a low snack drawer. with only healthy stuff in it. that way, they won't need me when they are hungry!

for the rest, look at organize.com , the container store, and kitchensource.com

good undersink compartments are essential.

LC

I keep a verticial, 3-tier tray on the counter next to the freezer/fridge, which holds various fruits or things like tomatoes. There's a cutting board standing there so I have something to cut on. The flatware is in a drawer below the counter, and holds knives, spreaders, etc. Next to that drawer are the wraps (ziplocks, plastic wraps, etc. and anything I might need for a lunch box like picks, food cups, Bento boxes.) Bowls and small plates are in the drawer below that, and the bottom drawer holds cereal, chips, crackers. This way, I can pull my freshly washed lettuce and veggies out of the fridge with whatever else I want for lunches, adding chips or crackers to lunches without having to go to the pantry for those items. It's zoned for ''use'' so I don't have to move more than a few steps to accomplish the task at hand.

You might check out the Lunch Making thead, which has some good ideas as well.

Have fun putting your kitchen back together. I had to tweak things a couple of times, but finally figured out what's working best for us. Stay as flexible as you can, and you'll be able to make it work!

In my last kitchen, I used the cabinet between fridge and range top as Sandwich/Snack Central. The wall cupboard held some casual glasses and mis-matched mugs, paper plates, peanut butter, Nutella (!), S&P, etc., box of sandwich baggies. Top drawers below held a set of casual flatware separate from what we used at meals, a few sharp knives, cheese slicer, a few spatulas, etc. Middle drawer held bread, rolls, chips, the toaster, crackers, and a couple small cutting boards. Bottom drawer held leftover containers. This area also housed my coffee and tea stuff.

The new house will have a separate beverage center, but except for that, the area between fridge and range top will be very similar to the old setup.

I found it so convenient to have separate utensils for this area -- no running to the regular flatware drawer to make a sandwich! Until then, my picnic utensils sat unused in the picnic basket 99% of the time . . . these found a new home and constant use in the sandwich center. Over the years I accumulated other items in this area that were useful there, like the mismatched mugs we use for ice cream and the scoops.

Worked for me!

my new kitchen is not loaded up yet, but I already have a lot of things planned out. there will be a sandwich center in the drawer next to the refrigerator. I'll keep bread, knives and paper plates there so the grandkids can easily make their own sandwiches. The toaster will live on the counter above this drawer. I'll have a coffee center too, located in the drawer below the coffee maker. I'll keep coffee, mugs, powdered creamer, sugar and spoons in this drawer. I love the idea of a snack drawer for the grandkids too. GREAT idea!! I will also keep all of my baking supplies in square rubbermaid containers in a large drawer, with the contents marked on the lid. No canister sets on the counter for me!