Kitchen arrangement *Post a picture!

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
Rule #1 - If you post about something that is to DIE for - then the recipe must follow.

I agree with you about the mom thing - my mom's idea of cooking vegetables is they should cook at least 30 minutes until they are a wonderful shade of gray

and meat should ALWAYS be well done! double

Sandee

 

[DuckLady]

This is my kitchen when we moved in

Huge, and basic functional. I am lucky that there is a huge (5' x 15') pantry that I am still working on organizing to my liking.
There is also a large closet off the dining room for...well, I still haven't figured out why there is a bedroom closet off the dining room. But I digress.

I had no real way to use counter space effectively, so I started thinking what I would want to make it more effective.
I needed a work space. I needed a place to house my most used small appliances. I wanted a place to store cookie sheets so when I opened a cupboard they didn't all slide out and crash on the floor. I needed a place for the modular mates holding the ingredients I use most often. Large deep drawers to hold my most used cooking stuff like measuring cups, etc. I measured my tallest appliance and that is the cubby in the second pic. You can see my Kitchenaid. Those bottom shelves slide out.
And I incorporated my late mothers breadboard as a slide out. She used it all the time and now I can honor her in my kitchen.

This is my kitchen now.

Filled and used....

One thing to remember, a kitchen and the arrangement is a work in progress. I rearrange cupboards all the time to see what works and what doesn't.

We change, our cooking styles change, our cooking needs change and as long as we are comfortable in our own kitchen, a perfect organization is unimportant.

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

Quote:
Rule #1 - If you post about something that is to DIE for - then the recipe must follow.

I agree with you about the mom thing - my mom's idea of cooking vegetables is they should cook at least 30 minutes until they are a wonderful shade of gray

and meat should ALWAYS be well done! double

Sandee

I sooo disagree.....my mother was a wonderful cook, she taught my brother and I the basics, let us experiment ect. We may not have appreciated it as a teen or in our younger years, but now......20 years after mom pasted, both of us are great cooks. We both came go from simple to gormet....THANKS MOM!

I taught my daughter, and until she had a family of her own.....top ramen was her staple! Now she is constantly calling for advice, and becoming a good cook!

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

kitchen before

and a few months later...

It is still a work in progess.....now my wall behind the fridge and counter in a wine red.....I will try to get more pics later!

 

[19hhbelgian]

When we bought our farm, the kitchen was 1 wall of cabinets with the big farm house sink, the oven and refrigerator. All the cabinets were still metal & were rusty & gross. The floor was the original wood flooring with 6 layers of linoleum on top. We ripped all the cabinets and appliances out, and started in on the floor. There was no way we could get all the layers off to get to the original floor, so, we leveled it out (this included cutting an actual hole in the floor due to the 6 inch drop at the back of the kitchen!) and put down the new floor. The cabinets were all stock unfinished from Lowes. I finished them on my own (it was a 7 step process that I never want to do again), and they only cost us about $500 total! We had gotten a quote for only the cabinets around the oven, and it was $7000

Our appliances were all new accept for the 36" Viking range, which we bought on Ebay & drove to CT for. We wanted a big range, and a quality piece of equipment, so for us the 2.5 hour drive was worth it, otherwise we couldn't have been able to afford the range we wanted. We splurged on the counter tops, which are exotic granite & cost too much, but are absolutely wonderful

The back splash isn't finished yet, but it'll get done one of these days! I also used actual furniture pieces where I could. I love the antique barn wood furniture, and our entire home is designed around the primitive style. We also took down the bead board ceiling that had been put up years ago, to expose the original beams. Decided to paint in order to brighten up the room. The biggest thing is to use your imagination. I used things that normally wouldn't be in a kitchen, but they work! Here's our kitchen...

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
Terrie

You are person after my own heart - you are so organized. I love that you have all the cool containers for your stuff and if you are like me probably have them all label neatly. I agree a kitchen is a work in progress - when I get a new kitchen toy - then some rearrangement is not far behind.

On a side note - did you get your fabric room re-organized the way your wanted it.

Sandee

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
Very warm and cozy bet the red walls are pretty

Sandee

 

[DuckLady]

Thanks, Sandee!

I do have every Tupperware container labeled with my P-Touch .

I took a couple Modular Mates to the man that made my island and told him that this was what the shelves had to fit.

Uh fabric organization....uh....almost....uhh....

Actually pretty much. I do move things around and rearrange, but my husband says I do that just to fondle the fabric.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

For me, all items must be stored where they are used.
I have a gorgeous kitchen, but it is cramped and designed to be user friendly, so I do my best.

For 3.5 years, I was the head cook at a camp, and I had the run of a large modern kitchen.
All food was cooked from scratch, including all the breads, and in no way resembled what we tend to think camp food is.
Everyone loves that camps food, even the little ones.
Retreats are tend to be rather gourmet. Prime rib is not an unusual main course

Anyways, when I took over, the guy that did all the camp organizing, helped me with a major reorganization.
I could not figure out why all the baking components were not in the baking corner for example.
And, dealing with different volunteers every week was also a pain, with how badly laid out stuff was.
Its just silly to waste time trotting miles everyday, just to get needed items, whereas if they were in the correct place, much time would be saved.

I also labeled all the doors and drawers, so that there was no excuse for stuff being out of its place.

I am pleased to say, that this reorganization has stayed the test of time.

One other camp that I have been to, used little zipties, to color code utensils and pans by department, as their kitchen is massive.
This can be very helpful for large families that have trouble keeping organized.

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
And, bet that you belong to "The One with the Most Fabric Wins" club. I LOVE LOVE my P-Touch labeler and we joke that if my husband stood still too long I'd label him too!

Sandee