Kitchen Organization: Your Best Tips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone who sent in their tips!  Have another kitchen organization idea you’d like to share? Feel free to post on my Facebook page. 

 

What’s On My Kitchen Counter Tops

 

In an attempt to make our kitchen more functional, I try to limit what I keep out on our countertops.  (And, contrary to how these pictures make life appear, it’s a constant battle to keep them cleared off.) 

 

Here’s what’s going on:

 

 

I was tired of trying to find the sugar in our mess of a pantry every time I needed it.  So, I ordered glass canisters from Target and labeled them with a Sharpie.  I also added these cute wood scoops from the Sucre Shop on Etsy.  (They’re also the perfect size for a coffee scoop.)

 

 

  

 

 

 

It never fails that there are a few things I need to put on my grocery list--as soon as I get home from the grocery.  I found this cutting board at our Habitat ReStore for $2 and painted it with chalkboard paint.  (I keep a chalk pen in the kitchen drawer close by.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To help with the never-ending paper flow that comes into our house, I’ve added a woven basket for those things I need to do, or sign and return for school.

 

 

 

And, my favorite countertop of all is the one that is completely cleared off.  If only for a minute.

 

 

(You can see more changes I made to our kitchen here, here, and here.)

 

What’s on your kitchen countertops?

 

 

 

PS—I’m linking my cutting board-t0-chalkboard project up to Beth’s Tutorials & Tips Party:

Bold Bar Stools

 

Another little kitchen update for you today.  (Did I forget to tell you that January is “do little things to make your kitchen a happier place to be” month on the blog?  Well, it is now.) 

 

 

 

Two of our dining chairs have recently been taken over by two very little people to accommodate baby seats, which leaves us with four chairs and five more people who need a seat around the table.  (And, when we had company last week, we had to rotate in and out of the available chairs…)

 

Eventually, when all seven of us can sit in big seats, I want a long bench for one side of the table. 

 

 

(breakfast room post here)

 

 

But, for now, I decided that adding a couple of bar stools at the counter would be a good fix.  Of course, they had to be easy to wipe down, and I was hoping for something fun.  My parents had these old ice cream stools in storage and brought them to me last summer.  I had planned to use them in our kitchen until I realized they were going to scratch our wood floor to pieces, and there was no where to put the felt pads on the feet. (So, we moved them outside and used them as side tables on our patio.)

 

 

 

 

 

Then, last week, I found these bright “tangerine” stools on Overstock.  (Wasn’t one of my home goals for this year to use a new color?  Done.)

 

 

 

 

I was a little hesitant to order these in a color instead of just the metal ones.  But, I think they’re a fun addition to our otherwise traditional kitchen.  And, when I’ve had enough tangerine, I can probably figure out how to use a can of spray paint :)

 

 

 

(Ack! Just as I was finishing this post, I saw that the tangerine bar stools have sold out, in the case you felt like you had to have the very same ones :)   But, you can sign up to be notified when they get more.  They are still available in the counter height and in both heights in other colors. . . )

 

Painting the Pantry Doors

 

My first painting project of the year was one that had been on my list ever since we painted our kitchen white last summer.  There needed to be some contrast somewhere, so I chose the pantry doors.  Here’s what they looked like before:

 

 

 

 

 

And, after three coats (why do doors absorb so much paint?), here they are now:

 

 

 

 

Of course, I used my favorite charcoal gray (the same I used on the back of the open shelving here).

 

 

 

 

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if the rest of our doors were the same color. (Well, I’d still leave the green one for fun.)

 

 

 

 

Speaking of kitchens, be prepared for several posts to come on quick updates for this area.  I’ve decided that if I’m going to be spending half of my life here, I might as well be happy about what I’m looking at. 

 

 

 

See more great before & after project pictures here: