Everyone aspires to have a beautiful kitchen, but how do you tame the clutter inside the cabinets? While designing a kitchen inside the IKEA Calgary Dream Space that I worked on, I had the opportunity to test out some of their new kitchen organization products. I implemented some of my fave strategies into this space that you’ll find in my own kitchen and pantry. Here are 7 must-have kitchen organization products that will help you conquer clutter in your kitchen!
Tidy Kitchen Drawers
I am someone who prefers to have large drawers in a kitchen in lieu of cabinets with doors. I specifically designed the layout of this space to include as many large drawers as possible for ample and always-functional storage space.
One of IKEA’s newest kitchen interior fittings is the UPPDATERA organizers. They serve as a customizable peg-board inside your drawers to keep things like pots, pans and bowls from sliding back and forth when opening and closing drawers. With these, everything stays in place!
Another great use for the UPPDATERA Pegboard is to keep tall or narrow items in place in a drawer like cutting boards, cork trivets or even boxes of things like plastic wrap or aluminum foil. These also allow you to store pot lids on their sides or keep food storage containers in place.
Standard drawer organizers are always a must! I love these UPPDATERA bamboo cutlery trays. Not all drawers require dividers like these but they are nice to have. Alternatively, consider only using them in part of the drawer, like this one. There’s no need to go overboard – only implement what you need!
Clutter-Free Kitchen Counters
I like to keep as much off of counters as possible and having a cabinet dedicated to small appliance storage is ideal. This keeps these items that you don’t use every day out of sight and gives you more workspace in your kitchen.
Having ample counter space does not mean bare counters either! I like to keep every day items within reach, but still looking tidy and stylish. I like to use items that aren’t typically found in a kitchen department such as a pretty piece of pottery as a utensil crock. It is often more stylish and less sterile than your kitchen standard issue. This one is called FALLENHET and it comes in three sizes (smallest below).
Another way that I accomplish this is with the use of trays! A small tray keeps items grouped together and looks much more tidy. I love this little one beside the sink. It is also easy to pick up and wipe underneath it when water spills! Tray: IKEA 365+ Dish, Vase: FALLENHET.
Trays are also ideal for displaying items in a more elegant way. I love this GROGGY tray in the living room! It is ideal for creating a small but dedicated home bar space. I love how it helps define the space while maintaining a clean look.
Maximize Cupboard Space
During this design project, there was a bit of a running joke about how much I loved these shelf dividers! The UTRUSTA partitions are one of my favorite IKEA kitchen products.
I have these in my own kitchen to divide all of my baking pans, crepe pans and large platters and cutting boards. You can customize the space between them to fit your own cabinets and storage needs. Tip: in a larger cupboard, only use these on one half!
Best Basket Alternatives
I love bins and baskets! They keep things tidy and organized. They help define categories of items inside a cupboard or drawer. AND if you don’t have many drawers, a long bin or basket can serve as a drawer because they are easy to slide in and out of a cupboard on a shelf!
I really love these VARIERA boxes. They’re really great quality and a great price. Using them in this configuration to hold dish towels keeps them from tipping over in the drawer, but also makes it easy to refill when folding! These come in a variety of sizes, too.
I use these RISTATORP bins in my own pantry. I love that they are a tight wire/mesh design, which makes them perfect for storing things like potatoes, onions, and garlic. The wood handle adds warmth, too. I put felt pads on the bottoms of mine for smoother sliding across the shelf.
