Organizing & Setting Up Kitchens

My tips for structure, organization & a practical kitchen design

Our kitchen, like any other, is a place of constant change, and maintaining it requires daily cleaning and tidying. While we can't avoid the work, there are ways to make it significantly easier. I'll show you how we keep our kitchen organized, clean, and visually appealing, and I'll give you tips on how you can achieve the same in your own kitchen.

1. Everything has its fixed place

Chaos begins when objects don't have a home – a place where they truly belong. So you put them down here and there, and in a short time, such chaos ensues that you'd rather not go into the kitchen at all.

My first tip is to assign a specific place to every item in your kitchen, where it should be returned after use. Inform each housemate where the kitchen utensils are located and work together to ensure they are always put back in their proper place.

A particularly attractive approach is to not simply place things where they are, but to give them their own home in the form of storage. Storing items in your home on a tray, in a basket, or, as shown in the pictures, in a bamboo box, not only creates order but also transforms structure into practical design and elevates the look of your kitchen to a new level. Take advantage of this opportunity and let your utensils serve as decorative elements, adding a personal touch to your kitchen.

Products that give objects a home

---

2. Goodbye colorful packaging - hello practical design!

Food in colorful packaging, piling up in your pantry and expiring one after the other before you even realize it's there, is a thing of the past.

These packages are not only unsightly and ruin the aesthetics of any kitchen, they are also confusing and difficult to store.

My recommendation is that you come up with a food storage system where everything is visually appealing and coordinated.

Choose storage containers whose shape and size you actually need and can easily store. Look for models that give you an overview of your supplies so you don't constantly have to throw things away and buy new ones.

Take a few free hours to radically sort through your food supplies and make a list of everything you regularly buy. Note down the food items along with their quantities so you can find suitable storage containers with the appropriate capacity and store them in them from now on. (e.g., 500g of rice = container with a capacity of at least 500g)

Whether it's a system with glass containers - like the one we chose for our kitchen - or one where closed containers are nicely labelled, the main thing is that you create order and structure.

This change in thinking will make unpacking your weekly shopping, daily cooking, food storage, and cleaning your kitchen considerably easier.

Storage solutions with a practical design

3. Label & Personalize

To gain ultimate control and transform your kitchen into a small delicatessen with lovingly labeled food items in pretty containers, you can label your food yourself. This can be done by hand or on the computer, depending on your style. Those who want special designs can get creative or order sticker labels online.

This system provides structure to the kitchen, gives it a personal touch, and makes it easier for you, your roommates, and your guests to find their way around the kitchen.

Sticker labels for uniform labeling

---

4. Clear overview

Do you remember the Tupperware containers your mother and grandmother used? There are reasons why we don't see them anymore: their uncoordinated, colorful design, plastic as the main material, deformation from heat, discoloration from food, and the fact that you can't see inside them, meaning expired food and moth infestations are only discovered much too late.

Do you know what solves all these problems and is also a better-looking alternative? Glass storage containers! They are more heat-resistant than plastic, don't absorb the color of intensely colored foods, are made from sustainable materials like glass and bamboo (lids), and thanks to their simple, timeless design, fit into any home.

And the best part: you can see at any time what's in the storage jars - what food is in them, how much you have left, when you should buy more and of course whether there is a pest infestation, in which case you can take early action.

Tip: If you want to be particularly sustainable, you can refill your storage jars in zero-waste shops and thus avoid plastic waste.

Products with an overview of your supplies

5. Size isn't everything

Finding a cutlery insert in the right size for your kitchen drawer is important, but there is something that has an even greater impact on the order in your kitchen: the correct division of the compartments.

Even the largest drawer insert is useless if the dimensions of the compartments don't match those of your cutlery - and that's exactly where the chaos begins.

It's not a lack of space, but the wrong format. Many cutlery trays have too few and too large compartments, meaning you can't separate the different types of cutlery and instead have to put everything in the same compartment.

This is a problem I've observed in many households, but I only recognized it as such when we faced it ourselves. When we designed our kitchen, we ordered a matching drawer insert. While it was perfectly tailored to our kitchen's dimensions, it unfortunately had an inconvenient compartment layout, with up to four different cutlery sets crammed into the same drawer. You can imagine how cumbersome and time-consuming the daily search for the right cutlery was.

Before buying a new cutlery drawer insert, find out the type, quantity, and dimensions of your cutlery. Once you've done that, you can start searching – and feel free to think outside the box and create your own layout with smaller boxes instead of a standard cutlery tray.

If you can't find a drawer insert with the right layout, you can easily create your own at minimal cost. Simply measure your drawer and combine that measurement with the dimensions of your cutlery. Look for dividers that match the style and color scheme of your kitchen, and have fun designing and personalizing it.

Tip: Many furniture retailers sell drawer dividers whose dimensions are precisely matched to those of their furniture. If you prefer to choose them yourself, you can search online for sets – these are often cheaper than buying the dividers individually.

Inserts & dividers for kitchen drawers

Another tip: Large kitchen utensils like spatulas, cooking spoons, and potato mashers are best stored outside the drawer – for example, in a separate container. This not only looks nicer but is also much more practical, as you'll have the utensils more easily at hand while cooking.

Storage for large kitchen utensils

---

6. Hiding & Concealing Allowed

It's no secret that I like to hide unsightly and garish items that don't match our decor. It's one of the oldest tricks, and you can easily do it too.

Whenever you come across items in your home whose appearance would detract from the room's decor, hide them in attractive containers. Whether it's coffee capsules in a decorative box, dishwasher tablets in a ceramic jar, or tea bags in a bamboo box – as long as you can visually enhance the items, there are no limits to your creativity.

I like to use this tip when I want to keep essential household items readily accessible while also concealing them visually. After all, all the aesthetics in the world are useless if they're impractical and cumbersome.

Products for hiding unsightly things

---

7. Save space with vertical storage

Utilize the height of drawers and kitchen cabinets with vertical storage options. The goal is to make full use of the available space and make all items in the kitchen more easily accessible.

Instead of leaving pot lids lying around in the drawer and wasting valuable space, you can use a pot lid holder to sort them vertically and by size. This frees up storage space for other items, gives you a better overview, and makes it easier to access the lids while cooking.

Products for vertical storage in the kitchen

Various shelves, racks, and spice racks are suitable for kitchen cabinets to create more space and make everything easier to access. Alternatively, you can also get additional shelves for your cabinets, which divide them into several sections, create more order, and allow you to utilize all the space.

Products for vertical storage in kitchen cabinets

* The product links in this post are Amazon affiliate links – this means I earn a small commission if you use them. This doesn't change your user experience, but it indirectly supports me in continuing to create more creative content for you.