Good morning, friends!
I have been waiting to share today’s publication for years! I am sharing how we simplify and organize our English coirry style kitchen to obtain maximum efficiency and lovely style. And as with any kitchen, there was also a bit of resolution of storage problems … This is a longer publication, so prepare for many photos!
In the fall of 2022, Matt and I began to remodel our 1963 honey oak kitchen to which you see in the photo above. We start with the painting of the cabinets. Before painting, we empty each cabinet and drawer and evaluate everything. After a good hard purge, we only kept the articles we use and enjoy – at that time… Since then we have had even deeper to simplify our kitchen.
The following photos will give you an idea where we start. Some cabinets had space. Others were full. More importantly, few They were truly functional. Many articles simply lived in the cabinet because that was where we put them when we moved. Prepare to have fun before and after!
For example, this cabinet for the microwave and the stove held the dishes and bowls. I guess the idea was that this would be convenient to place the stove food, but surely it is not useful to wash the dishes!
This is the main wall of the kitchen. For today’s standard, this is a small kitchen, but Matt and I were convinced that it is perfect for us. I only needed to purge/simplify, some solved storage problems and an efficient organization in work areas.
We have relocated the baking zone in the cabinets next to the stove. The cabinets closest to the stove hold the spices. We like to buy our fresh spices and bulk. Then, we pour them into beautiful jelly jars with a padded pattern on the sides. Then, I write the name of spices with a Sharpie. In this way, we can easily change the name of the spice if we need and we do not have to mess with the peeled labels. We like that the bottles are visible at the same time without moving other bottles, so we store them in a Bamboo rotary plate.
Cabinets directly on the stove are difficult to access and do not need storage, so they remain wonderfully empty! Seasonal transfer transfer dishes are stored on the refrigerator. They fit perfectly and are placed in the order in which they will be used throughout the year. In addition, the small size of this cabinet is a good control point to maintain my small collections.
Next to the spice cabinet is the baking cabinet. Here you will find the flours, the baking powder and the sodium, the vanilla, the chocolate sparks and the oils. The average shelf has a section for tea and coffee filters, as well as sweeteners and supplements.
Under the sink it was not so bad, but we wanted a little more functionality, and wanted something more beautiful than a groceries to store dishwasher soap, etc.! The cabinet next to the stove extends back to the wall towards a deep abyss that we call “the cave”.
We add a basket to the left side to hold the soap and cleaning of the dishes. On the right, we have a brass paper towel support and a wire basket to sustain our thicket brushes and sponges.
This cabinet to the left of the sink is above the dishwasher and is a perfect example of “moving and pieces, without thinking.” For some strange reason, the daily plates, the bowls and the glasses to drink are next to the stove and not for the dishwasher. How is that functional? It is curious how we make decisions when we move to a house and then live with them for years without rethinking them. In another publication, I talked about how we can become “blind from the house.” Living with dysfunction and poor condition without noticing … now, we realize!
The daily plates, the bowls and the drink vessels were relocated in the cabinet on the dishwasher. This has been so pleasant and much easier to make dishes! It has also been ideal to serve the guests a drink or establish a beverage station in the countertop below when it entertains. Another objective was to minimize the “visual noise.” When updating our bowls to the lovely English field pattern, obtaining matching cups and simple lenses, we discover that using the kitchen is soothing and satisfactory. I strongly recommend having the articles of your kitchen in a cohesive color palette. I always admired the clear lock Drink glasses and found a set in the second -hand store for .50 each. I also found them online in Macy’s. Open this cabinet every day to put the table or save dishes is pleasant! Matt and I have discovered that once we think about the function of space and then we embellish it, it remains like this!
In addition, I am not a fan of shelf coatings, and this kitchen had three or four different patterns! Not only the shelves were dirty, but they were also adding to a sensation occupied in the kitchen that I wanted to eliminate.
We started with the obvious and we got rid of everything that broke, without using and even items that were not in the color palette for the new kitchen. Once the “noise” of additional things disappeared, we evaluated what was left and we began to place it in areas for how we like to use our kitchen. Knowing how we use the kitchen helped us create functional work areas to cook, bake and serve our family and guests.
The goal was for our kitchen to be ridiculously easy for us (or for our guests) use and clean. Finally, if we were going through all this effort, I wanted the kitchen to be attractive inside and out!
Under the island, we had established a baking area since there was more space at the counter. This worked well, but there were things behind the front elements that were difficult to access. In addition, I knew that the new stroke colors of the kitchen would be a soft blue, so red had to leave …
The island (technically, is a peninsula, but that sounds a bit pretentious to our little kitchen) is much lighter in terms of the things it stores. In the two drawers, there are the big mixture bowls, the bowls and the storage containers for the leftovers. Everything is easy to reach and in colors that complement our kitchen.
From top to bottom, the bank of the drawers to the left contains cutlery, hand towels and baking gloves, food wrapping and zipbolt bags, large pieces to serve and the blender of hands. The upper central drawer contains the cups and measurement spoons. The final drawer in the upper right is what we call the command center. There you will find pens, share, loaders, matches, adhesive tape, etc. In several of the drawers, I have used the Bamboo organizers. Not only do they work well, but I love how they look!
Here was a round for the garbage drawer. I don’t have the original photo, but still, I hope this encourages it while working in the purge process.
The second round: the way the “garbage drawer” is seen today. I love how little is here!
These two drawers are the Utinsil drawer and the miscellaneous baked toolbox. Again, these drawers are so light that they are easy to use and maintain. These are the simple things that make me love our home even more!
That wraps the kitchen organization! I hope you had some good ideas and inspiration for ways to enjoy better using your kitchen. Until next time
Take care,
Rachel
