Organizing for Real People--A Tiny Kitchen

This week's challenge is the kitchen.  I keep mine pretty well organized all the time, because it is tiny and has to be functional. 

For today I will share a few of my favorite spots.  

It's not perfectly, newly organized, but rather lived in,

as it usually looks, during a busy week.

The side of my kitchen faces the door, so I put a little country decor with special meaning on the cabinet end.  The barometer was Grandpa's; the slate was decorated by my mother.

A deep corner cabinet. Those are always inconvenient, but I maximize its efficiency by using a lazy Susan and shelves.  Putting the largest canister, which contains extra sugar, in the back makes it so that little things don't disappear back there.

A narrow cabinet under a drawer is the perfect spot for pots, pans, and cutting boards.  I used a bin that was the bottom of my shredder before it quit.  This keeps the boards, cooling racks, and rolling pin upright and easy to reach.

I miss having a window over my sink, so I put up an inspiring print.  It says "For with God All Things are Possible."  I love having the knives mounted right above the sink so they are handy and safe. 

 There is a little sponge holder mounted on suction cups in the sink.  Some people say never leave your dish rack out, but I say "It looks better than dirty dishes in the sink!"  If it's out, then we are more likely to hand-wash the large items that don't fit in the dishwasher.  

There is a roll of paper towels mounted beneath the cabinet above the dish-rack.  I don't use them often, but when I want one, it's usually because I have messy hands and need something in a hurry. 

That is a Brita pitcher to the right, and we leave unmatched glasses out so we can use the same one all day. I also mounted the towel ring and keep the soap out to encourage actual hand washing. 

Sometimes you just need some extra space, so we bought this large pantry cabinet. It is in our "dining area" next to the kitchen. My husband put in some extra shelves for small stuff.  We try to keep things organized by type, but sometimes by size works better--and sometimes no matter how hard I try, I do end up with potatoes on the cereal.

I have one of those deep lower corner cabinets that are so inconvenient. It goes way back in under the counter. I store picnic supplies and other little-used baskets in there, making them easy to pull out.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

For the deep corner cabinet, I got a battery-operated long-lasting LED light with a motion sensor and stuck it in there.  No more things hidden in the dark.  I just wave my arm in there and voila!  I can see to get what I need.