3 steps to a life-changing kitchen reshuffle
It all comes down to priorities (doesn't everything in life?)
I hope you enjoyed my foray into financial matters over the past month. This week I return to my bread & butter: household organizing fine tuning, this time focused on my kitchen cabinets.
3 steps to a life-changing kitchen reshuffle
I was helping a client organize her kitchen a few weeks ago, when a core truth emerged that has stayed with me ever since.
Her kitchen seemed totally fine on the surface — great, even. Beautifully designed, not cluttered, and everything had a home. But it was driving her nuts. She showed me how moving through the space frustrated her at every turn. Certain items were hard to reach, drawers didn’t glide open, and she was up and down on a step stool throughout the day.
Even when a space “looks good,” we have to consider the systems underneath. I realized that the main issue here was one of spatial prioritization.
In other words, the items she used most often were not in the most convenient places. This is a really common problem; when we move into a home, we put things away in Their Spot, and our brains often don’t ever question again whether that’s the best spot.
While this can seem inconsequential, think about how often you are in your kitchen each day. Little inefficiencies and annoyances add up, my friend!
When I took a hard look at my own home, I realized I shared this problem. For instance, we mostly stopped drinking alcohol over a year ago. And yet, until this week we still had this many alcohol-drinking vessels in a prime spot:
Similarly, I had been cursing my fate every single day when I made my morning tea and smoothie (#yuppie), because I had to navigate an impossible-to-navigate corner cabinet (see below). I mean, I’m glad the cabinet maker used all available space, but this cabinet extends really far to the left so things get lost back there all the time. The opening is so small you always have to move something to get to the thing you want. Which I’ll be the first to point out is a huge red flag that you have a problemo.
I decided to take my own advice and fix all these inefficiencies one morning. I left the skinny, deep cabinet to my husband, which he was happy to take over, and I moved my focus to a prime real estate cabinet.
Here’s what this cabinet looked like before. Notice 1.25 shelves dedicated to alcohol beverage glasses which are never used, a top shelf dedicated to storing a random piece of art I didn’t know where to put 4 years ago (“Let me just stick it here until I find a home…”), a Sick Box with cold remedies front and center like that’s not a depressing thing to see every day, and no cohesive theme.
Here’s what it took to optimize this situation: