HELP! How do I organize a small kitchen?
Shannon Hearn
4 years ago
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decoenthusiaste
4 years agoDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
4 years agoRelated Discussions
How do I organize a construction notebook?
Comments (6)It's generally organized by the classes of work. Starts with things that are point on the map related: site work, foundation, driveway, services in from street, then the building phases and subs that are more material related, framing, windows, cornice and outside trim, windows, roofing, finish masonry, siding, decks, porches, patios, exterior paint, finish grading, gutters and downspouts, (outdoor stuff like swimming pools, cabanas andoutdoor kitchens, if ya got 'em) Then on to inside stuff, all mechanicals, Plumbing, wiring, smart home, home theater, HVAC, ducting for water heater, range vent, insulation, wall finishes (dyrwall, plaster), Millwork: doors, trim, mantels, staircases, skylights; kitchens and baths (too much to list), Special finishes- terrazzo, tile, polished and stained concrete, faux stone, columns, architraves, custom built-ins. Finishes: hardwood, carpet, paint, faux finishes, builder's hardware, fixtures of all kinds- final electrical and plumbing, mostly. Other areas: backup power supplies, solar electricity, sump pumps, attic ventilation. Probably thousands of things for others to add and improve upon. This is off the top of my head. Casey...See MoreHow Do You Organize Your Kitchen?
Comments (102)I have a pretty small house overall myself. And being built in 1931 back when people seemed to own one change of clothes and one coat, there are no closets and what few closets I do have, are tiny!! I have to keep my clothes in another room because my master bedroom closet is tinier than tiny! Keep the ideas coming! There's no worries about anyone "stealing" my thread! Storage ideas for one person can be adapted by everyone, so all discussions are welcome! I'm getting some great ideas I never would have thought of. I think I'm going to use the back of the kitchen door leading to the basement for storage as well. And I have to organize that "landing". I have a big box of cat food and litter, all the paper bags for recycling and plastic grocery bags as well, all the mops and coats ontop of the rest of the mess. You can barely get by to get up and down the stairs. I wish I had a place to keep my recycling bin in the kitchen. We have it out on our 3-season porch right off the kitchen so it's not bad, but I'd rather keep the porch less cluttered and not have to go out there when it's freezing winter to toss things. Recycling tends to collect on the one tiny piece of counter I have next to my stove as it's closest to the back door until it's falling all over the place before anyone will walk the 4 feet to the door to put it in the bin!! I did take some time this weekend to pull some things out of the backs of the cabinets and rearrange now that I freed up all the space by hanging all the pots and pans and lids. I now have easy access to all my French White casserole dishes in one place, on one shelf. Then I have all my 13 x 9 pans and cake/tart pans together. Right next to the stove I put all my old casserole dishes - the pyrex & Fire King stuff. That freed up space to have all my small serving dishes and trays/platters on another shelf, then I have all the bowls I use for dips and things when I have company and the bowls for the popcorn on another. I will still have to crawl in back of the cabinets for a few things, but those are things I only use a few times per year like my crockpot or the hand crank pasta machine. I do need to figure out what to do with my "machinery". The KA mixer, blender, espresso machine, pasta maker, etc. I just spent a small fortune because I'm cleaning and painting my son's room and I had to get him new furniture and a computer desk and I'm about to start a bathroom remodel as well, but I really could use a new cabinet for under the window in the kitchen that overlooks the back porch. I have one of those build it yourself partical board bookcases there now, but something nicer and with doors so the mess isn't open to the public would be better. I need to take some pictures and load them up so I can post them as well. I'm very visual - I learn by seeing way better than reading descriptions, so pics are great! Lisa...See MoreHELP! How Small Can I Make a Kitchen?
Comments (43)NKBA? The people paid to put in these things? Consider the source. The National Beet Board reports a study that everyone should eat one every day. Nice rule of thumb, maybe, but don't lose sleep over it. I agree, your diagram helps a lot. My existing kitchen is not much bigger than your future kitchen, and it's really not that bad. I have more space in my cabinets than I can use. Your kitchen may not be spacious, but it has room for everything you need, and room for 2 people to do it in. A restaurant I used to go to a lot had a chef, 2 sous and a dishwasher in half that space. And some REALLY fiery and dangerous equipment. I don't think you need to add structurally to your plans: I think you can add function to the space you have, and "borrow" space from existing areas. People who add on and shift without considering the overall plan end up with weird houses that they don't like and they can't figure out why. Move furniture, not walls. For example: Put up a couple of short shelves or hang a stack of bins on the wall to the basement stairs for can/pot and/or potato&onion storage. NOT enough so you have to lean out, just open the door. They make cutting boards that slide out from under the counter, either freestanding or supported by a drawer, that add extra "counter" space that goes away when you're done. Or cutting boards that go over the sink. Depending on how the window is, you may have room for a shelf for cook books and decorative/seldom used items above the window. Are you familiar with Carl Larsson's paintings? He's a Swedish painter who painted his house and family a lot. You can notice all kinds of low-tech storage nooks and ideas if you scan his work. The style, if you like it, is called Gustavian. If you have a door between the kitchen and the living/dining room, you can put a cabinet right around the corner, just a step outside the kitchen, with dishes (it looks like that's where you're eating anyway, right?) You could probably tuck a few pots or kitchen extras on the bottom of the cabinet if you absolutely had to. They'd still be nearer than some people with huge "efficient" kitchens. But I honestly don't think you'll need to. This could be in addition to or instead of the one you'd planned for your good china. It sounds like you're only feeding two people most of the time, and you sound disciplined and like you don't have a million appliances. It also sounds like you're making use of the basement for some things. Is there something SPECIFIC you're worried about making room for? I know vegetable prep takes a lot of chopping and counter space, and room for a compost bin or vermicomposter of some kind. And you shop once a week, so you need a bit of actual food storage space. Two ovens: you presumably bake or roast a lot: are you concerned about a place for proofing dough, or cutting out large batches of biscuits? These may spawn ideas here. Part of the problem may be that you're, understandably, thinking about what you have now and what you're giving up. That's always frustrating. Once the side-by-side comparison is gone, and you only have what you have, it'll be easier....See Morewhat do you keep in your linen closet...& how do you organize it?
Comments (31)You could actually do a couple different things. You could have one rod and use hangers. You would have to fold them a bit to fit on the hanger and not drag on the floor, but that's usually how they come from the cleaners. For heavy cloths, use two hangers together for added strength. You could also hang multiple rods at slightly different heights and depths. If you have a walk in closet this works great, but will still work with a reach in. Hang the highest rod the farthest back, then one a bit lower and closer and even a third lower and closer than the second. Then you can hang the cloths right on the rod instead of on a hanger. I like the rod because of it's larger diameter it doesn't leave creases in the cloths. You can also overlap them on these rods. For optimum use of space, you'd need to use multiple rods and overlap. Is that totally confusing?!...See MoreSusan
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