Brilliant Kitchen Organization Ideas

Tackle your unorganized kitchen with these useful tips and become inspired to create beautiful and functional storage solutions.

The kitchen is the place we spend the most time in, the place that everybody crowds around in during a party, the place where we create and indulge….but also the place that tends to become incredibly messy. Implementing certain mindsets and storage solutions can help you avoid the clutter before it begins. Today we are not only looking at ways to keep your kitchen organized, but also how to do it in a stylish and minimalistic fashion.

Since we lived in our first apartment back in Vienna, I have always gotten a ton of compliments on our kitchen. Whenever we had a party and people would help out in the kitchen, I would always hear somebody exclaim “Oh wow that is genius, where did you get this from?!” or “What a well organised kitchen you have!”. My guests would be amazed and inspired at how functional our kitchen is. Everything has its own place. Since we moved here to Switzerland I have set up a new kitchen organization system for our new and slightly bigger kitchen. I love the way it turned out and want to share some of my favourite tips and tricks with you today.

Let’s get started!

As you can see, our kitchen is pretty minimalistic from the outside. I view my countertops as prime real estate, everybody wants to be there but only a few make the cut. I try to limit the countertops to no more than 8 items and that’s already counting the coffee machine, soap dispenser and paper towel dispenser. Whenever there is too much out, it starts to look cluttered and messy. One of the few things I allow on my countertops is this coffee capsule organiser that is not only functional but also gives our kitchen a pop of colour when filled with different kinds of delicious coffee capsules. We have been a fan of Dolce Gusto for the past 3 years and always have various different coffee flavours at home. Whenever our friends come over they just pop in a capsule of their choice and it saves me from having to brew up a pot.

I also try to continue the minimalist theme when it comes to our dishes, cups and glassware. I like to keep everything in white because it really makes your food pop. Having the same kinds of dishes, cups and glasses not only makes your cabinets look posh (I think that’s the first time in my life I used that word), it also helps you keep them organized because you can stack everything nicely.

While we are on the topic of coherence, I’d like to point out that you can do the same with your spice collection. I try to stick with one brand so my spice bottles all fit together nicely and I do not need to worry about some bottles being too tall to fit into the spice rack. If your kitchen is too small for a spice rack (been there!), you can simply use a clear organizer such as this one to store all your spices inside. Store it in a cabinet close to your stove for easy access.

What is the most used tool in your kitchen? For me that would probably be my cooking knives and a wood cutting board. Because I use my cutting board almost every single time that I cook and bake (which is A LOT!) I designated a whole drawer to my cutting boards. They sit in one of the drawers of our kitchen island where I usually do the chopping. This way I can instantly pull out my cutting board and chop away. Now I know that some of you might not be able to designate a whole drawer to cutting boards. If your kitchen is small and you need to fit a lot of tools inside, you may need that drawer for other items. A beautiful alternative is to place your cutting board out on the countertop and have it function as decor. Get a gorgeous olive wood cutting board and display it. Your guests will love it.

Running this blog means cooking and baking more than the average person does. That also means having more kitchen tools than the average person. Which in turn means facing the challenge of fitting it all into a moderately sized kitchen! To tackle this challenge I designated a whole cabinet to my bakeware and stacked similar items on top or inside of another. This way I can see where everything is and I can fit a ton of items into one cabinet. The cheese board on the bottom is a little out of place here but I didn’t want to store it with my other boards and have somebody confuse it for a cutting board!

One of the most challenging things to organize (in my opinion), are lids for pots and pans. Since they are often heavy and made of stainless steel or glass you want to store them carefully but also have them be easily accessible. I have seen various ways to organize lids but my ultimate favourite one is using this handy tool I found at Ikea. I can see all the different sizes at one glance and can quickly grab one as I am cooking. This is hands down the most popular item in my kitchen that people will remark on.

My second favourite organization tool is this acrylic lazy Susan. I use it in one of the upper cabinets to be able to reach everything on that height. It works especially well in hard to access spaces or higher cabinets where your reach is limited. I store all the different kinds of sweeteners I have on it. Whenever guests come over and some want honey for tea and others want sugar or sweeteners for their coffee I can grab everything within seconds. I also have a good overview of what I have and what is running out.

Phew, we made it to the middle of this incredibly long post. Let’s take a little tea break. Another favourite of mine (forgive me, I have a lot of favourites!) is my acrylic tea organizer. (Unfortunately they do not produce this exact one anymore but this would be similar alternative) I have had this for 3 years and I still love it. We are avid tea drinkers, even during summertime and the tea organiser helps keep all our tea bags organized and in one spot. We also have a small collection of loose leaf teas but I prefer this for entertaining because guest can pass it around and everybody can choose their favourite. What is your favourite tea? Mine is currently the Good Morning Tea by Cupper. It brightens your morning with flavours of lemongrass, maté, and lemon verbena.

Another great organizer is this acrylic spice organizer. I use it for baking powder sachets, pudding sachets,… It keeps everything organized and visible at the same time. I love it!

Something we have ton of in our kitchen are plastic and glass containers. I am a firm believer in meal planning and having enough storage containers is a must when meal prepping. When I first moved in with my husband I bought a large set of clear Lock & Lock containers that we have used ever since. Aside from the fact that they have gotten a bit discoloured over time, I am incredibly content with them. They never leak and are airtight as well as dishwasher safe. We use them daily and they are still in great condition. This is not sponsored, I just wanted to share that with you incase you are looking for a new set of plastic containers. I seriously recommend sticking to one large set because this way you can perfectly stack them and save a ton of space.

In the same cabinet but on the bottom part, I store all the lids and other various mixing bowls. Storing all my lids in a container such as this one by Ikea helps me to keep them organized and I can see all of them at one glance. I never cram for a lid which saves me quite some time! But you are probably not listening anymore since I lost you to the incredibly adorable photobomb of our HBB mascot, Emily (whose main job is looking adorable 24/7 and sleeping on my keyboard).

While we are on the topic of cabinets and drawers I would like to give an important tip that has helped me out a lot when organizing my kitchen. That is being mindful of the space you have available and making the most of it. However, “making the most of it” doesn’t mean cramming hundreds of items into a small drawer or buying kitchen tools you do not even have the space for. If you don’t have the space for it, don’t buy it. If it’s already in your kitchen but you hardly ever use it, donate it. Be picky about the items in your drawers.

To prevent my drawers from becoming too crazy, I sort my smaller items in this acrylic divider (can you tell that I like acrylic organizers? ;)) I also use this long one for parchment paper and foil. Buying dividers for your drawers can be a bit of a hassle, measuring the drawers and then trying to find dividers that pair well took me quite some time. However, it’s a time investment I am glad I made!

I hope you feel inspired to tackle your kitchen as well and find an area you can improve. What is your biggest organizational challenge? Let me know in the comment section down below!