This article is part of the HOGDigest editorial series. → Explore HOGDigest
The kitchen is, without a doubt, the area of your home that you use the most. Sure, it is where you’re preparing and cooking meals, but it is also so much more than that. This multi-functional hub is actually the place where your family gathers at the end of a long day, the spot where you’ll entertain guests, as well as the one where you’re most likely to socialise during the day (you’re most likely no stranger to preparing lunch or dinner while your kids finish their homework at the kitchen island).
However, because the space hosts so many different activities, mess and clutter have a habit of accumulating in the kitchen. The kitchen is often used as a sort of drop zone for keys, backpacks, and mail, while appliances often end up crowding every single corner. Toasters, air fryers, and blenders are just a few of the ones that are more likely to be left strewn all over the place instead of stored where they belong. If you think that your kitchen has become visually cluttered and you’d like to solve the issue, here are a few of the things you should consider.
Drawer boxes
All traditional kitchen ensembles contain an assortment of whisks, spatulas, cutlery, vegetable peelers, garlic presses, zesters, and thermometers. All of them are very important for cooking and baking, but also very likely to end up on top of each other to the point that you have to spend quite a lot of time rummaging through the contents of each drawer in order to find the things you’re looking for every time. Not only is that frustrating it can also lead to the creation of even bigger messes. Drawer boxes can help in that regard. These containers have several sides that are separated by panels.
The best drawers are the full-extension, undermounted ones, as they ensure that the entire space is accessible, allowing you to have even more storage space. Some soft-closing drawers can support weights of up to 30 kg, meaning that they can be used for heavier items such as cast-iron pans as well. Internal drawer dividers are often used to make the space even more organised so that every item has its designated space (or at least shares it only with those items that share a similar purpose).
Vertical racks
If your kitchen is relatively small, you definitely don’t want to make it look overly crowded. However, this can happen even without you meaning to, as you keep buying things and bringing them into your kitchen. Vertical storage can be a real lifesaver if this is what you’re dealing with. Stacking pots and pans (as well as their lids) can cause them all to come crashing down the next time you want to extract one of them from the mess. However, that won’t happen with vertical racks. Those made of wire are inconspicuous and don’t take up a lot of space, saving extra cupboard space.
You can grab the piece you need right away, like this, so you don’t always go through the process of unstacking a large pile to get to a certain pot. Vertical space is often underutilised in kitchens as well, with worktops frequently taking the brunt of the clutter. Freeing up space will leave you with more room for movement and create a more seamless cooking experience. Many of the models are also highly versatile, being equipped with expandable frames and extra dividers that let you fit all types of cookware, from the thick and heavy to the really slim.
Optimising cabinets
Cabinets are the centrepiece of every single kitchen, the ones you first notice when you visit someone else’s home. They’re also typically the item that you choose first when renovating, with the rest of the design and chromatics depending on them. They’re absolutely indispensable, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot be improved. Shelf risers can be added for your bowls and plates, giving you more vertical storage. Baking pans, muffin tins, and cutting boards should always be stored vertically, a simple trick that can save huge amounts of space.
Pull-out shelves can be installed on the lower cabinets so that even the items stored in the back are easier to reach. Sliding drawers can also be added to the space under your sink, an area that is typically used for cleaning supplies. Make sure that they fit neatly around the plumbing, though, so that you avoid any potential damage.
Eliminate some things
No matter how carefully you arrange things, the truth is that the kitchen will become cluttered again if it is filled with stuff that shouldn’t be there. Anything that shouldn’t be in the kitchen, be it mail or your children’s toys, should be removed and taken to the place where it should actually be. Breaking this bad habit can take some time, especially since it’s unlikely that all family members will adhere to it at the same pace. Nevertheless, it should be enforced. If there’s no designated space for these things, this might be the best opportunity to create one and make your entire home well-organised.
There are also many kitchen items that you shouldn’t keep anymore, as well as some that you should maybe never have bought in the first place. Scratched cookware is one of them. Since it is most likely not exactly safe to use anymore, throw it away. Cracked chopping boards and expired perishables have to be discarded as well. Gadgets and appliances that have a single use, like banana or egg slicers as well as avocado pit removers, are much more likely to do little else other than take up space on your worktop or in your drawers. If you can complete a task with something that you already own, there’s no need to buy these items. If you can, consider donating them, though, as it will avoid the creation of more plastic waste.
To sum up, while kitchens can and do become quite cluttered, it is also fairly easy to give them a makeover. All you need are a few clever solutions.
