take the time to restack the stacks when they put pots and pans away. So it usually ended up a giant fuster cluck of pots, pans, and lids all over the place.
Vertical Pots + Pans Organizer
These vertical organizers made it so much easier. I adjusted the slots to fit each pan, so they all have a specific place. The lids have their own section next to the pans. No more loud clanging or digging around. Everything is easy to grab and easy to put away. And I’m happy to report that, thus far, each pot and pan and lid has mostly been put away in the correct place. Woohoo. Mom victory!
Baking Sheets, Cutting Boards, Bakeware
I used the same vertical organizers for our baking sheets, baking dishes, and cutting boards. No more sliding everything out just to grab the pan at the bottom! Storing everything vertically really maximizes the cabinet space and makes it so easy to get things in and out.
Yes, they make custom cabinet drawers with vertical slots like this. But these organizers are a great solution if you don’t have custom cabinetry and are looking for a quick, easy, affordable solution. They’re adjustable so you can make them narrower or wider by connecting more pieces together, depending on your cabinet. And they have little rubber covers on the bottoms so they don’t slide around.
Tiered Spice Cabinet
Ahh, the spices. I had them organized in a drawer for a while, which felt so fancy and fun. But, let’s be real, it’s not the best way to maximize drawer space, and we needed that drawer. Also – we couldn’t fit the oversized spice containers in it, so they were in a random cabinet anyways. The spice drawer looked good in pictures (and real life 😂), but just wasn’t the best use of space. So back to the cabinet they went.
Tiered Spice Shelf Walmart \\ Tiered Spice Shelf Amazon
Tell me the cabinet right above and next to the stove isn’t exactly where every mom and grandma in the history of forever kept their spices, right? I mean, it was begging to be the spice cabinet. It was made for this.
Ok ok. Calm down, I know. But I do actually love the spices back here in the cabinet. I added a couple tiered organizers so we can find what were looking for more easily, as well as a couple containers on the top shelf for the taco and gravy -esque seasoning bags. The larger spice containers and back-stock of spices also fit nicely up there.
Food Storage Containers Drawer
We had the same issues with food storage containers as the pots and pans. They could be nice and organized, in theory, if everyone would take the time to restack them nicely. But most the time, they were just thrown randomly into the drawer. I found these drawer dividers and broke the drawer into sections so only specific containers will fit in each section. And the lids stack vertically on the side so you can see what you’re looking at and looking for.
Now everyone HAS to put them nicely in the correct stack or they don’t fit at all. Muwahaha – organization by force. By forcing? It’s not really force I suppose. But, either way, another Mom victory.
Pull Out Trash Cabinet
If you have the space, moving the trash can into a cabinet is 100% worth it. It’s one of those small details that makes a huge difference day to day. Having it tucked away keeps the kitchen looking clean and uncluttered. And it’s super convenient while cooking or cleaning up.
We do all our food prep and serving at the island, so we can easily scrape the food prep mess right off the countertop into the trash. It’s also right between the dining table and sink, which is great for dinner cleanup.
Rev-a-Shelf Double Pull Out Trash
Organizing the kitchen can get overwhelming quickly. There are so many pieces, parts, and little things to figure out. What really helped me was taking some time to live with the kitchen first before diving in. That gave us a better sense of how we actually use the space and what storage setup would work the best day to day. To plan it out, I wrote different categories – like cutting boards, pots and pans, and baking sheets – on sticky notes and moved them around the cabinets until everything had a designated spot. That way, I could see the layout before actually rearranging anything. It worked so well and made the whole process much more manageable.
And now everything has a home that makes sense for how we use the kitchen every day! It’s amazing how a little organization can make the whole space feel calmer, more functional, and so much easier to keep tidy.
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| Tylynn |
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