Next to the bathroom and living room, the kitchen is the one room of the house where you probably spend much of your time, yet it’s sometimes a challenge to navigate. Poor kitchen design can make it difficult to prepare and cook meals, especially if the kitchen in your Philly home or townhome is very small and quaint. There are easy solutions — check out these kitchen tips that will help make your space more functional.
Start with Clean Surfaces
When your mind is cluttered, you have to clear it first in order to get it organized. The same is true when you’re organizing your kitchen counter and tables — start with a clean slate. Remove every single item on your countertops, including your appliances, utensils, and dishes (yes, even the knick-knacks you picked up at the Philadelphia Seaport gift shop last summer). Clean and disinfect your counter, stove, and tables as well as each of the items. What you’ll soon realize is that most of the items that were there don’t really need to be there anymore.
Setting Up Your Appliances and Utensils
Image Source: Flickr/ginny
Your kitchen appliances and utensils should ideally take up no more than 1/3 of your counter and table space. Choose the two or three appliances that you use the most in your kitchen — for instance, most people use the microwave, toaster, and blender often. These are the items that will be placed on your countertop. Place each appliance where you are most likely to be preparing your food using that appliance. For example, you might place the toaster closest to the refrigerator so that you can quickly grab the butter. Next, add your cooking utensils back to the surface, such as a knife holder or a can of spatulas — place them where you prepare your food for easy access. After that, if there’s room, add one or two additional items, such as a bread box (near the toaster of course) or a small smoothie maker.
If you have an overflow of items from the counter, place them neatly at the center of an additional table in the kitchen. Otherwise, store those items and pull them out only when needed.
Add a Kitchen Island
Whether your kitchen is very large or small and cozy, it can become much more functional if you add an attractive kitchen island to the center. The island gives you more space to store kitchen items (both above and below), and gives you a convenient place to prepare your food. It also becomes a place where you can sit down and have coffee with a friend. If you have a very small kitchen, purchase a rolling island — the wheels allow you to move it out of the kitchen or to the side if you need more room.
If you still need additional prep space, place large cutting boards over your sink or open drawers.
Pots, Pans, and More
Image Source: Flickr/Francis Bijl
One issue that many homeowners have in the kitchen is an overflow of pots and pans. It’s often a challenge to find enough space to store and to quickly access them urgently. A hanging storage rack or pan rack solves both of those problems. They are relatively inexpensive space-savers and can be installed on your wall quickly with screws.
Making your kitchen more functional is an easy task to accomplish after you take the initiative to clear out the room and start fresh. With these kitchen tips you’ll soon find it easier to prepare your foods and keep important items organized.
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