15 Kitchen Organization Ideas for a Clutter-Free Space

tackle kitchen cabinet organization

Let’s start with kitchen cabinet organization ideas. Cabinets provide some of the best options for organization and storage because they are large enough to hold a variety of items like cookware or small appliances. Opaque doors can also help hide visual clutter. Here are some of our favorite kitchen cupboard storage ideas.

1. Categorize and Group Similar Items

Start with a foundational principle of home organizing: group similar items and store them all in a single cabinet. This may sound simple, but it’s something that often is lost over time as you acquire new items. Within your cabinets, designate zones for different purposes: cookware, baking equipment, small appliances, dinnerware, drinkware, serveware, pantry items, and spices to name a few. Knowing that there is one zone for each of these items will make it easy to find what you are looking for and also make it easy for every member of your household to know where to put things away.

2. Utilize Stackable Food Storage Containers and Bins

If there’s a bane to anyone’s kitchen organization, it’s the mismatched food storage containers that don’t fit together and always seem to be missing a lid. We promise this tip is a game changer: “Buy a set of clear food storage containers that are stackable and/or nestable,” advises Crate & Barrel’s food storage buyer Sophia Rozier. “If you are not buying a set, consider buying multiples of different containers so that they will be easier to stack and store compared to dozens of different containers.”

And stackable food storage containers aren’t just for your leftovers. Pantry items like dry goods can also be organized into stackable storage containers and canisters, allowing you to see what’s inside and also maximize vertical space. Win-win. Rozier recommends clear containers so you can easily see what you have and how much you have left.

3. Invest in Pull-Out Shelves and Lazy Susans

If you find that your cabinets get messy because they are too deep or inaccessible, then you should definitely consider adding pull-out shelves. These sliding cabinet organizers can be installed on your existing cabinets and make reaching into the back incredibly easy. They are great for pots and pans, pantry items, bakeware, small kitchen appliances—really any item that gets stuck in the back. If you’ve ever wished your kitchen had more drawers instead of cabinets, this is the solution you’ve been looking for that won’t require a kitchen remodel.

Smaller solutions like lazy susans can also help maximize deep kitchen cabinets and are great for smaller items like spices, oils and pantry goods as well as items like mugs, ramekins and smaller tools. Being able to see everything you have easily is so satisfying and is especially helpful with higher and lower cabinets where visibility might not be as great.

4. Organize Spices in a Cabinet

There are so many options to organize spices in a cabinet. One easy step that will instantly upgrade your spices is to store them all in matching, labeled containers. Because the jars are all the same size, there is less wasted space in the cabinet, and it can be easier to find what you are looking for. Be sure to also add labels to the front or tops of jars (whatever will be visible) to make sure you can find what you need at a glance. We also love a tiered spice rack inside a cabinet that makes it easier to see the spices in the back. Any accessible cabinet space will work for spices but we particularly like to keep ours near the stove or cooking area for convenience.

Other spice storage ideas include using a dedicated pantry, storing spices on the counter using a stylish spice rack or making use of a magnetic spice rack which allows you to use the side of a refrigerator or other magnetic surface. These ideas are especially great for small kitchens where you might not have as much cabinet storage space.

organizing your kitchen counter

Kitchen counters are frequently used for storage but they also need to serve a variety of food prep functions and also house frequently used appliances like the coffee maker or a blender. The goal of organizing a kitchen counter is to make space for all of this based on your needs, being sure to prioritize prep and open space. Use these tactics and countertop storage products to organize your kitchen counter to make sure that it stays clutter-free and functional.

5. Clear the Clutter

As much as possible, try to keep only essential items on the countertop to create and clean and functional space.

But if you have limited space, “don’t be afraid to use your countertop as storage,” says Sophia Rozier, Crate & Barrel’s lead food storage buyer. “We have a lot of options that allow you to utilize countertop space without making it feel cluttered. Our canisters and utensil holders are design-forward while also being functional.”

Canisters double as decor so they can add personality or color to your kitchen while keeping baking staples, cookie cutters, coffee beans, or whatever else you like neat and tidy. Utensil holders optimize vertical space on the counter. If you have limited drawer space, a large portion of your utensils like wooden spoons or silicone spatulas can go in these utensil holders and be stored right by the stove and ready for you. If you have a large assortment of utensils, consider more than one holder. You can divide the utensils by material (like stainless steel or wooden) or by use (cooking or baking) to make it even faster to find what you are looking for.

6. Use Wall Space

Here’s a great tip for small spaces: don’t forget the walls! If you are looking for pots and pans storage ideas, see if a pot rack might be right for you. Pot racks are mounted to the wall or an upper cabinet or shelf and allow your cookware to hang down vertically. This opens up cabinet spaces and also puts your most used pieces within arms reach. If you have colorful ceramic cookware or gleaming stainless steel or copper pans, we also think it’s a gorgeous way to accent a wall in your kitchen.

Open shelving, hooks, slim storage units or bookcases can also all be great ways to add more storage space to your kitchen by maximizing the wall space.

7. Fruit and Vegetable Baskets

Did you know that not all fruits and vegetables should be stored in the refrigerator? Refrigerating certain produce like potatoes, tomatoes or bananas will change their taste and texture, and not in a good way. You can use a simple decorative bowl for produce to add organization to your kitchen counter, but we also really like multi-tier baskets. These give you more vertical space to store fruits and vegetables and you can also separate produce into different baskets so that your garlic isn’t right next to your bananas. If counter space is even more limited, we also like a wall-mounted basket that gives you the same benefit but clears up the counter space below.

8. Designate a Coffee Bar Area

Coffee is an important part of many people’s mornings, and we love the growing trend of the designated coffee bar. Not only does it create a lovely vignette on your countertop, it’s highly functional to organize all your coffee essentials into one area to make your coffee prep go smoothly. (And it keeps you out of the way of anyone else cooking in the kitchen!)

To build an essential coffee bar, you’ll want to center it around your espresso or coffee maker. It’s a great idea to also include all the coffee essentials you’d need: canisters for beans, mugs, spoons and other coffee accessories.

kitchen drawer organization

The true test of an organized kitchen is opening up the drawers and taking a look inside. Wide shallow drawers are naturally hard to keep organized because it can be harder to group and separate tools without a plan and some special organizing products. Here are our best kitchen drawer organization tips.

9. Use Drawer Organizers

Drawer organizers are a game changer. They can help keep utensils sorted so you can find what you are looking for. “Drawer organizers allow you to subdivide an open drawer into smaller sections,” says Sophia Rozier, a Crate & Barrel buyer. “Some of our most popular drawer organizers at Crate are customizable meaning they are expandable or you can change the configuration based on what you need to store.”

Drawer organizers come in a variety of materials such as acacia wood, walnut and even plastic. And while we love them for the kitchen, once you use them, you’ll find yourself wanting to add them to all different rooms including the office, bathroom, and even bedroom closets.

10. Utensil Drawer

One specific drawer organizer that deserves its own call-out is the flatware organizer for the utensil drawer. While specifically designed to help sort forks, knives, spoons and other daily utensils and serveware, they also work well for sorting cooking utensils and other small items. If you don’t have extra drawer space, you might like a vertical utensil caddy. This can be stored in a dining area or brought out to an outdoor table for a quick DIY table setting.

11. Knife Blocks

A knife block allows you to open up precious kitchen drawer space while keeping your knives safely stored and protected. There are several kinds including a standard on-the-counter block that’s slightly angled to make removing knives easy. These blocks can be purchased separately or with a set of knives. (Note: many knife makers include extra slots on their knife blocks to account for extra knives you may already have that need storing. Genius!) Other options include slim-profile knife blocks for tight counter spaces and in drawer knife blocks that both protect and organize your knives in a slim drawer space.

12. Arrange by Frequency of Use

Here’s a big picture tactic that’s essential for drawer organization: choose what to put in each drawer based on frequency of use. For example, your flatware drawer may be the most frequently used so make sure that it’s in a convenient location for all household members to access near the dining area of your home. In addition, you might want to arrange items within each drawer based on frequency of use, with the most popular at the front and the less frequently used items toward the back.

under the sink organization

The under-the-sink cabinet frequently becomes a catch-all for all types of cleaning supplies. Here are some under sink storage ideas to help optimize this key cabinet without it getting too messy or cluttered. We find it’s best to keep only essential items in this location so paring down before starting to organize is often a great start to give you easy access to your cleaning supplies when you need them.

13. Use Different Bins to Organize and Store Cleaning Supplies

Loose bottles and containers of cleaning supplies can create messes and spills under the counter in addition to making it hard to find what you are looking for when you go to clean. Small plastic bins, containers and storage baskets help corral and organize supplies by type. They can also help keep chemicals that shouldn’t mix away from each other. A bin for dishwashing supplies and a bin of deep kitchen cleaning supplies can make it easy to get everything you need for the task with one easy grasp.

14. Keep a Caddy for Sponges and Dish Towels

This organization idea will make washing the dishes if not fun, at least a little bit better. Designate a caddy for new sponges and clean, folded dish towels. When it's time to clean the dishes, pull out the caddy and you have everything you need.

If you aren’t a fan of sponges, check out other dishwashing options like dish brushes, bottle washers and washable scrub pads. Sophia Rozier, a Crate & Barrel buyer suggests to look at unique features that are available on dishwashing tools like brushes that have replaceable heads or a soap dispensing feature to help save you extra steps. With a few different tools in your caddy, you’ll be ready to wash everything from a scorched pan to a skinny water bottle without needing to hunt for the right tools.

15. Invest in Items to Keep the Surrounding Kitchen Sink Area Organized

While you are organizing under-the-sink, don’t forget about the areas surrounding it which can easily get cluttered and unsanitary as well. Hand soap, lotion, dish soap and sponges can be organized in a sink caddy that keeps everything you need at hand, while also giving it visual appeal. If you hand wash dishes, a compact drying rack allows your dishes to fully dry while maximizing space and sparing you pools of water on your countertop.

One other kitchen area essentials we love is a good quality paper towel holder kept near the sink. From acacia wood to marble, there are so many finishes that can add a decorative flair to your kitchen at the same time. Finally, if there’s one kitchen sink upgrade that we can’t live without, it’s a cushioned standing mat that makes standing at the sink more comfortable and helps avoid slipping from any drips that make it to the floor.