I Got My Kitchen Insanely Organized with These Simple Storage Solutions

I’ve got about a million pictures of the most ideal kitchens on Pinterest, usually ones featuring exquisite custom cabinetry with a walk-in pantry to house everything I need (and keep it out of sight). Unfortunately, what I don’t have right now is a million dollars (or, if you're Lisa Vanderpump, $300,000!) to construct said kitchen. So I decided to take a more realistic approach to revamping my kitchen and simply get organized.  

The first step I took was to go through my existing cupboards and drawers to get rid of stuff I never used, or anything that sparked feelings of dread, which I discovered was anything cheap and plastic.

Next it was time to invest in a few modest organizational tools to ensure that what I did keep had a place and my kitchen was as functional as it could be. That was actually the fun part, since there are so many amazing kitchen storage solutions on the market right now. I honed in on items that would keep everyday things conveniently at hand while at the same time freeing up counter space, and be aesthetically pleasing, of course.

Here are the amazing discoveries that gave my kitchen a total reboot.

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I started with this amazing kitchen rack I found on Amazon. What’s great about it: It can be either mounted to a wall or hung on the fridge (it includes heavy duty magnets that will hold up to 20 pounds). It comes with three wooden dowels to hold paper towels or plastic wrap along with two sturdy shelves for everyday items like sandwich bags, olive oil, peanut butter, or coffee beans; plus, there are six hooks for holding tea towels, utensils, you name it. 

In keeping with my quest for nothing short of sheer organizational bliss, I opted for this brilliantly designed storage grid from Yamazaki Home (you can read more about our love for its products here). It sits on the countertop, though it is possible to hang it on a wall as well, and it provides ideal storage for all the little things you need multiple times a day, like salt and pepper, scissors, measuring spoons, sugar and teas, or a corkscrew, because, you know, wine.

I've even invested in a few cute cork storage jars to keep the shelves looking cute. It will make you happy. 

Once I began to reorganize my kitchen, I realized that small appliances were taking up way too much space — toaster, toaster oven, stand mixer, coffee maker, etc. — leaving me very little of my countertop to work with. So I invested in this space-saving cart.

Now most of my small countertop electrical gadgets are housed on it, and since it’s on wheels, I can just roll it out when I need it. It comes in multiple sizes and can even hold a microwave. The wooden top is made of food-grade butcher block, so it provides an extra bit of workspace, too. It’s a number one bestseller on Amazon for a reason. 

Lastly, I needed a place to both house and display fresh fruits and vegetables — to remind my kids that they actually do exist and should be eaten regularly! My fruit bowl wasn’t cutting it, and ended up storing more than it was intended to (mail, spare change, pens!). I was so happy to discover this three-tiered hanging basket.  It is roomy enough for all my fresh produce and comes with extra space for odds and ends. Made with woven copper bowls and jute rope, it definitely looks great, too.