I have more kitchen-tastic organizing updates for you today! Before we dig in, let me give you some background on my spice cabinet. Not to get all dramatic on you, but this cabinet has been the bane of my existence. I have probably re-organized it 4 or 5 times by now. I’ve tried everything from lazy susans to adhesive spice racks to stacking baskets & even using tension rods as shallow shelves — NOTHING was working for me. Luckily, I learned from each experiment about what I did & didn’t want. I also learned that it’s really important to label things when you reorganize regularly because apparently, other people in the house would like to know where things are, too (whoops!).
Cabinet Storage 101:
- I am NOT a stacking basket person. If something is in the bottom basket & I have to take the other baskets out to access it, then I end up just leaving all of the baskets on the counter. (In case you haven’t noticed, when it comes to cleaning, I tend to put the “eff-it” in effort, haha!)
- Cabinet shelves are MUCH easier for me to maintain. They’re still utilizing vertical space, but unlike stacked baskets, I can access each item without disturbing the other containers.
- Uniform containers are really helpful. They decrease visual clutter & help items fit together more easily within the space.
- Life is WAY easier when we store the most frequently used items in the most accessible cabinets. Since we’re short on easy-to-reach space, we use smaller containers to make room for as many items as possible & then refill them from bulk containers.
- I use harder-to-reach areas & other parts of the house to store the bulk containers & rarely used items. (We don’t have a huge food pantry or a garage, so we store bulk dry goods in a little cabinet in our spare bedroom!)
Ready for the photos?? Here ya go! It’s been a few weeks now, so I think I’ll be switching from our temporary post-it labels to more permanent labels VERY soon!
Small Space Cabinet Organization: Coffee & Spices
- My coffee station is up top, and spices, supplements, and baking supplies in the bottom.
- I used my favorite Ikea baskets because they were the best fit for my cabinet measurements and they’re oh-so-pretty. (They sell them in a bunch of colors now — yay!!)
- I also ended up adding a cabinet shelf in there because we are SO over the whole stacking basket thing (and these baskets don’t really stack, anyway).
You may have seen this image on IHeartOrganizing’s contributor post the other day. Here are the rest of the details!
I separated the baskets using a cabinet shelf so that everything is really accessible. Since it’s the most accessible space when I’m cooking and it only has so much room, this cabinet only holds the spices that I use on a regular basis.
Top Shelf: Coffee Station
Cabinet Door: Sauces that we cook with regularly
Bottom Shelf:
- Top Basket: Everyday Spices
- Bottom Left Basket: Supplements/Medicine
- Bottom Right Basket: Baking Supplies
Side Note: Our little dust buster fits perfectly in the wall space between the microwave & cabinets — pretty sweet!
Mmmmm…saucy! P.S., if you haven’t tried Liquid Aminos, it’s supposed to be a super healthy version of soy sauce. I think it tastes exactly the same as regular soy sauce — yumm-o!
Small Cabinet Storage: Snacks & Cereal
Here’s a peek into the cabinet over our stove. Again, I created extra space using baskets & a cabinet shelf:
Left Cabinet:
- Top Baskets: Surplus Spices & Specialty Spices — they are pretty high up & not the easiest to reach, so I made sure to only store things that I wouldn’t need to access very often.
- Bottom Basket: Single-serving snacks
Right Cabinet:
- All that & some bags of chips — what whaaaaat! (Oh snap!)
- Cereal stored in these containers from Ikea. Uniform storage containers can really save cabinet space, especially if they’re tall and thin! (If I could choose again, I might have picked something that didn’t narrow toward the bottom, because these do tip sometimes.)
That’s all for today! Next time we discuss kitchen storage, I’ll share some space-saving dish organization & a simple solution for shorties (you guys know I get excited when I can reach stuff!!).
What’s the messiest space in YOUR home? Vote for the spaces where you need the most help!
I’m sharing this post at House of Rose & Thirty Handmade Days!
Check out even more organizing awesomeness at the Organize It! link party:
You had me rolling with your snark today!!! Love it! And I keep telling myself that I am going to buy those wire cabinet shelves… and then I totally don’t. Super fail.
Ha! I’ve been doing that with some of my other projects — anything that requires measuring, etc. before I can buy it tends to get put on the “super fail” procrastination list, lol! I’ve seen those shelves all over the place (even at dollar stores and Wal-mart!). Maybe one day when you’re shopping, they’ll catch your eye & remind ya. Or maybe you’ll find something even cooler & then you can tell me!
Hi Casey,
I really like how you’ve drew out the cabinet placements as that really helps me visualize the space (and perhaps my own in the future). I just wanted to say thank you for sharing such great advice and stories on your blog!
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Thanks so much! Will do
Love all these ideas! I’d love for you to share this at my link party “Organize My Life” that opens every Monday night. Stop on by http://maryorganizes.com! Have a great day!
Thanks so much, Mary! Will do!
Brilliant! My pantry WAS so organized, but I fell off the wagon and now it’s a total disaster. This is inspiring me and getting my brain going…
btw – I’ve heard about liquid aminos and I want to try it too! I’m going to pick some up.
Annie XO
It’s yummy!! I just had it on my sushi rolls yesterday! Can’t wait to see where your inspiration leads
” when it comes to cleaning, I tend to put the “eff-it” in effort, haha!)” LOL that sooo describes me, too!
Haha, I hope these tips are helpful, Melody!