Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Major Kitchen Overhaul Update 3: Cabinet Re-Assignment

Number three on my list is to re-assign the cabinets in the kitchen/laundry room to make food, dishes, and cleaning products storage make more sense. Here's a look at what each cabinet was being used for Before:












When I rearranged the cabinets, I had a couple goals in mind. First, I wanted to keep like things together. Previously, I had cleaning supplies in at least two different places and food being stored in both the kitchen and the laundry room. Secondly, I wanted to improve the flow of our open-but-smallish kitchen. The dishes were conveniently located above the dishwasher. Except it wasn't all that conveneint because it was hard to reach the cabinets to get the dishes in them when the dishwasher was open. And the person setting the table (me) was always in the way of the cook (Big Tex) when trying to gather plates and silverware. Spices were nowhere near the stove or counter.

Below, check out the new arrangement. It's still not perfect, but it's getting there. Over time, I'll be able to get a real feel for what kind of arrangement we need, and then we can tweak it.  









That's it! I know I'll be changing things up slightly in the near future because I'm not crazy about how tightly packed my canned goods are in their new home. I need to find a better place for them. But, overall, I'm happier with the new arrangement than I was before. 

I'll be back in a few days with another update!

~Liz

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Major Kitchen Organization Overhaul Update 2: Clutter Removal

Item number two on my list is: Clean out clutter and get rid of crap we don't use. This really is such an important step because both the kitchen and laundry room end up as repositories for old or not-all-that-useful stuff that doesn't really belong. The following is a partial list of the clutter-removal I completed:
  • I brought a bunch of mismatched cups and mugs to work to leave in the break room; they'll get plenty of use there and no one cares if they don't match! 
  • We had an inexplicably large number of beer coozies, many of which I brought to Goodwill. 
  • I tossed out some old hoses (I think maybe related to the washing machine?) that were stored in the laundry room cabinets. 
  • I threw out so many way-expired canned goods and dry mixes that I felt like I was on an episode of Hoarders
  • I actually threw away a bottle of medicine that expired 12 years ago. 

12 years ago?!? Yeah, it was time for a real intervention. 

~Liz

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Major Kitchen Organization Overhaul Update 1: Before Pictures

Wow, I've been MIA for a loooong time. Very sorry about that. I'm still trying to learn how to juggle doing all the stuff I want to do, plus finding the time to take pictures and write about it. I will get better, I promise!

The kitchen/laundry room overhaul is going well. Things are happening, but not quickly. That's ok though. I want to get it done well and I want to learn as I go. I read a great blog post the other day in Emily's Thirteen82 Chronicles at IHeartOrganizing. In it, she discusses how design blogs show so many great Befores and Afters, but they don't often talk about how long it took for a room to transform to the After. Things always take longer than I planned and everyday chores (as well as that pesky day job!) can get in the way. 


I've completed several of the tasks, but I'm going make a post of each step over the next few weeks to get me back into the habit of posting. I also think it'll help me keep track of all the stuff I still need to do! 


The first thing on my list was to take some good Before pictures. 












That's step 1! Check back for more progress reports throughout the week! 

~Liz