The kitchen is one of those rooms where things build up as if by magic. Beautiful plates, funny mugs, useful appliances... We tend to buy bits of everything without realizing that the kitchen space is limited. Then the question arises: How to organize the kitchen?
Planning the kitchen layout to prevent the "how to organize the kitchen" moment.
It is not always possible, but if you just have bought your flat or you are renting an unfurnished apartment, think what you will need exactly before buying your kitchen furniture. Make a little inventory of kitchen tableware, kitchen accessories, mugs, plates, bowls, cutlery and everything you might want to have handy in your kitchen. This will serve two purposes: first, you will know exactly what you have and what you don´t have (and might need or crave for). On the other hand, the list will let you calculate how much and what kind of storage you need. If kitchen furniture has already been bought, you can always play the label game. It might not look too glamorous, but it certainly is useful. You will have the location of all your tableware available at a glance.
Drawers or cabinets?
Classical kitchen furniture was based on a lot of cabinets placed both on the floor and on the walls. Nowadays, drawers have proved to be a better option for those who tend not to be very sure on how to organize the kitchen. Besides, when the kitchen is not too big, hanging cabinets make it look even smaller and a bit claustrophobic. Drawers, on the other hand, allow you to see everything that you store in them. As they slide towards you, even the deepest corners are reachable and therefore space is used more efficiently. Cleaning drawers is also easier than cleaning cabinets. Again, corners are the key: when you see them you can make sure they are clean. But seeing the interior corners of a cabinet is not always possible. As a complement, you can fix metal bars on the walls. Use hooks to hang your favorite cups and mugs, too.
Every kitchen tool needs its own place
You know where to go back after a day of hard work. Because you know your own address, you don´t have to think where to head after your 8 hour day. Sometimes, in fact, your feet seem to make all the decisions for you. Of course, your kitchen tableware does not move on its own. The fact, though is that it helps a lot that every kitchen tool has a designated place to be stored. If you know exactly where everything goes after using it, you will find it easier to leave it where you should. The typical "miscellaneous" box is good for nothing but to build up a pile of stuff that you will forget all about. Besides, when your kitchen furniture is well organized, the impulse of buying that little appliance or that cute cheese knife will decay because you will always know how much room there is left for new acquisitions.