Operation {Re}Organization: The Kitchen

With the office complete (read about that project here, here and here), it's time to focus in on the next room that needs major attention: the kitchen. In my introductory post to Operation {Re}Organization, I talked about the desperate need to get our pantry in order. That'll be the main focus for the month of February, and I will probably hit some other, smaller parts of the kitchen with my magic organization wand. Wait, magic wand? Shoot, that doesn't exist...unless of course you have the resources to hire someone to be your magic organization wand. That kind of service does exist, but our non-existent budget doesn't exactly allow for such awesomeness. Plus, I totally enjoy taking these projects on myself.

And nothing like announcing it to the world via this little blog to keep my bottom in gear to get it done. It's about accountability, y'all!

I'm still working up the nerve to show you some before photos of this disaster area of our apartment, so that'll come in a later post (tomorrow, hopefully). For today, it's all about goals and inspiration. Starting with this:

{The Social Home}

Beauty. Absolutely beauty. (Clearly, I've got lofty goals).

Honestly, to end up with a "pantry" that looks like this may be a pipe dream, but maybe not, since Jen from The Social Home used all Dollar Store containers. She only spent $48 for everything. Yes, you heard right, everything. Since I'm planning on purchasing very little for this makeover, it's so inspiring to know this kind of thing can be done on a tight budget. Also, the other reason I really like and appreciate this makeover is that this isn't actually a pantry - it's a kitchen cabinet. She doesn't have a proper pantry, so she worked with what she had. Similarly, we also don't have a proper pantry, so we also use a kitchen cabinet. See where I'm going with this? Not having a pantry or a big budget doesn't have to limit the organization possibilities.

Now onto inspiration photo numero dos:

{BHG}

We have a piece of furniture that's similar to this one. Right now it wears many hats: kitchen storage, photo display, and front hall landing area. You'll get to see its "before" shot tomorrow, so you'll get an up close and personal view of its current state and contents. 

The reason I like this piece from Better Homes and Gardens is because of its multitasking capabilities. Yes, it stores food, but it also has a memo board, a magnetic board, a place to hold extra grocery bags and a chalkboard. Talk about a hard-working piece of furniture. Seeing this makes me rethink how we use ours. I'm excited to get started on it. 

Lastly, I don't want to forget the details and little things that need to be a part of organizing this "pantry" space, so I'll be keeping this photo handy for reference:

{Real Simple}

Containers within containers. Excuse me while I do a little dorky happy dance over this one...

Ok. I'm back.

This photo points out a couple of important things. First, keeping "like with like" (I've talked about this before). The common denominator here is that these are all snack items. Second, corral smaller items within a larger container. A combination of bags, larger cylinders and small plastic containers keep things organized and visible within the wire basket. This basket could easily become a cluttered mess if there was no method to the organization. You could easily toss any random snack into this basket and call it "organized," but if you can't find anything, or don't know what you have, that doesn't count as organized. Sorry. I'm preaching to myself here since I am a major violator of this rule right now.

I'm thinking it's about time to wrap up this little (ok, longish) post. So where does this leave me? I've got a few general goals for this kitchen organization project, and tomorrow, I'll have a few more specifics that have to do with our spaces as well.

Goal #1: Empty every space that holds food, minus the fridge, and evaluate it. I am not looking forward to this.

Goal #2: Use bins/containers/boxes we already own. Re-purpose things as needed. Buy new or thrift only what is absolutely necessary.

Goal #3: Involve the hubby in the planning process so we create a system that both of us can use easily and well. He will hate this (won't you, C?).

I hope this post gave you some ideas for your own kitchen as well. If you're looking for more inspiration, you can check out my Kitchen Organization board on Pinterest.  

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This post is a part of the series "Operation {Re}Organization." To see other posts in the series, click the tab at the top of the page.