Kitchen organization can be stunning

Variety of designs can be useful and appealing.

With spring officially here, there’s lots of chatter about spring cleaning. But what about keeping your kitchen cabinets in order? Different designs can offer a variety of organizational methods that can suit your kitchen’s aesthetics.

For anyone who wants their kitchen to be both useful and appealing, there are several methods you can use to make the most of your kitchen storage by making designs work for you.

For one, you can opt for cabinets that look good and won’t become dated in a few years. Ideal Home magazine notes natural ash doors and classic beading surrounding them provide a timeless look. The kitchen can also “be tailored to include other classic staples, such as tall height cabinetry, open shelving and glazed units, along with a pantry or gin cabinet.”

Alternatively, you could do away with cabinets altogether for your pots and pans. Instead, hang them on hooks or place them on self-built shelves for a rustic appearance.

“It’s amazing how much space goes wasted when you stop to really look at your kitchen. If you have cabinets with exposed sides, use them!” Apartment Therapy noted.

Open shelves can also provide dimension and, according to the Magnolia Market blog, it “gives your space a finishing detail and is also a space-saving and organization solution.

“What’s a little more tricky about open shelving are the technical aspects such as construction, installation, or even space planning. The good news is that whether you’re ready to take on a shelving project all on your own, or you plan to leave it to the professionals, there is an open shelving unit that will work well for you.”

Even if you have a smaller kitchen, there are ways to use that to its advantage.

“To ensure that your pantry organization is on point, you must master the art of stacking,” Real Simple stated. The magazine consulted interior designer and selfdescribed home therapist Anita Yokota, who recommended clear stacking bins that are “perfect for storing dishtowels, linens, and packaged goods.”

TEXT BY SHANNON DOMINY. PHOTO BY REYNOLDS ROGERS. Below: Philips Hue Lightstrips give the under-cabinet lights in Sarah and Angel Traverso’s kitchen a warm glow. They replaced most of the lighting in their home with Philips Hue bulbs when they moved in last year so that they can control the color of the lights, making them warmer or cooler. “Lighting sets the whole mood of your house,” said Sarah.

OQUENDO/AJC FILE CHRISTOPHER Chris Fitzgerald and her husband, Brian, installed industrial stainless steel shelving in their kitchen in lieu of more cabinets. Cups, bowls and cookbooks are part of the decor on open shelves that don’t close off the space or obscure the sunny yellow walls.

CHRISTOPHER OQUENDO/AJC FILE The sprawling kitchen in R. Hardy Smith and Terrie Rice’s Canton home doubles as a breakfast nook with a wooden table, chairs and bench. Black cabinets line the wall and the doorway to the butler’s pantry, and a dramatic white hood hangs over a Thermador range.

TEXT BY LORI JOHNSTON, PHOTO BY REANN HUBER Subway tile sets the scene for the transitional kitchen with open shelving in Scott Melnick and Alyssa Cassatto’s Grant Park home, Silestone countertops and found factory lights over the island.

CHRISTOPHER OQUENDO/AJC FILE The kitchen is brighter and more open than when Kelly Jackson said she first walked into the Grant Park home. Part of the look is due to the floating shelves by Semihandmade and white cabinets (with bases from Ikea and covers from Semihandmade).

CHRISTOPHER OQUENDO/AJC FILE An archway opens the dining room in author Jackson Pearce’s 1950s ranch home into the renovated kitchen.