Organized KITCHEN {Simply LKJ}

I’m making tons of progress on the home-organization front.  Simply LKJ has totally inspired me to organize all of my kitchen drawers and pantry too!  I’ll post some pictures soon.  When I saw Lauren’s organized kitchen, I was blown away!  This is an organizer’s DREAM kitchen!  She thought of everything to make her life, and especially mealtimes, run smoothly.  Let me know what you think too!  image ********** Hi everyone!  I am super excited to be here at Honey We’re Home.   I adore Megan and her blog, so naturally I said yes when asked to guest post for her Organization Series.  I’ll also let you in on a little secret…I am super obsessed with being organized, to a fault, really!!!  I grew up with a Mother and Grandmother who adhered strictly to the “A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place.”  It rubbed off!  My mom did her best with a household of four children (3 boys, 1 girl) and working fulltime as a registered nurse to keep things organized and running smoothly.  My Granny and Pop watched over us while she was working, so needless to say she too wanted things to run smoothly.  Now, that is not to say that on the rare occasion a guest would to surprise my mom with a visit, that she wouldn’t frantically run from room to room throwing things in the bathtub and closing the shower curtain!! Just keeping it real. I thought long and hard about what part of Organization I wanted to share with each of you, and finally settled on the Kitchen-the hub of our home.  We have two beautiful daughters who have ALWAYS been on the go with sports/activities, so keeping our kitchen organized was essential to things running smoothly.  Lunches were easy to pack, meals easily prepared, and any necessary paperwork/information was always within reach.  So, with that said…I’ll walk you around a few places of importance in our kitchen. The pantry-our should I say pantries (we have 3).  All serve a different purpose.    First up, what I like to call the “staples pantry”.  This is where we store canned goods, dry goods such as rice and noodles, sauces, extra items (such as ketchup, mustard, steak sauce), cooking spices/rubs, and of course, Kylee has her place at the bottom for her food and other essentials.  I try to keep this pantry well stocked with items that I can create easy meals with, even in a pinch.  I hate preparing dinner only to find I am missing something and have to run to the store!  I also store my most used cookbooks here as well. clip_image001 clip_image002 clip_image003 Next up, our Baking Pantry.  This is where I store all things necessary for baking-flour, sugars, oils, vinegars, syrups, cookie cutters, cupcake liners, etc.  I use a metal tray to keep all the oils, vinegars and syrups in.  If something drips or spills, it is so much easier  to clean up. clip_image004 The last pantry is what I call our Snack Pantry.  This is where we store crackers, cookies, chips, popcorn, granola/protein bars, fruit snacks, cereal, oatmeal/grits, etc.  I am a huge fan of OXO Clear Good Grips Pop Containers.  They are a bit pricey, but sooo worth it.  I can always see what we have, or if we are running low. clip_image005 clip_image006 The other thing I believe is essential to a well organized kitchen is well thought out placement of items you use everyday, such as your dinnerware, glasses, utensils, cooking utensils, baking pans, etc. For instance, I store our spices in one drawer in my island next to my cooktop and the drawer opposite contains all my cooking utensils, and the cabinets underneath contain all my pots and pans.  This puts everything necessary for preparing a meal right a my fingertips. clip_image007 clip_image008 clip_image009 I am all about Zones in a kitchen.  I believe everything should be placed where it is easily accessible and easy to put away.  That is why the cabinets around our sink and dishwasher contain our dinnerware, drinking glasses, utensils, extra cooking utensils, tupperware containers, etc.  This makes setting the table a breeze since it is just a step away.  And, unloading the dishwasher takes no time at all. clip_image010 clip_image011 clip_image012 clip_image013 clip_image014 clip_image015 I also keep our baking sheets, pans, heavy duty tin foil, and cutting boards next to our oven/microwave.  This makes preparing something to bake a snap. clip_image016 I could go on and on, but  I think you all get the picture.  I will leave you with two final things I couldn’t live without-an organized Junk drawer (yes, it can be done) and an Important Numbers Binder.  This binder contains all important phone numbers (emergency, family, doctors, neighbors, schools, vet), neighborhood and club directories, phone manuals, a first aid manual, and the girls’ school calendars.  It is housed in the top drawer of my desk and within reach when on the phone. clip_image017 clip_image018 Thanks Megan for inviting me to share something I am passionate about with your readers! ~Lauren image ********** Thank you Lauren!  And you can check out how we designed our KITCHEN at Remodelaholic on January 4, 2011-Megan

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

36 Comments

  1. Oh my stars. Are you kidding, lauren. It's my dream come true. I also grew up with, "A place for everything, and everything in it's place" so this is the bees knees. I love those canisters with the pop up tops. I just don't have that many. Hmmm. I will be bookmarking. Thanks for sharing.

  2. I really need to get my kitchen organized too. I feel like when we moved in 1.5 yrs ago I just sorta stashed stuff without planning it, and now 1.5 years have passed…

  3. I love an organized kitchen. My sister makes fun of me for labeling everything, but an efficient kitchen is so nice. Can't wait to see you kit hen on Remodelaholic tomorrow!

  4. Wow! What a well thought out and organized kitchen! It gives me some great ideas as I am doing some major overhauling in our kitchen and pantry. Thanks for all of the helpful hints!

  5. I love how most of us bloggers are on the same page…I cleaned out a closet today and plan on doing one a day until all of them are beautiful! I will definitely have to tackle the kitchen soon…its not working for me. Am I the only person who needs a few months in a kitchen to find the right place for everything?

  6. Okay so I live in northwest georgia… start driving! lol The closest my kitchen is going to get to organized is I have a cabinet where most of the canned goods go… I have a cabinet where all the tupperware sometimes goes (if my kid is not in it already that morning) and the utensils are all organized into their separate dens 😛 Great job! Love the labels!

  7. Wow! I love this! We are moving this weekend and I'm sure I will definitely be coming back to this post when I'm organizing the kitchen. I love when everything has a zone and a home.

  8. Lauren's kitchen is fantastic! We just completed remodeling our kitchen and I am in the process of setting up the drawers, pantry, cabinets, etc. This post is perfect and has so many great tips! I can't wait to have it completely organized! I am heading out tomorrow to get some of the OXO Clear Good Grips Pop Containers. Thanks, Megan! Lauren was a great guest post.

  9. I LOVE organized spaces! Everything looks so nice!
    i love how everything has a "place"
    great tips! Thanks 🙂

  10. oh my. beautiful!! totally inspired to get out the label maker this weekend and go to town 🙂

  11. Wow, ok she is one of the people that puts my organizing skills to shame!!! I need to do some serious organizing in my kitchen. Love this post!

  12. Holy crackers, Lauren!! You are the queen of organizing! Seriously those cannisters are a dream come true. It makes so much sense to get rid of the bulky boxes, etc. and put in sleek containers like you did. Great job!

  13. How inspiring! My biggest kitchen problem is getting rid of things I don't use – like old electric frying pans and mugs/plastic cups from back in my college days! I love the idea of the OXO containers. They must keep things fresher longer.

  14. Love these organization posts but they make me feel super inadequate! I feel so unorganized when I see these!! My goal for the new house is to implement organization from the get go!

  15. How neat and clean! I really like the labled cansiters with the crackers and grains in them. I beats having a million boxes in the cabinets!

  16. It looks like we could be good friends – I believe in the same principles and they are life savers as I have three little ones!

  17. Wow Lauren!! You are a master! I am definitely going to tackle my junk drawers in the kitchen soon. But unfortunately I noticed the other day a Chick Fil A sauce packet busted in one for some strange reason, so I'm putting it off. Yes, the sauce is still everywhere in that drawer. Ewww. At least it's a small drawer that's hardly used. 🙂

  18. Awesome kitchen! I will be looking to Lauren's as my guide when I get to my kitchen. Fabulous post!

  19. Lauren, you are one organized chick! Good for you. I need you and all your "organization containers" for my kitchen. I know where everything is but there is lots of randomness of placement. Thanks for the inspiration to make it better. 🙂

  20. I LOVE good kitchen organization. I got a few pantry spinners from Emily (DecorChick)'s dad a few months ago. And, while my pantry is still not as pretty as these, it's SO MUCH better.

  21. I think my kitchen is the one part of my home that stays uber-organized at all times. I know it's lame to admit, but, your crackers in the clear labeled bins and campbell soup collection had me in complete awe! I even made my husband come to computer to see how awesome it was 🙂

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