Kitchen, Entertaining + Appliance Annex
As often happens when we have kids and our lives get busy, things migrate around the house. You’re often left wondering “Where on earth is that one tiny spoon that goes with this serving tray?”- just as the doorbell rings and your guests arrive. For this project, the client wanted us to help get rid of things (especially difficult items with emotional value), clear surfaces in the kitchen, and regroup her items into consolidated places.
Here’s a recap of the key items we addressed:
Editing Kitchen Equipment, etc.- these are real foodies, so they have amazing equipment and dishes. We had to really apply a lot of logic to what needed to be kept. Is it used everyday? Is it used regularly every year on Thanksgiving? How readily accessible does it need to be? Is there another tool that handles this purpose and others?
Kitchen Annex - because they have fabulous cookware and appliances, they have a dedicated space for these items. We kept all the weekly large items at eye-level so they can easily be grabbed. We wrapped cords so that they don’t fight when you pull them out. We grouped baking items (prep, decoration + display), Thanksgiving serving items, and speciality kitchen items (Spaetzle maker, Sous Vide, etc.). We were able to leave space in the kitchen annex so that anything can be easily seen, grabbed and used. We kept dangerous things out of the way of inquiring kiddos :).
Entertaining Annex - they have great shelving space in the basement, which served as our staging ground for backup serving platters, ones that were very breakable and/or sentimental. We also grouped candles, votives and vases to make it easy to decorate. We put all plastic silverware and paper napkins together (because lord knows how easily all those random bits migrate).
Plates, Bowls, Mugs in Cabinet - we did some whittling down here as well, and worked hard to group like items. We were able to get some new dishes out for use (huzzah!) and use shelf splitters to maximize space, and make it easier to lift things out.
Accessible Kid Plates, Cups, etc. - the client wanted her kids to be able to access their own plates and cups, and towels for mealtime and cleanup. She took the lead on the drawer, utilizing some shelf-split action to create a space for less-used items.
Snack Centers - there are items the client wanted the whole family to be able to access easily. They also wanted a place to keep their own personal chocolate stash (preach!), as well as a candy jar for special occasions. We found a way to keep the snacks low and close to the Kid Drawer, and kept the secret stuff up top.
The Queen’s Red Box - this is the term I use for the place we put our papers that we need to deal with (it’s a IRL thing, read about it here, RIP QEII). We all typically have a place we put those papers, but they rarely get organized. We created a special green container for the client to keep action items, and keep other reference items in the cabinet above. We’re next going to tackle her office, so this orientation may change a bit.
Total Organizing Time - 6.5 hours
Product Budget - $250
“You are a miracle worker! A few months later, I still get a sweet lil’ smile almost daily when something we reorganized saves the day because I actually know where it is or can easily grab it … and the process was so uplifting because of your gentle but confident guidance.”
