32 Reader Space: Kelly's Incredible Kitchen Tour

Kelly's kitchen is really organized.

And because I had so much fun being nosy and checking it all out, I thought you would also!

But the craziest part of it all.  Kelly has FIVE kids under FIVE.  Oh. My. Word.

Having three boys myself, I know how chaotic life can get.  Which is why I try to maintain a level of organization that can allow us to keep things moving forward smoothly and we can maximize our family time together.  And I am guessing the more kidlets you add to the mix, the more crazy things can get, which is why I give Kelly some major props for having such a haven of a kitchen!


Kelly wrote:

Hi Jen!

I Love your blog!  Your happy, colorful style of organizing always makes me smile!
I recently reorganized my kitchen and I wanted to share it with you!  Hopefully you will consider sharing it as one of your reader spaces?  You can find it here.

My main goal was to get rid of things I don't use to make room for things I do. {That's pretty much my organizing mantra!} So I've donated a lot of my little uni-tasker kitchen tools, and I don't miss any of them!  With 5 kids under 5, preparing dinner can be stressful enough...the last thing i need is to be digging through junk I hardly use.  I am so happy with the way it turned out!

Thanks Jen, for taking the time to read this and thanks for your lovely inspiring blog!
Blessings,
Kelly
The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking

So let's take a moment to walk through some of the things that are working for this busy mama:

"On my fridge I have a chalkboard to quickly jot down groceries I need to get."

"Notice the small white dishpan on top of my fridge for hiding dirty dishes.  When people come for dinner I can easily stash the last minute dinner prep dishes in that dishpan to be dealt with later.

Dollar store corkboard tiles keep my most frequently used kitchen tools from slipping around inside the drawer."

"My pot lids are held in place by a tension rod placed across the front of a drawer."

"This cabinet was tricky to get a decent photo of because it's narrow and tucked in the corner.  It holds our barbecue utensils and cutting boards.  Some of the barbecue items are suspended from the side of the cabinet on hooks."

Kelly shared some great tips for keeping a kitchen organized:

1. Make it pretty.  Pretty spaces are fun to keep tidy.
2. Have less stuff than you have room for. If every space is filled, your whole system will break down the first time you come home with something new.
3. Be creative.  You don't need expensive organizing tools in order to have an organized kitchen.

And a couple more eye candy shots from Kelly's amazing space:

I took away so many great organizational thoughts and ideas from her space!

• Kelly organized her kitchen using many items that she already had throughout her home.  Always a win.
• She purged out unnecessary kitchen gadgets that only have a single purpose, keeping only the basics.  This allows her to open her drawers and see everything she has, and not have to dig for a thing!
• She used a tension rod in a drawer for her pot and pan lids.  Something meant for a curtain now does an incredible job organizing her space! LOVE.
• She used hooks on the inside of her cabinet to hold some extra gadgets.  I love that she keeps her items categorized and tucked away by function.
• The bin to stash away the extra dirty dishes and keep them off of the counter during prep and serving?  Super smart thinking!
• I think it's so great that she keeps her pots and pans right in arms reach above the stove.  Not only does it make the most sense to keep things near the area you use them most, but it also frees up so much cabinet space!
• It's great that she keeps her spices in a drawer.  You don't see that very often, but it shows they can be organized in places other than the side of a fridge or in a cabinet or in a spice rack.
• The kitchen is all around beautiful and a place that I can imagine any family would be happy to be in.

Kelly has many more fantastic organizing tips over on her blog, so pop on over and check it out!  I am warning you, you may get sucked in like I did!

Thank you Kelly for welcoming all of us into your LOVELY kitchen today!

What ideas sparked for you touring Kelly's kitchen?  Anyone heading to their kitchen to do some inspired re-arranging? 

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please send your story and photos to iheartorganizing@gmail.com and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!  More info HERE.