24 Smart Organizing Ideas for Your Kitchen

Bed Bath and Beyond

As these photos show, what makes a kitchen great is how you organize it.

Start Slideshow

1 of 24

Turn to a Lazy Susan

Bed Bath and Beyond

Contain messes by housing sticky or spillable food items on an easy-to-clean lazy Susan.

2 of 24

Give Cookbooks Space

twomeows/Getty Images

Cookbooks are fine on open shelves, so long as they're not exposed to humidity and grease from the fridge or stove.

3 of 24

Start Hanging

Brian Bumby/Getty Images

Hang aprons, pot holders, and dish towels on pegs (mount them at least two feet away from the stove).

4 of 24

Store Items by Use

Hero Images/Getty Images

Arrange your kitchenware by frequency of use, with everyday dishes on an easy-to-reach lower shelf and special-occasion pieces up above.

5 of 24

Group Similar Objects

Getty Images/ ka2shka

Group objects by purpose and assign them to specific cabinets, as with the bakeware centralized here.

6 of 24

Designate a Cooking Zone

Felix Oberhage/Getty Images

Create a cooking zone around the stove, storing pots and pans as close to the range as possible.

7 of 24

Stash Like Items Together

Image Source/Getty Images

Keep plastic bags, wrapping together, and kitchen utensils in a drawer near the refrigerator to make quick work of storing away leftovers.

8 of 24

Stow Tools Efficiently

Pexels

Stow essential tools together within easy reach of your cooking area for efficient food prep.

9 of 24

File Plastic Containers

anand purohit/Getty Images

“File” plastic containers and their tops in orderly zones within the same drawer to keep them readily locatable.

10 of 24

Contain Lids

PhotoAlto/Laurence Mouton/Getty Images

Lid racks neatly collect the tops to various pots and pans.

11 of 24

Install Shelf Organizers

The Container Store

Sliding shelf organizers make frequently used gear easy to access.

12 of 24

Divide Drawers

Fancy/Veer/Corbis/Getty Images

Drawer organizers keep cutlery neatly separated, so you never have to rummage around for what you need.

13 of 24

Think Double-Duty

jin chu ferrer/Getty Images

For no-fuss buffet service, present cutlery to guests in mugs or small pitchers.

14 of 24

Light it Right

Jacek Kadaj/Getty Images

Even under-the-cabinets space can be well utilized, whether for lighting, an appliance, or, in this case, a dish-towl rod.

15 of 24

Color-Code Kitchenware

Chatuporn Sornlampoo / EyeEm/Getty Images

Pots and pans double as artwork when like-colored kitchenware is put on display.

16 of 24

Put China on Display

Andersen Ross/Getty Images

Use glass-front cabinets to showcase your good china, antique bowls, or even canisters filled with pasta.

17 of 24

Introduce Baskets

Johner Images/Getty Images

Keep open shelves uncluttered by stashing items in airy rattan baskets.

18 of 24

Categorize Food

Stewart Waller/Getty Images

Organize your pantry shelves as you would a library, with food items grouped by category.

19 of 24

Consider See-Through Storage

The Container Store

Make it a snap for kids to grab snacks on the go with see-through wire baskets.

20 of 24

Stash Items Over-the-Door

Bed Bath & Beyond

Stash pantry items in the see-through pockets of an over-the-door organizer to virtually eliminate search time.

21 of 24

Roll in a Cart

KatarzynaBialasiewicz/Getty Images

Invest in a cart that can transport heavy dishes from kitchen to dining and act as extra counter space for cooking and entertaining.

22 of 24

Hang Pots and Pans

Spaces Images/Getty Images

Another way to conserve precious storage space: Hang pots and pans, if your kitchen allows.

23 of 24

Try a Retractable Book Stand

Williams Sonoma

A retractable book stand keeps a recipe at eye level while you're working, then folds back under a cabinet when you're done.

24 of 24

Declutter Counters

everydayplus/Getty Images

Declutter kitchen counters by mounting basics–calendar, phone, to-do lists–on the wall.

Replay gallery

Account

More

24 Smart Organizing Ideas for Your Kitchen

1 of 24

Turn to a Lazy Susan

1 of 24

2 of 24

Give Cookbooks Space

2 of 24

3 of 24

Start Hanging

3 of 24

4 of 24

Store Items by Use

4 of 24

5 of 24

Group Similar Objects

5 of 24

6 of 24

Designate a Cooking Zone

6 of 24

7 of 24

Stash Like Items Together

7 of 24

8 of 24

Stow Tools Efficiently

8 of 24

9 of 24

File Plastic Containers

9 of 24

10 of 24

Contain Lids

10 of 24

11 of 24

Install Shelf Organizers

11 of 24

12 of 24

Divide Drawers

12 of 24

13 of 24

Think Double-Duty

13 of 24

14 of 24

Light it Right

14 of 24

15 of 24

Color-Code Kitchenware

15 of 24

16 of 24

Put China on Display

16 of 24

17 of 24

Introduce Baskets

17 of 24

18 of 24

Categorize Food

18 of 24

19 of 24

Consider See-Through Storage

19 of 24

20 of 24

Stash Items Over-the-Door

20 of 24

21 of 24

Roll in a Cart

21 of 24

22 of 24

Hang Pots and Pans

22 of 24

23 of 24

Try a Retractable Book Stand

23 of 24

24 of 24

Declutter Counters

24 of 24

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery