Great suggestions! Here are a few of mine: -Everything should have a place,and it should be convenient or logical. So, there is a bowl right inside the front door where I always put my keys. There is always an extra roll of toilet paper in the bedroom closet, just outside the door of the bathroom. The key to the car my daughter and I share is hung on a key rack right next to the door to the garage. And so on. -We try to keep our pantry and supply closets stocked. So when we take a can of shaving cream out, I put it on the shopping list and buy another one. This only works though if you keep your stock in a designated place and know to check there. Otherwise I think it's too easy to just keep buying replacement whatevers without knowing you already have it stashed somewhere. -Also use white towels, as well as white sheets and white table linens. Other than different sizes, this eliminates any and all worries about matching anything. -I tidy up before I go to bed and before I leave in the morning. It only takes 10 minutes or so to put things away at night, and straighten up in the morning. And it makes a huge difference to me to see order when I wake up and when I come home. Started this when the kids were younger and it's a habit that has lasted. -I make my bed every morning. This is similar to flylady's shining the sink/putting on shoes principle. A bed that is made just makes the room, the house and life feel more orderly and organized. Below is a great little list from a blogger I follow. It includes some of my own tips, which is probably why I think it's so useful ;). Ann Here is a link that might be useful: Tips for Keeping it Together

Hi, RDW. This is fun time, but most of it'll be right at home. You'll notice that Marcolo's link has almost nothing to do with yet another shopping trip. A few inserts are prizes, but a lot are unnecessary obstacles to good use. Some flexibility isn't just good, it's required for good function. That link does cover almost everything, so I'll just offer to think in terms of point of first use and, since not everything can be stored right there, in terms of priority--the more often an item is used, the closer it gets stored to point of first use. Long ago I visited someone with a very small kitchen who stored her salad spinner on a shelf by a stack of 4 plates and 4 bowls. I was clueless then, but now I understand completely. Smart lady.

Since those dazzling organizers are indeed expensive, Would you consider re-arranging? Pots and pans do not do well in a blind corner cabinet. Can you move them somewhere else that is easier to access, and then put other things where the pots and pans are now? And for the lids, you can get an inexpensive rack in which to stack the lids sideways so that they are easy to see and access. Another option for you to consider (which is what I did in addition to the pot lid rack) is to get a pot rack to hang from the ceiling. There are so many attractive types, and this way you hang your pots and pans and they are always easily visible and easily accessible, one at a time. You aren't stacking them, so you don't need to move any to find the one you want. You don't need to move any just to use the oven. When you free up that cabinet space, you now will have more cabinet space to take out of the oven the things you are currently storing in it like baking sheets or roasting pans. It looks like some of your pot lids have open handles, so you can hang them from your pot rack as well. Just make sure the pot rack is hung by someone who knows what they are doing so it will support the weight. A decent rack with the pots on it is attractive, I think. I even have a great big colander hanging on mine as well as some heavy cast iron pans.

@Fori I'm considering having the doors open together because it is less $$ than having a separate cabinet box for the upper-uppers. So it's primarily about saving money. But yeah the stuff I store way up there will be what I don't use/need often--though I also have a decent size pantry closet for things like that. @dan1888 If I can make the sink base smaller, I will. Already did that with the clean-up sink base (not reflected in the images I posted--plus that sink should be an apron-front). Regarding the main prep area, the way I use the kitchen, my main prep will be on the island to right of prep sink, and on main L to left of rangetop. The area between clean-up sink and fridge is for toaster and coffee pot, sandwich-making, etc. (so is the opposite side of the island, where the m/w is). That way we don't get in each other's way. I don't object to the sink being off-center, since it's the window that will be most noticeable from the living room, not the sink. But, if I move the main sink to the right, I have to move the d/w to the left of the sink and probably put the trash on the right side of the sink. Not bad in itself, b/c that makes trash convenient to both workspaces. But it means people will constantly be heading for that corner to reach the trash which seems bad, I think trash is better near the outside of the L. (And, I'd need to make sure cabs are still the same width on either side of the window.) [Edited to reply re the lighting] We have a detailed plan from the architect that includes all the layers of lighting. @User I hear you. I've heard tell about this unicorn--the KD who is not a cabinet salesperson--since my first kitchen reno a long time ago, which I mainly planned myself with excellent input from folks here (and was happy with the outcome, given the constraints I had). I have not yet met that unicorn. The KD working on the current project is supposed to be one of the best, was recommended by my architect, clients love them, etc etc. And still I have no illusions--this person is primarily selling cabinets, and I'm going to be the one to make sure my idiosyncratic needs are met. (The goal of the current location of appliances and sinks is to meet those needs.) I welcome advice, especially when it points out mistakes I might miss. @Mark Bischak Yup. Even so, I think when I posted an earlier version of this kitchen design, I had either not yet met with the KD, or I didn't have a real layout from them yet. Now I do, and still the cabinet arrangement is not set in stone, I'm sure I'll be changing some things. The overall house design is pretty much set, though, which means the windows are set. At least, until we get the builder estimates I expect any day now...