Successfully Setting Zones in a Kitchen
Case
A homeowner wanted to be able to function more efficiently in her kitchen.
Challenges
- Counters were covered and not easily usable for preparing food or other kitchen duties.
- Food did not have a home. When groceries were purchased, they were placed wherever they fit.
- A home daycare was run on a weekly basis and keeping the space looking nice was difficult due to constantly changing child care items.
- 3 Junk drawers!
- The owners did not like all of the children’s dishes, cups, etc. mixing with adult items.
- One of the owners had a difficult time reaching items needed on a daily basis and did not like the idea of having to get out a step stool all of the time.
- The cabinet that the pots and pans were in was so deep that things often got lost in the “inner depths.”
Before |
After |
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Children’s items were mixed with adult items & a lot of space went unused. |
Children’s items were moved to a new “home” leaving space for a Snack Zone. |
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Usable counter space was almost non-existent. |
Only items used daily are now on the counter. All other items were moved to a “home” elsewhere in the kitchen. |
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Cluttered counters and unused shelf space. The top of the refrigerator was cluttered & hard to tell what was there. |
Shelves were adjusted to fit the food stock and items previously on the counter were given a “home.” The top of the refrigerator now contained items that were easy to identify. |
Getting Down to Work
- Every cabinet and drawer were emptied and sorted into like items, all baking goods together, all snack items together, all spices together, etc.
- Daily items were identified and housed in locations that were within easy reach.
- Cabinets were assessed and shelves adjusted to make space for various zones.
- Items that had not been used in over a year were placed in a bin for a yard sale.
- Drawers were re-configured and organizers put in place to have like items together for easy retrieval. The largest drawer converted from junk drawer to wrap and hot pad storage.
- All like items were stored together to create working zones such as: snacks, baking, canned goods, children’s area, etc.
- Deep cabinets had labels put on the door to ensure items did not get lost in the “inner depths.”
- A Children’s Zone was created. All of the children’s snack/lunch cups, plates and placemats were organized in the buffet so that the children could participate in getting their own things and setting the table.
Results
Written Testimony
Hey, I love my kitchen. Thanks!!!!! That was so much fun. I wish I had the eye for it. My kitchen works great. The kid’s dishes being at their level is excellent. . . The snack cabinet and the glasses and dishes are all so well placed. The kitchen is functioning well. In fact, Ron said, “When are you going to get her in here to do that craft room? I don’t care how much it costs, let's just get it done.” (Ha ha) So obviously, I now know for sure that he likes the kitchen!!!!