Hello New Year, hello organization! Anyone else? I like to think of myself as a very organized individual that stays consistent year-round, but let’s face it, even the most organized people sometimes struggle to keep things perfect (you should see my bedroom right now, yikes)! In my opinion, you are either good at organizing or you are not. I feel some people just have an eye for how things can be organized beautifully for functional purposes as well as aesthetic reasons. If you are good, you are GOOD. I find organizing things and creating a ‘system’ as they say at The Home Edit, comes naturally to me and I really enjoy doing it.
Who watched The Home Edit on Netflix and now feels like an expert (okay I did, not going to lie) but I have lots of practice doing this sort of thing. Throughout college, I lived in five places and they were all very different in size and layout. I felt like I was constantly trying to arrange things and create my own ‘system’ at each place. I am a firm believer that when organized, you find yourself more productive and using more of what you own. I especially find this to be true when it comes to your kitchen. In my opinion, your kitchen and closet are the MOST important rooms in your home (bathroom being a close second). I find that I use my kitchen and closet the most out of anything in my home, so for me, those are my top two spaces.
The past few months, my parents were going through a kitchen renovation and I could not wait to get in there and organize everything once the renovation was complete! I am one of those people who lives for a mess and I truly enjoy cleaning, going through things, and organizing things (very type A if you didn’t already know, lol). The process I take when approaching a cluttered space may be different than what would work for you but my process has worked for me many times so I thought I would share!
I am going to use my parent’s kitchen as a reference for all things organizing! I feel a lot of people think their kitchen is in tip-top shape but in reality, it could use some work! I say that if you are accidentally purchasing groceries that you already have but you thought you needed, it’s time to revamp the kitchen organization! I understand this can happen and truly be an accident but if you find yourself buying a Kirkland size bottle of maple syrup and you have two in your pantry, its’s time to organize (my Mother…)!
When I started working on my parent’s kitchen, I started with the fridge. I took everything out of the fridge and freezer and made sure the shelves/inside were spotless (they purchased a new fridge so this was easy) but having a spotless fridge is so important (I feel this gives you a ‘blank canvas’ feel). I then reached for some of my favorite organization ‘product’ and tried out a million different configurations until I found what worked for that specific space (this can take lots of time, don’t be discouraged) and once I have my ‘product’ placed where it fits perfectly, I started to add the food back into the fridge. My favorite fridge products are The Home Edit ‘Egg Bin’, The Home Edit ‘Divided Lazy Susan’ (perfect for condiments), The Home Edit ‘Large Divided Fridge Bin’ (we use this for fresh produce, wash produce & lay in the bin. it’s so nice to have access to fresh clean produce, which you will more likely reach for when it’s already washed), The Home Edit ‘Small Fridge Bin’ (this bin is great for berries!), The Home Edit ‘Divided Fridge Drawer’ (again, great for produce & drawer pulls out) and for the freezer, I like these ‘Freezer Baskets’, they help keep everything contained! These products help keep all the items in your fridge contained & organized while looking great!
The pantry will never be as easy as the fridge, for a couple of reasons. On average, most fridges/freezers are going to be similar in size but that is not the case for the pantry. When it comes to your pantry space, my best advice is to measure the shelves and see how much room are you working with (for product purposes) so you can order accordingly. My #1 tip for a great pantry is using shelf liner! The shelf liner keeps things from moving around and also elevates the feel/look of your pantry. This is the BEST shelf liner because it is perforated (which is a game-changer) making it so much easier to use and you won’t waste any! After lining the shelves, I looked through all our food, condiments, spices, etc., and threw away all expired items, and consolidated our 3 containers of cinnamon into one, lol. It’s shocking how many of the same products we had and when consolidated, we gained so much space! Keep the items you reach for most at eye level and create a ‘backstock’ area for duplicate products (if you shop at Costco, you need a designated ‘back stock’ space). I like using these baskets for back stock because they contain all the items and allow the items to be visible so you know what duplicates you have on hand. Continue to add back your items in a neat and orderly fashion!
The products I used for the pantry include The Home Edit ‘3-Tier Shelf’ (makes your cans look fabulous & saves so much space), The Home Edit ‘All-Purpose Deep Bin with Divider’ (pictured- with granola bars), The Home Edit ‘Divided Lazy Susan’ (similar to the fridge, using to organize pantry condiments and also dog treats/meds. The dogs have their own turntable), The Home Edit ‘Pantry Canisters’ (these are great for nuts, cereal, etc.), The Home Edit ‘Pasta Canister’ (love the look of these), Water Hyacinth Storage Bins with Handles (these look amazing and hold a lot) along with the ‘Bin Label Clips’ and ‘Chalk Makers’, Urban Stacking Wire Baskets (perfect for floor storage, we use for la Croix & paper products), and The Home Edit ‘Cereal Canister’.
When it comes to cabinets, my advice is “Do the most with the space you have”. Everyone’s cabinet space is different and you need to do what will be the most functional for you. My favorite products to use in cabinets are these bins with handles (pictured- with Nespresso pods, the handle makes them so easy to pull in & out. HIGHLY functional), The Home Edit ‘9″ Lazy Susan’ (pictured- with medicine), and The Home Edit ‘Large Lazy Susan’ (perfect for your cleaning products under the kitchen sink). I also got these ‘Roll Out Cabinet Drawers’ for two of our cabinets and they are GOOD. We had our contractor install them and they look great but more importantly are extremely functional! The ‘Pantry Labels’ that are pictured are so adorable and easily come off of any container!
My Mom and I love all the MacKenzie Childs products pictured and are all linked below! They are all hand-painted and add such character to any room.
Below are products we used but are not pictured!
I hope this post is helpful and inspires you to organize your space! It feels so refreshing to let go of things and declutter your space! Happy organizing!
Xoxo, Kayla
