kitchen drawers


By popular request, this is my kitchen organization/tool post.  I have gotten more emails requesting this than anything else.  A close second would be the truth about spas, but that is definitely another post.  So by the above picture you can tell that all my dinnerware is stored in these open shelves.  The drawers to the left contain what i use on an everyday basis.





top drawer
my silverware, tools and gadgets.  as you can see, it's not a lot.  measuring cups and spoons, grater, zester, peeler, rolling pin, knives, scissors, etc.






second drawer
dishtowels and plastic wrap that is rarely used







large bottom drawer
nesting stainless steel bowls, a hand mixer, a few glass containers with lids for storage









moving on to the other side of the kitchen
may i mention here that the thing i love the most about my cabinets is the kickplate or lack of one.  i love that there is no indention and that makes them look like a piece of furniture, well to me at least.






top right drawer
spices and cooking spray





second drawer
2 caphalon saute pans








 bottom right
 2 caphalon saucepans





top left
misc odd sized tools.  large knives, knife sharpener, tongs, pastry bag, little plates for resting spoons, chalk




middle drawer
really old and disgusting baking sheets and parchment paper
i believe i may have just sunk to new lows...where is my pride?




bottom left
large saucepan and colander

In case you are wondering...i keep my blender, food processor and pizza stone in my pantry.  These are essentials to me.
So that's pretty much it, another mundane slice of life of my life.

63 comments

  1. I thought all cookie sheets looked like that...well used. Bonnie

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  2. janet,

    I feel like a hoarder now.
    You really do practice the art of simple living. And this post is proof.

    I have to go purge my kitchen today.
    Again.

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  3. Janet,

    I THOUGHT I had an organized kitchen...just walked in the door from a barmethod class, I'm pretty sure it was especially hard today because I'm feeling a sore throat coming on...but I think I know what I'm working on this afternoon!! Your drawers look amazing, I always love a black and white kitchen and I love that you don't have a dishwasher. btw, my baking sheets look like that too.

    xo annie

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  4. When people asked for a peek in your drawers, are you sure this is what they were talking about?

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  5. bonnie - maybe you are right

    adrienne - i remember your kitchen post and you don't need to do a thing.

    annie - you take ballet? i'm soooo jealous.

    steve - lord help me.

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  6. I'm with Adrienne...I have so much cooking and baking stuff. Your baking sheet looks identical to mine. (my husband always grumbles when he cleans it)
    I finally bought a new one so the old one will be strictly for roasting veggies or making fries and I can keep the new one, well...looking new!

    I sigh every time I see your kitchen...I just love it.

    Linda

    P.S. I was cracking up at the comment from Urban Cottage! :)

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  7. Hi Janet- This is unrelated to your organization post, but I just had to share a little ancedote. I started reading your blog right around the time you 'stopped shopping' and I remember being appalled by such a notion and sure I couldn't do it. Well, I am on month two and you were right, eventually the urge kind of goes away. It is crazy to think of how impulsive I used to be. Thanks for all the tips along the way!

    Kate

    PS My baking sheet looks just like that- I am pretty sure that means it is working :)

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  8. Wonderful post!

    I now want to toss at least 80 percent of the things in our kitchen! But because my husband does all of the cooking, I guess that it's not up to me. :-)

    And as for your cabinets, they are my favorites of all the cabinets I've ever seen.

    Like you, I think that the lack of kickplates makes them seem like furniture. It's also the style that was used for kitchen cabinets many years ago. (In the twenties, I think.) That makes them especially appropriate for an old house.

    kris

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  9. Janet,

    I had to come back to see what you said and I'm so glad I did...love An Urban Cottage's comment. Cracking up right now!

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  10. You would be amazed to see how alike our (kitchen) drawers are!

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  11. That Steve! I love your kitchen and I'm going on another gigantic purge in mine. You are so inspirational! (my baking sheets look the same.)

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  12. You really are the picture of simple good living. I'm starting to rethink all my collections. I know I could get rid of some gadgets and other stuff in my kitchen.

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  13. You've put me to shame. You're so neat and organized!

    xo
    Claudia

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  14. You need to come to Houston and purge and organize my teeny kitchen. You put me to shame~ ugh! ;) Am glad you shared though, inspiration for me to get organized.
    xo~
    T

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  15. Wow! Super-duper clutter free! Do you ever miss having a ton of stuff? Seriously.

    Sue
    xo

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  16. linda - thanks and the basket on top of my refrigertor holds 2 muffin tins, a pie tin and 2 cake pans.

    kate - that is appalling isn't it. but it does work, i swear.

    kris - i copied the kitchen cabinets from a pottery barn picture in their "bathrooms" book.

    adrienne - we all love steve he is v funny.

    karin - show me!

    claudia - thanks, i think. your place is the epitome of comfy chic.

    t - ok, i'll come on over and we'll declutter together. i can think of nothing better.

    sue - NO - SERIOUSLY.



    deb - don't encourage him. and good to know your baking sheets are miserable looking too.

    julie - thank you, clutter just makes me nuts.

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  17. I only have the one drawer. This excuses the rest I'm sure?

    You better not come to visit. It might make you crazy.

    xo Jane

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  18. I'm sure this is why baking paper was invented, to cover the sins on our tins!
    Incredibly neat and paired back drawers Janet. No way in the world would I let you peek inside my utensil drawer :)
    xx

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  19. So happy to see someone actually do what probably most of us WISH we could do. When cooking,I open my knife drawer and have to look around until I find ONE of the 3 knives that I use all the time. I don't really remember where all the others came from along the way. And when I go for my favorite of the 2 pots that I usally cook with, I keep them up front in the cabinet that is filled with pots and gadgets that have been untouched for years. (Thinking now of all that space that could be much better utilized.) I think I've been keeping all those things for either a rainy day when I MIGHT make some homemade pasta once again, or the spring pan that I've never used but always hope to, or the collection of black decorative cake pans that used to be my mom's. I don't even know what to properly call them. A baker I am not...but I suppose it's the sentimental value. My mom made the prettiest cakes. My dad gave the pans to me after she passed. I tried to make a cake with one of them--about 4 years ago. It all stuck to the pan--crumbled every which way. Not good. Never did it again. So there they sit taking up space.
    You, dear Janet, are brave. You know what you want. You know what you need. You make no exceptions. You are good inspiration. Thank you so much with each and every post you make; I find myself rethinking things. Simplicity is divine. And less is truly more. -Suzanne in Illinois

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  20. jane - i'm coming anyway. your clutter won't make me crazy. just mine does that.

    anne marie - i do use parchment but things don't always go well, i guess.

    suzanne - thank you again for such a thoughtful comment. what is up with your email? i've tried so many times!!!!!!!!!

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  21. Janet, I WANT your kitchen. I just love it so much and your drawers are so organised... just beautiful!! They are like still life works of art!! XXX

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  22. Janet,

    Supreme organization Janet!

    I really like that you have drawers that pull out and they look deeper too.
    I am on my knees reaching into cavernous spaces for my bits and bobs.

    I should take photos of my dreadful mess...but I don't think I should!
    It would be like an episode of Hoarders.

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  23. Janet,
    Honestly, you are everything I want to be. I always think I live a simple life until I see more of your life.

    Guess what I'm doing tonight...yes, cleaning out kitchen cabinets. :)

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  24. that's amazing! love urban cottage's comment, too - was looking for a facebook, like "like" button to tick.
    i wanted to share that, i too, started following you around the time you stopped shopping - and NEVER thought that could be me - and although i have not stopped shopping, i really think long and hard about what i purchase - and i purge, purge, purge. it's so serene and peaceful to cleanse one self in this way. it's a lot of work, but very rewarding. thanks for your blog - it's a real inspiration, and i'm thankful for the insight.

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  25. Janet, without a doubt, you have the tidiest, most organised kitchen I have ever seen!!! Wow!!!

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  26. Such beautiful drawers you have dear Janet.

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  27. Okay, I really don't have that much stuff, but after seeing your beautiful, minimal organization, I now feel like a hoarder!
    I'm very intrigued to know your "truth about spas"......

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  28. ohhhhh nooooo...girls that are 5'11" and curvy do NOT do ballet. Barmethod is a workout class that incorporates a ballet bar. My drawers are looking better...but like Emily...I'm feeling like a hoarder!

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  29. too funny- I was just thinking today about showing my kitchen drawers!!

    Shows how we really don't need much to cook doesn't it?!! But, with that said I'm afraid I enjoy using my kitchen things too much, so I couldn't do it, but bravo to you!

    I might have to take to my bed all day after seeing those knife blades (belonging to a real chef as they do) touching :O And there are scissors sitting on top of them?? Oh the horrors!!:O Nobody and Nothin' touches my knives:):)
    Barkeepers Friend is fabulous for cleaning the sheets... oh, and you're out of Pepper!!

    fun peeking in your drawers!
    xoj.

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  30. shoot me now.

    love, margot

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  31. I know I will have to action a huge declutter- I have far too much kitchen nonsense!

    Last day at work J.

    So sad.

    What's the truth about spas???

    Tell me everything! x

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  32. Oh drawers of mine, you bring shame on me!

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  33. You live so beautifully simple. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  34. sarah - you are way too sweet.

    leslie - drawers are the way to go and i highly doubt you'd qualify for hoarders.

    sarah - thanks but i think of you as the queen of tranquility.

    alicia - you are so welcome and i'm glad you are finding purging so wonderful.

    stylish shoe girl - omg, no way!

    fiona - thank you lovely.

    emily - thank you and i'm thinking about it.

    annie - well if a bar is involved it's close enough for me. still jealous.

    joan - i think they make a pill for that.

    margot - ahahha.

    ff - i was always happy for maternity leave. just think of all the decluttering you can accomplish before the little one arrives.

    lilacs in may - oh no!

    paige - thanks lovely.

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  35. Janet, I wouldn't be ashamed of your baking sheets. My grandmother used the same cast iron frying pan her whole life to make the most unbelievable southern fried chicken. Her family is convinced it was her old, cruddy pan that was the key. No one else could replicate the flavor. So, there is definitely something to be said for seasoned cookware. Enjoy the flavor! Christina

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  36. Any woman who shows her drawers in public.... is awesome. I'm organizing mine pronto.

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  37. Lovely kitchen and so organized!

    Have a wonderful weekend...

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  38. Janet - I'm sorry that I can't think of anything more original to say other than I adore everything about your kitchen and have saved it to my inspiration file. Love your dining table in the kitchen too and the chandelier, plus the floors.....
    Deborah

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  39. hey, girl, what are you doing with my cookie sheets??? oh, never mind, mine are still in the drawer under the oven, pardon me ;D

    if the baked-on stains bother you, there's always brillo and elbow grease...a great advantage to not using nonstick pans.

    love your kitchen so much!

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  40. oh my - thank you SO much for this post. I have been wanting a closer peek for AGES.
    your kitchen is just my dream.
    i subscribe to many many home decor blogs, and have a passion for many lovely rooms, but your kitchen is just IT. love it all.
    thank you, in bunches.
    Teri

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  41. Dear Janet, I agree with all the wonderful comments. How about that rain last night Janet! Hugs, Joyce in Torrance

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  42. I enjoyed this tour through your kitchen! Where is the pantry in your house? Is it a room next to the kitchen where you also do the laundry? Or is it a piece a furniture in the kitchen?

    I was wondering: what pot do you use for cooking pasta in tons of boiling water, the sauce pan?

    I need twice as many dishtowels, since I spend about 2 per day.
    I am looking forward to more tours like this! Maybe the de-cluttered basement...
    Have a nice weekend!

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  43. What an inspiration to pare down my own kitchen!

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  44. Love to see your stuff. You have a beautifully simplified life. And nice to see that you don't have all the fancy shit. We have very well-used kitchen stuff and I often wish I had all the beautiful new high-end stuff, but the beaten up old good stuff works just as well for us. I am still using some stuff my Mom gave me when I went to college.

    xo Terri

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  45. Janet, loved the glimpse into your drawers (snigger snigger). No, honestly, am so impressed by your minimalism and neatness, and how well organised you are; a quick look in my drawers reveals 3 trillion elastic bands, 5 pens (2 do not work) keys to I know not what, and one bit of uncooked pasta..well at least that's tomorrow's supper sorted xx

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  46. Wow, I too am impressed. I love how you have things boiled down to the essentials.
    pve

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  47. you are truely living a pared back, beautiful life...i'm so impressed with your organzational skills!!

    on a side note concerning kitchen storage...the kitchen in our new-to-us, but old (1935) home is not large. but whoever remodeled it a few years ago was as organized as you.

    there is so much storage packed into a not large area. the absolute best thing that i have never seen anywhere else is...what should be the baseboards of all of the cabinets are actually large, wide but shallow, pull-out drawers. we didn't find them until my mother, continuing in her life long but usually futile attempt to organize me, came up to stay with us two weeks after we moved in.

    there are six of these fab beauties plus one, built in, pull out step stool.

    i highly recommend considering putting these in if anyone is remodeling a kitchen. it's a fantastic use of space that is normally ignored.

    nanne in indiana by way of alabama

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  48. Janet my friend...we could never go shopping together. You see, I like stuff. I enjoy acquiring stuff. I keep my stuff very organized...but I generally have lots of stuff.


    The only salvation in my life is that about every 4 or 5 years I have an opportunity to sell my stuff...and I usually do, almost all of it.

    I do love your kitchen, very much in fact. Maybe you could get just a few more napkins so I would feel better...or how about this... I will send you some of mine!

    xo kelley

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  49. christina - i think i just need to purchase a couple of fresh ones. these look really bad.

    roseanne - ahhhaa.

    cotehele - thanks!

    deborah- i have pics of your house in my file!

    meg - i'm so lazy. i should clean them.

    seashore knits - you are so welcomed.

    joyce - the rain was CRAZY. basement flooded again but everything was safe this time.

    paula - the pantry is directly across from the sink area. i'm standing in it to photograph the view of the sink. depending on how much pasta i'm cooking determines the size of the pot.

    ach - thank you.

    terri - i agree with you. when i catered i truly did not use much more than what you see here. i'm a believer in the basics.

    blighty - your drawers sound like what mine used to be like with 3 kiddos around.

    patricia - thank you

    nanne - i've heard of these types of storage but have never seen them. lucky for you your mom found them!

    kelley - i used to love to acquire lots of things to. now i'm the opposite, what happened to me?

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  50. When I remodel my kitchen, deep drawers will be my first request....okay, no "drawers" remarks...LOL!

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  51. Nothing like seeing white space! Turn on.

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  52. Janet, you are amazing!! I could never purge lik that.
    Every time I eliminate something from the kitchen, I need it ina few weeks or months...so... I would never photograph my drawers or closets!!

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  53. Middle left drawer - thank goodness! I was beginning to wonder whether you were quite human!
    I'm with Sandrajonas, I'm not going to share the shame of my drawers!

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  54. Hi! I am new to your blog but I must say that I LOVE IT just based on this post.

    I am so inspired by your well-edited cottage kitchen. It is my dream to someday be able to renovate my kitchen (my entire home, for that matter) and give it a fresh look without taking away from its history. I like that you only keep what you truly need and maintain a clutter-free space. That's so admirable to me.

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  55. Janet - I'm still stuck on Steve's comment (ha! So good!!!) I'm glad you gave us peek into THESE drawers. But are you kidding me??? Are you always this organized?? Tell me you organized and styled before this photo shoot. I'm from the out of sight out of mind method and therefore EVERYTHING gets crammed into drawers. As longs as you don't open any drawers or closet doors you'd think I'm pretty organized and clean.

    Melissa

    PS. Still love your kitchen. : )

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  56. Oh my......I think I need you to come on over and help me organize my kitchen!! Organizing has never been my strong suit!!

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  57. I love your blog's tagline "be more with less" Awesome!

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  58. That had me wanting to see more of this gorgeous kitchen. I love how you eliminated upper cupboards and that sink is fabulous! Neat drawers too...my goodness that makes mine lok so cluttered.

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  59. Janet, I actually printed off a photo of your kitchen to show our cabinet maker when he did ours. I loved the open shelves but ended up with glass front cabinets which I am really happy with. I also got the nice big drawers which are the best! Thanks for your blog and all the great inspiration here.

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  60. Love your kitchen. Do you have a hood? Are the cabinets custom? Thanks, Maria

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  61. Lol all "real" baking sheets look like that!

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