Insta-Kitchen

Since almost everything had been taken out of the kitchen cabinets for our remodel, this past weekend was a good time to get organized!

Clockwise from top left: cooking pantry / coffee bar / snack cabinet / dish storage

Having lived in this house now for nine months, I have a better idea of how we use the space. We don't have one big pantry in this house like we did in our last one. And things had gotten somewhat randomly put away in different areas. I decided that the cabinets where we have been storing food should serve as different zones. So we now have a cooking pantry, snack cabinet, baking cupboard, and "extras" area--since we like to buy ahead at the grocery store when items go on sale. 

My two takeaway tips? 1. Sort like items together. I used a combination of rattan baskets, plastic bins, and wooden fruit crates to corral all sorts of stuff. 2. Decant. I consolidated as much as I could and took things out of their original packaging when it made sense, like fruit cups for lunches and cracker sleeves. 

I thought long and hard about what we had and where it could possibly go, and even researched(!) the best practices of real cooks (since they obviously are using their kitchens). Edie posted today about setting up a baking center and has some cool tips. Hurry to read it before 2 p.m. Eastern time in order to get her 31 Days to a Heart of Hospitality for free!

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And how about an update on our progress?

Clockwise from top left: husband preparing to take out stovetop cabinet / new range / empty oven cabinet

We removed the wall oven, stovetop, and stove cabinet over Labor Day weekend. The new range was delivered that week and installed (I've made taquitos, a pink cake, and brownies so far). Tonight we choose countertops. We are keeping the existing cabinets to $$$ave. 

So as not to lose any of our cabinet space, we re-purposed the cabinets we removed in new areas. The base and upper cabinets from our peninsula are in the dining area. And the stovetop cabinet has been turned into a rolling cart with the addition of casters from Home Depot. 

Follow along on Instagram for more updates.  

Mai Autumn on Etsy

At the end of the day, THIS is what my kitchen is really all about! ;) Currently 25% off!