Kitchen Switchin’.

Last Friday was cold and rainy here, and both A and I were a little cranky.  So to make us both feel better I put her down for a long nap in her swing (her fave), and I decided to tackle something that has been on my to-organize list for a while.  Since the swing is in our “family room” (or rather, 100 square foot of living space where we frequently find ourselves gathering) which is next to our kitchen, it seemed perfect.  Except for the fact that I banged something loudly on the counter just as I was finishing, which woke her up about an hour before she would have gotten up on her own.  Needless to say more crankiness ensued.  For both of us.  I was going to use that last hour for my own nap time!  Oh well, at least I got my kitchen cabinets in order.

Here’s how it all went down.  I had 3 main problems.  First, the cupboards I was using as a main pantry were a disaster.  Cans stacked on cans, ketchup teetering on tuna, boxes on top of boxes, and things always just about to fall out.  See below.

Oh, and I apologize in advance for all of the dark shots.  Like I said it was a pretty dreary day and A was sleeping so most of the lights downstairs were off.  Also, I don’t really know how to use our camera.  I told myself I was going to learn while home on maternity leave, but that never panned out.

But let’s continue.  The area above our stove was also a mess.  The left side was storing tall pantry items; the right side had wine glasses, martini glasses, champagne glasses, and glass pitchers.  Why I have not cleared these out sooner I do not know.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a martini in my life, and we certainly aren’t popping bubbly on the reg over here.  I took this picture after I cleared all the glass items out but you can see everything I’m referring to in the subsequent shots.

The last problem zone was double cupboard above our sink where we store our plates, bowls, and tupperware.  It wasn’t really a disaster, but I just knew I could really maximize the space if I rearranged a few things.  The before shot is below.

To get started, the first thing I did was take everything out of the cabinets.  My counters looked like this (can you believe all that stuff fit in there?!):

Next, I wiped down all the empty cabinets.  Ahhhh, nice and clean:

The pantry cabinet and the cabinets above the stove were now open for business.  Next, I grouped similar items together, and then put them back in the cabinets in a way that made sense.  Canned goods and snacks are in the top section of the pantry cabinet, oils and vinegars are below so they can be easily accessed while cooking.  A’s baby food and KP’s Omega 3 Oil (for her dry skin – she’s such a diva) are in the bottom right-hand side of this cabinet also for easy access.  Check out the improvement below.

And a close up of the top and bottom, just because it’s so satisfying.

Breakfast items like cereal boxes and oatmeal are now on the left above the stove, with pasta, canned tomatoes, and sauce on the right.  Check it out.

Lastly, I was able to rearrange the plates, bowls, and tupperware above our sink, swap out coffee mugs, and bring in more drinking glasses.  This layout made a lot more sense.  The mugs were now directly over the Keurig in the cabinet nextdoor, and the glasses could all be in one spot together.  I also put all my tupperware on the same shelf and organized them a bit so the containers and their lids were easier to grab. So here is the last big reveal.

I’m pumped to have finally conquered these kitchen cabinets.  Even though no one would ever know since all this stuff hides behind our tacky faux-k (aka fake oak) wood cabinets, I can rest easy at night knowing that my kitchen items are happily in their proper places.  And I even learned a little something during this project:  it seems as though we buy way too much Kashi and tuna, and we have enough random oils to run a very eclectically scented massage parlor (sesame, garlic, lemon, safflower, vegetable, and olive).  New business idea?