The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, a bustling hub where culinary magic happens and family memories are made. But to truly enjoy the art of cooking, organization is key.
Imagine reaching for something and knowing exactly where it is—without rummaging through cluttered shelves. This is where the beauty of kitchen cupboard organization comes into play. Whether you’re a pro, artisan, or just trying to keep your household running smoothly, an organized kitchen can save time, reduce stress, and even inspire creativity. In this post, we’ll explore the nuances of organizing your kitchen cupboards, with a focus on maximizing both utility and aesthetics.
What are Kitchen Cupboards?
If you look up cupboards you will find that everyone seems to have a different idea of what a cupboard is versus a cabinet. Especially in the United Kingdom, they use the word for quite different things than we do here in the States.
Cupboards, for the purpose of this post, are the upper cabinets in a kitchen that are over the kitchen counters (note the large, deep upper cabinets over a refrigerator or wall oven).
Cupboards above the kitchen countertop are prime space, easy arms reach and easy to see what is in them. Keep prime space for your regularly used, every day items. You won’t have to give a thought or any effort when you need these things.
Some are closed with solid wood doors and some have glass doors. We are going to explore each of these separately.
Glass Front Kitchen Cupboards
Those cupboards with glass doors are for tableware: glassware, drinkware, dinnerware, and serveware.
Most people keep their fine china in a china cabinet in the dining room. The glass front kitchen cupboards are for your everyday set which may be china, ceramic, or stoneware.
The glass fronts display your tableware beautifully. You will need two or three cupboards to display it, one for glassware, one for drinkware, and one for dinnerware.
To organize your glassware, use a stemware track on the inside top of the cabinet for stemmed water goblets. Place stemless tumblers for cold beverages top down on the cupboard bottom.
Drinkware includes cups, saucers, and mugs. You can stack the cups and saucers together, or separately.
Dinnerware plates can be stacked one on top of the other or in a plate organizer rack. Shelf risers make better use of vertical space giving you that extra level no matter whether you are stacking vertically or horizontally on a rack. Bowls can similarly be stacked vertically or horizontally. I recommend cups and bowls that are made to be stackable.
You also need a cupboard for serveware consisting of a few platters and serving bowls are not many, but they take up more space.
Solid Wood Front Cupboards: What to Store
These cupboards you cannot see into so they are perfect for storing the less pretty needs of the kitchen. Some of the things I will mention here can also be efficiently accessed when stored in base cabinet pull-outs or drawers. That depends on your needs and the configuration of your kitchen. I prefer to store these things in the cupboards, leaving the base cabinets free for larger things.
Prep Cupboard
Put all of your prep tools and ware in one cupboard .
Prep Bowls
Ideally a set of clear glass bowls of all sizes from mini spice bowls to mixing bowl size, and plenty of them. Put these all in one cupboard to make it super easy when you are preparing to cook or bake.
How to Store Prep Bowls
Organize the small and medium bowls on a tray or in bins so you can just pull it out when you have need.
Measures
Glass measuring cups of different sizes for liquid measures, a set of stainless steel measuring cups for dry ingredients, and a set of stainless steel measuring spoons. These can be used for liquid or dry ingredients. I recommend you keep both metric and imperial measuring spoons. Also there are many attractive sets available in stainless steel plated with silver, gold, rose, gold, or copper.
You also want in your measures cupboard a kitchen scale and thermometers. I recommend an infrared thermometer, an instant read thermometer, and oven thermometers. Use a digital scale. They are small, flat and don’t take up much space at all.
How to Store Your Measures for Easy Access
These measures can be stored stacking the glass and metal cups in bins, or hanging them on under-shelf cupboard hooks. The best way to store measuring spoons is on hooks on the inside of your cupboard doors. There is no better way and once you try it, you will never go back.
Use magnetic instant read thermometers and store them on a metal strip on the inside of the cupboard door (or on the side of the refrigerator or stove).
Stand the scale up on its side against the inside wall of the cupboard. Lay the infrared thermometer beside it or place it on end in a bin with the measuring cups.
Corner Cupboards & Blind Cupboards
Corner cupboards and blind cupboards are often found in kitchens, tucked away in corners or inaccessible spaces. These cupboards can be problematic due to their awkward design, making it difficult to reach items stored in the back.
The limited visibility and accessibility often lead to clutter and underutilization of space, as items are forgotten or hard to retrieve.
Fortunately there are several organizers designed to address these issues and maximize the utility of these challenging spaces.
Lazy Susan
One popular solution is the lazy Susan, single or tiered turntable that allows easy access to items stored in corner cupboards. This organizer makes it simple to reach items at the back by rotating, thus bringing items in the back to the front. This makes all items easily visible and accessible with the touch of a finger.
Blind Corner Pull-Outs
Another effective option is the pull-out shelf or tray, which offers smooth gliding access to the contents of blind cupboards. These shelves can be extended outwards, providing full visibility and easy retrieval of items. The pull-out shelf or tray, extends outward on smooth-gliding tracks, revealing the full contents at once.
Swing-Out Shelves
Additionally, there are specialized swing-out shelves designed specifically for corner cupboards, which make use of the entire space while keeping everything within easy reach.
By incorporating these innovative organizers, corner and blind cupboards can transform from problematic areas into efficient and functional storage solutions.
Specialty Stations
You may have cupboards as part of a beverage station or snack station.
For instance, I have one cupboard that is part of my Coffee & Tea Station. It is located with the Espresso Machine, Moka Pot, Hot Water Kettle (on the countertop) and the cupboard contains canisters of coffee and teas, a tea box for individual teas in paper wrappers, a sugar bowl, honey, and gold and silver tablespoon measures on hooks inside the cupboard door.
My husband loves bread, so the toaster is always in use it seems, but I do not like it out on the countertop. I have one cupboard which contains the toaster and a shelf riser with a bin on top and below for breads.
Cupboard Planning for Efficiency & Ease
In the quest for a more efficient and enjoyable cooking experience, organizing your kitchen cupboards stands as a foundational step. By thoughtfully arranging your glass front cupboards to display everyday tableware and utilizing solid wood front cupboards for practical storage, you create a kitchen space that is both functional and inviting.
Remember, the goal is not just to tidy up but to cultivate a kitchen environment that supports your lifestyle and culinary ambitions. Embrace creativity in your organization, adapt strategies to suit your individual needs, and soon enough, you’ll find that cooking becomes less of a chore and more of a joy. With a well-organized kitchen, you’re not just preparing meals—you’re crafting experiences.