Hola friends! I hope that 2016 is off to an incredible to start for all of you! I know I started this year with a renewed spirit and can-do attitude, much like I do at the start of every new year. One promise I make to myself continually throughout the year is to eat healthy and consistently exercise, lol. Sound familiar? I am sure that you can relate. Well, this thought inspired me to do an organizing series on small kitchens since a big part of my healthy eating involves cooking vs. take-out and I find that the only way for me to really be successful at meal prep is by having an organized, easily accessible kitchen.
Now, if you are on social media, I am sure that you have seen the pictures of the beautiful kitchens, with the stainless steel appliances and miles of countertops. Ugh, those kitchens are fabulous. However, if you are anything like me and not in your dream home just yet, that’s ok too, you can make space in whatever kind of kitchen you have by following these simple, inexpensive tips. Don’t let a messy, unorganized kitchen be the excuse as to why you can’t fulfill your new years resolution.
If you have been following my blog, then you know I made a major move in 2014 to Jersey City from Harlem to live with my bf! While the move made a ton of sense financially, we knew that living together in a smaller space would have its challenges. The kitchen, in particular, has 2 small counters on either side of the sink and about 8 cabinets, that can either be used for dishes or food, but not both. Here is our (I really have to give him credit for this because I was totally against it in the beginning) solution below! Happy Organizing.
Here is 1 of the 2 wire racks that we have in the kitchen! Not sure where my bf originally bought it, but you can find a ton of options at Target.
Top Shelf – Best place to display cookbooks and assorted jars or storage containers. If you haven’t seen my blog on the glass canisters, check it out here!
2nd Shelf – I decided to put the silverware here for easy access, plus we only have 2 drawers in the whole kitchen, lol. Also, I found this gray basket at Homegoods and it has glass mixing bowls and glass measuring cups. Still trying to decide if I like the basket, but it gets the job done.
3rd Shelf – This shelf has 1 of the 2 baskets that I love from Homegoods for $24.99 each. They fit perfectly on the shelf and are super sturdy. I have glass baking pans (we have about 10 of them in different sizes) plus some cutting boards and a mandoline. The basket shares the shelf with these ginormous loose tea containers (found at Homegoods as well) we got over the holiday season. We are huge tea and coffee drinkers, so the tea is a must and trust me, we will drink it all 🙂
Bottom Shelf – Home to another basket that houses kitchen supplies, like papertowels, tissues and napkins, plus my striped lunch bag. There are a couple items next to the basket that are still looking for a home, but otherwise my organizing is complete. I find the items inside the baskets easy to access, but out of sight so that they aren’t falling all over the place.
Hope this gives you an idea of how a metal rack can help organize your space. Check out these pics I came across on Pinterest for added inspiration. P.S. You can set up these shelves on these racks anyway you like 🙂
