If a kitchen is not set up to serve its owners, does it require remodeling? Not necessarily. Often reorganizing the space is enough.
Jodi and Tom are empty nesters. When their kids were small, they had nice dishes in one cabinet and durable, kid-proof dishes in another. Their kitchen was crowded and much too small but Jodi, the family cook, made it work. Years passed, the kids grew up and Tom got more involved in cooking. Jodi got rid of most of the kid-friendly tableware, but hated feeling stuck in a kitchen that still felt too cluttered for shared cooking by a mature couple. So she and Tom called me to overhaul the whole space.
First we talked about their dream kitchen. Tom wanted clear counters so the space would look clean and give them lots of prep room for cooking. To help them maintain empty counters, he wanted us to designate convenient homes for active utensils so they could be put away quickly. Jodi wanted to keep certain condiments on the counter by the stove for cooking convenience, and wanted to make sure food stopped getting “lost” in their crowded pantry. She also wanted appliances stored where they’d be easy to take out and put away again.
Next we evaluated the space. Jodi and Tom were using a deep, narrow cabinet as a pantry, where foods would end up pushed to the back and forgotten. Appliances were on a top shelf, which Jodi couldn’t reach without a step stool. They had terrific cabinet space for their nice tableware, but some of their most beautiful ceramic bowls were stashed behind other items and, as a result, rarely used.
I suggested that cabinets that seemed inconvenient and unusable could be terrific used another way. For example, while cans and boxes sometimes got buried by other foods in the cabinet, larger appliances would fit and still be visible and accessible. So moved the pantry items to broader, lower shelves where items would be more visible, and converted the former pantry to appliance storage. A perfect solution!
An awkward corner cabinet was terrible for everyday use, but fine for occasionally used items such as holiday tableware or rarely-used appliances. Jodi and Tom quickly realized that this “inconvenient” cabinet was actually much more convenient for their special-occasion platters and holiday tableware than their basement storage area, and were delighted to turn a near-useless cabinet into a kitchen asset.
Meanwhile, we needed to resolve Tom and Jodi’s competing goals for the countertop. We discussed compromises, and I suggested getting a countertop Lazy Susan. The revolving Lazy Susan lets Jodi to see and reach every condiment, and keeps them in one area so Tom’s counters stay mostly clear. We found a deep corner for it out of the main food preparation area but still within reach of stove, meeting Jodi’s needs while keeping Tom happy.
I can help you utilize your kitchen space.
Side note: These blog stories feature real clients and their organizing solutions. To protect client privacy, all names have been changed.