The Storage Wars-Part 2

Welcome to the second installment of “The Storage Wars”. Today its on to the kitchen to look at a few more principles of home organization. Let us begin!

Okay, a recap from my last post, my house is small, I have a lot of stuff, I like things to look pretty.  So the kitchen is no exception. I cook a fair amount and like most of us I am plagued by where to keep things like the rice cooker, dog food,  waffle maker, pasta maker, tuperware… You get it, the unattractive, utilitarian stuff.  AND I having these fantastic LOOKING, but highly fixed and somewhat impractical 1949, original, beautiful, yellow, cabinets. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, adore them actually. But they are completely devoid of nifty shelves that effortlessly pull out, built in spice racks or lid holders, and most certainly no lazy susans. So yet again limited closed storage. All of this leads to principle number two:

Principle #2: Function and form are equally as important.

Translation: I try really hard to make my kitchen stuff both attractive and useable. This way if I need to leave it out on the counter, or on an exposed shelf, I don’t mind so much. And much like my bedroom, this frees up precious real estate for the rice cooker and other boring and ugly kitchen items. So next time you are in the market for a new kitchen appliance or gadget, take minute to look around. Maybe a large bamboo  spoon in the utensil holder would look nicer than a plastic one. Throw caution to the wind and buy the lime green dutch oven instead of the plain ol black one. And please keep in mind, one must not break the bank to be stylish. Some of my favorite items I’ve found at discount stores like Marshall’s, Tuesday Morning or TJ Maxx. The local thrift store is another treasure trove of cool kitchen-y, and often kitschy, things.

I found this great yellow colander that PERFECTLY matches my cabinets at Marshall’s. My Robin’s egg blue KitchenAid is an excellent example of a happy marriage of form and function-its incredibly durable and functional, and its just so so so dang puuuuuurty.

Principle #3: Put items you use everyday in easy to reach places.

If I find myself having to root around in dark and awkward cupboards for the same item more than twice in a week, I take it as a sign that the something needs a new home. And by the same token, if I keep shifting the same cake pan I use three times a year to get to the Cuisinart I use once a week, get that cake pan outta there! Move it to a less desirable location.  The green boxes on top of my kitchen cupboards is where I keep infrequently used kitchen stuff (said cake pan is in current residence). In contrast, I probably use a colander everyday so storing it on this shelf makes it easy to get to,and its not sucking up storage space in one of my itty bitty cabinets. Ditto for the dog treats and coffee filters stored in the retro green canisters. Added bonus, these canisters belonged to my parents and everyday I look them I am fondly reminded of my childhood.

Yellow canisters  hold tea, matches/birthday candles, sugar and doggie kibble. Simple white bowl from IKEA hold veggies  that don’t require refrigeration. And both make for attractive and accessible displays on my counter.

Principle #4: Glassware = jewelry.

And what do we do with jewelry???? DISPLAY. DISPLAY. DISPLAY. Please refer to “The Storage Wars-Part 1” for a refresher on this concept. I collect (mostly) vintage green glass. Its sparkly, its pretty, it deserves a place of honor. Besides looking lovely, having a theme for glassware makes it easier to mix and match. I have at least 6 different kinds of green wine glasses. Because my glassware already has an eclectic feel, its not such a big deal if one gets broken, one less really doesn’t get noticed. The fact that I also probably picked  up the whole set at the thrift store for under $5.00 also makes breakages a little less painful. And glassware is so, so, so plentiful at the thrift store! Honestly, it begs the question why anyone would every buy it new.

And finally, take no prisoners and embrace principle number five:

Principle #5: Use it or lose it, sister. (or brother, but that doesn’t quite have the same ring now does it…)

If you neeeever use that set of dishes Aunt Erlinda gave you, get rid of them. If you’ve got cookie sheets so burnt and warped you never use them, get rid of them (or at least move them to the garage to use for craft projects, but I digress…). The point is, the kitchen often is a place where there are literally cupboards of stuff we never, or very rarely, use. Take a moment, look around, evaluate your situation. Even for someone like me who has no qualms donating two grocery bags a week to the goodwill, I can usually find a few things lurking in there that I don’t really need.

Thanks again for coming by, I hope this inspires you to make a little room in your life!