Jessica Crum

A Lifestyle and Fashion Blog

Lifestyle, Organization ·

Organizing Your Kitchen + Pantry

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I am so excited about today’s post I can hardly stand it! I had the honor to team up with Neat Method and The Container Store to organize my entire kitchen/pantry/wetbar area. To say I have dreamed of this day for quite some time would be both embarrassing and true! There is no better feeling than walking into your kitchen and having everything organized and in it’s place. I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I ever made for our home!

In case you aren’t familiar with Neat Method, it is the largest luxury home organizing company in the US with professional organizers across the country. Their motto is clear, “We believe that once your life is clutter free and well arranged, you will have a new appreciation for the importance of living NEAT.” And that is SO TRUE. I can personally testify to the feeling of relief and joy it brings you to have everything functional, in the right place, and visually appealing (making all my OCD dreams come true!).

My local Neat Method girls (Dominique and Annie) came in and made the entire process so easy and smooth. I was truly amazed by their professionalism and attention to detail. This is, after all, a skill and you can tell they both put so much time, effort and practice to get where they are now. They know exactly where to place things in your kitchen to make them functional, easy to grab and go with the flow of how you would use the items.

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On our first meeting we had a consultation so the girls could see what they were working with. They asked me several questions to get an idea of our lifestyle (how much we cooked at home, if we were “leftover” people, how many groceries we usually buy, how often we entertain, etc.). Then they came back for day one. We went through EVERYTHING in the kitchen! Got rid of a bunch of stuff that was unneeded (who needs two toasters?), decluttered things I never use (which felt SO GOOD!) and re-arranged the kitchen to become as functional as possible.

The girls then went to The Container Store for me and picked out everything I needed. This was honestly the most helpful part for me. I would have had NO idea what to pick out if I went in there alone, so I gave Dominique and Annie full trust to pick out what they thought I needed for my space. (After all – they are the experts here!) And I could not have been more pleased with how everything turned out. The Container Store has so many amazing options to choose from, but ALL of their products are so durable and top-notch quality. And guess what? It’s your lucky day, because they are having a HUGE SALE on kitchen supplies and almost everything we got is on sale (25% off) until April 7th!

The final day was the most exciting because that’s when it all came together. Dominique and Annie brought in everything from The Container Store and immediately got started. I’m talking EVERYTHING (tools, bins, label machines to make custom labels, etc.) – you can tell these girls know what they’re doing! They were so sweet and professional and I truly felt like I just had some girlfriends in my home (REALLY GOOD friends who make life a million times easier). They placed all the bins in order and organized everything from spices to cereal to drawer organizers (and labeled EVERYTHING!). It was amazing to see how they arranged things together that just made sense. I wanted a kitchen that was not only beautiful, but functional, and they went above and beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of.

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Tips to declutter/organize your kitchen:

    • Get rid of things you never use – I know, I know. This can be hard for some people. But I promise you will feel SO much better when you can actually SEE the things you have. If you haven’t used it in the past 6 months, give it away! Someone probably needs it more than you do.
    • Focus on function and layout – this was a big one for me, because like I said before, I wanted a kitchen that was FUNCTIONAL. Keep all of your tools next to where they will be used.
      • Keep bake-wear near the oven
      • Store pots and pans near the stovetop
      • Spices and oils near cooktop (or pantry)
      • Cooking utensils (spatula, ladle, spoon, whisk) in the drawer to the right of the stove (or the drawer to the left if you’re left handed) for easy access
      • Coffee/Tea near beverage station
      • Dish towels near the sink
      • Store every day utensils & glassware closest to the dishwasher to make loading/unloading easier (why didn’t I think of this?!) 
    • LABEL LABEL LABEL – and then go ahead and label some more. Labeling makes things so much easier to find and gives you (or your husband) a clear idea of where things go. (I’ve linked both the reusable chalk labels and the white bin clip labels we used for everything in my space.)
    • Transfer everything into clear canisters – this helps avoid clutter and excess boxes in the pantry. Plus, they look beautiful! I love how you can see right through them, which is especially helpful when you’re running low on a particular item. (Remember – The Container Store is having a 25% off sale on most of their kitchen items until April 7! I’ve linked every product I used in this blog post.) 
    • Group all cleaning supplies in a bin under the sink (and don’t forget to label!) Also, only keep the cleaning supplies you need. If you have extra back flow, store that somewhere else like a laundry room.
    • Bye Bye “junk drawer”, hello “useful drawer” – THROW OUT THE JUNK. Only keep things that you actually use (i.e. scissors, notepads, pens, lighter, keys, etc.)
    • Keep things NEAT – keep appliances you use the most accessible, but try to keep things off the counter (i.e. toasters, blenders, waffle machines) The only exception in our house is the Keurig because we use that baby multiple times a day 😉

I hope this was helpful and you are now motivated to get started on your kitchen organization! I can promise you will feel so much better once it’s done! Make sure to check out my Instagram stories (@jesshogancrum) under “organization” in the highlight reel for a more detailed look inside our kitchen!
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*This post was created in collaboration with Neat Method and The Container Store. All opinions & product selections are my own.
Photography by: Gather In Grace

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  1. Supritha Lakshminarayan says

    Thank you for sharing such an amazing organisation tips,Its really helpful

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