Creating a kitchen from scratch was a new experience for us and one that we are very grateful for. It also came with pressure to “get it right” so to speak. I didn’t want to invest a considerable amount of time and money and end up with a kitchen that did not function well. While it was exciting to decide on all of our finishes and colors, it was rewarding to think through the organization and function of the kitchen as well. These are 10 things we are very happy we included in our kitchen renovation.
We used a local contractor who designed a line of cabinets. We were able to include many of the cabinets that were designed for specific purposes. If you are using custom cabinets in a kitchen design, be sure to ask to see how they are outfitted on the insides. You can include inserts that make life so much more efficient in the kitchen (many linked below).
1 | SPICE DRAWER
Kicking this off with the spice drawer because it might just be my favorite. I love opening this drawer and easily finding the spices I need. The drawer is conveniently located right next to the cooktop which works out well as I am preparing meals.
This drawer was custom made with the elevated rack but you can also buy one. It really is such a wonderful way to store the spices. We used these spice jars. It probably took an hour to transfer all of my spices and adhere the labels but it’s time well spent. I still love opening this drawer.
2 | PULL OUT FOR COOKING OILS
This pull out is so great for the oils and things we use while cooking. Plus the spices that are larger and don’t fit in the drawer.
3 | LARGE POT DRAWERS
These drawers are a huge reason I wanted a cooktop instead of a range. I loved having two larger drawers beneath our cooktop in our last kitchen. It’s so convenient. I would do this again in a heartbeat.
4 | COOKING UTENSIL & KNIFE STORAGE
This particular pull out has space for all of our cooking utensils, wooden spoons, and knives. It also has a spot for cutting boards but we choose not to use it.
5 | DOUBLE DECKER DRAWER
Double decker drawers are the way to go. These are such an efficient use of space. This one we use for the random kitchen things we all seem to have.
6 | TRAY DIVIDER ABOVE OVEN
This tray divider is very helpful keeping all of our cookie sheets and baking sheets organized. The top shelf holds things we use once a year. You could also use something like this in an existing cabinet.
7 | BAG STORAGE
These storage boxes are from Amazon and have been wonderful.
8 | DEEP BAKING DRAWER
In our island, I used sets of deep drawers. Another choice I am really happy with. One of them is used for our baking supplies. It’s so easy to have everything in one spot. I also keep the baking soda and baking powder in this drawer. If you don’t have a set of these nesting bowls, please treat yourself. I use them daily, multiple times a day. We use them to prep almost everything, mix and store soups and salads in the fridge. Pro Tip: press down on the center of the lid first to release all of the air, then finish tightening the lid around the edges.
The magnetic measuring spoons are another kitchen must have. So nice to be able to measure out dry or wet ingredients with the same measuring spoon. Plus they lay flat on the counter which is genius.
9 | DOUBLE DECKER UTENSIL DRAWER
Directly above the baking drawer is our utensil drawer. Having a wide drawer with two layers has been very efficient. And if you have teenagers you may recognize the missing spoons. I’ll never understand it, but they just disappear.
10 | UNDER SINK PULL-OUT
Last, but certainly not least, a pull out drawer under the sink is very convenient. So lovely to be able to reach everything so easily. The green post-it note tells me the date to replace our water filter. That has worked really well, too.
I hope this has been helpful if you are planning your own kitchen renovation.
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Love all of this! I bought the spice jars on your recommendation and love them, they fit so nicely together because they are squared off. I’ve saved so much time the last month not having to dig through a large bin to find a particular spice.
You’ll never find the missing spoons…
Amazon sells my flatware set, Oneida Moon Crest, in full sets AND in sets of just spoons, just forks, etc. It’s great being able to replace just the mysterious missing spoons in sets of four.
I actually put extra spoons on my christmas list this year for the exact mysterious disappearance reason of the spoons!
I too have missing spoons. Where do they go?! Maybe they’re with the missing socks. I love the spice drawer organizer, and I may have to try those jars. It would look much better than my mis-matched spice collection.
What great tips! How I dream of renovating our old tired dated kitchen with these ideas.
Thx for the dreamy inspiration! Found you from over at Marty’s Friday Finds.