Kitchen Organization

As I mentioned in this post, our house is composed of numerous long and narrow rooms and this includes the kitchen. When we started looking at houses in DC, we quickly noticed that all the kitchens were galley style - which made me nervous because Shayne has always loved to cook and I just started getting braver in the kitchen,  but it turned out to be plenty of space.  The counters extend really far down the length of the kitchen so there's more than enough space for the both of us or guests to wander in and out. Our whole house is painted a neutral tan color so we wanted something bright for the kitchen.  We saw this bright yellow and loved it. I think it goes great with the black granite countertops and the white cupboards. Here's a few of my kitchen gadgets and tips to keep everthing organized!

In the top picture, Shayne installed the pots & pans hanging rack from Bed Bath and Beyond. Because our ceilings are so high it was easy to keep it out of the way but we did have to compromise a halfway point that was up high enough so Shayne didn't hit his head and low enough for me to reach.

The view looking towards the front foyer.

 Stainless steel canisters can hold your baking essentials - or anything you use the most. Ours - from left to right - hold flour, sugar, salt, and random goodies such as tea, pumpkin seeds, gum, etc. The tall clear canister to the far left is filled with rice.

Shayne's mom is a yard sale/antique/ebay expert and sends lots of beautiful pieces like this one that's used to hold olive oil. Place it by the stove with your salt and pepper grinders so it's easy to access while you're cooking. She also collects antique drink stirrers and sends some along every now and then. I like to keep them in an old glass jar so they're on display for everyone to look at (or use!).

Use an antique crock to hold all of your cooking utensils by the stove.

I love that some of our cupboard doors have glass windows. I keep our glassware and plates behind the ones that do because I know they're always organized.

These drying mats from BBB are great to place by your sink for items you have to hand wash and dry. It's light and easy to put away when guests come, too. 

Use vintage cake stands or bowls to display your produce.  Red tulips contrast the bright yellow walls and add a pop of color to this corner. The bowl to the left (with peppers) is heat safe and can be popped in the oven to warm your rolls while you wait for dinner to be ready.