As the heart of the home, the kitchen is where we gather with friends and family to cook, eat, celebrate and socialize. Spending so much time in the kitchen also means it can easily become messy and disorganized. Fortunately, you can design your space so that it’s easy to find what you need — and return items to their rightful places. 

Read on for 10 ways to create a tidy, clutter-free kitchen.

1. Create Adequate Storage Space

Open-concept kitchens, which open up to the main living and dining spaces, are popular in many new and renovated kitchens. When considering removing walls in your kitchen, keep in mind that you’ll also be eliminating storage space. Be sure there’s adequate storage elsewhere for all of your kitchen items and food.

2. Think About Island Storage

Many clients prefer generous-sized kitchen islands with bar seating because they entertain frequently and enjoy chatting with guests while preparing food. That means they may have to move bar stools to access island storage, depending on the design, which can be cumbersome.

Consider where your bar stools will be if you plan on incorporating storage into an island with lots of seating. Or try to store infrequently used items in the cabinets where there will be seating.

3. Opt for Large Drawers Instead of Lower Cabinets

It’s always a better idea to use large drawers beneath countertops instead of conventional lower cabinets with shelves. With drawers, you won’t need to stoop down to search for something hiding in the back of a lower cabinet. Also, items can be more easily organized and stored.
Keep in mind that drawers are more expensive than cabinets because of the additional internal hardware. Depending on your budget, the added functionality may be worth the splurge.
A pegboard with adjustable pegs at the bottom of a drawer makes it easy to keep items organized and in place.

4. Reconsider Open Shelving

Another idea worth investing in is traditional upper cabinets with doors for most of your upper storage. Unless everyone in your family is extremely organized, open shelves can quickly become cluttered and messy. Also, the items on shelves can become magnets for dust, grime and grease from cooking oil.

5. Choose Solid Doors for Upper Cabinets

Glass-front cabinets can be tempting, especially if you have beautiful glasses or dinnerware you want to display. However, cabinets can easily look cluttered if everything isn’t organized. If you love this look, perhaps consider installing only a few glass-front cabinets to display standout decor or kitchen items that aren’t used frequently.

6. Place Your Dishwasher for Easy Access to Storage

In most kitchens, the dishwasher is conveniently located next to the sink to simplify loading. When laying out your space, also think about the ease of unloading clean dishes and flatware. Consider where you’ll be standing when the dishwasher door is open and how easily you’ll be able to access drawers and storage.

Since emptying the dishwasher is a frequent task, convenient access to storage should be a priority. We don’t want open dishwasher doors blocking access to storage for dinnerware and flatware; or walking across the room to put away dishes.

7. Hide Waste Bins

No one likes to see waste bins in a kitchen, which is supposed to be the cleanest and most hygienic space, hence include a pullout compartment to stash trash and recycle. If your waste management company also collects compost, consider adding a green waste bin as well.

8. Splurge on a Walk-In Pantry

Splurge on a walk-in pantry if your budget and square footage allow, especially if you have children at home. Generally, shallow shelves make it easy to see and locate items quickly.

Think about installing a shallow counter with electrical outlets for small appliances. Your coffee maker, toaster and other small appliances can live in the pantry permanently, eliminating visual clutter on your kitchen counters.

9. Consider an Appliance Garage

If a walk-in pantry isn’t in your plans, an appliance garage might be a viable alternative. Small appliances, such as the toaster, blender and microwave, can be permanently stored on the countertop. You can install a handy door that folds down to keep appliances out of sight when not in use.

10. Add a Drop Zone for Mail and Paperwork

Incoming paper — mail, homework, receipts and other documents — is one of the biggest causes of clutter for a lot of clients. Adding a drop zone to sort and organize incoming paper, if space allows, can help solve this problem.
Consider giving each household member an assigned file slot to temporarily store their documents. Put name labels on each slot so papers can be easily sorted and retrieved.

There are so many decisions to make when remodeling a kitchen. Select a pro team that listens and collaborates with you during the design process so all of your needs are addressed. An experienced team should be able to create a new kitchen that is both beautiful and functional.