I often reminisce about my old university dorm. I had a small kitchen just for myself in a studio apartment, and I loved it. It was compact and stylish, and it had everything I needed. However, it made me realize quickly how cluttered a kitchen can get, even when it only contains the essentials.
Sometimes, just knowing how to declutter a kitchen isn't the only answer for your space. Concealing clutter is also a must, so long as you aren't battling with overflowing cabinets and a sea of expired food in your pantry.
If you've already decluttered your kitchen but still feel like it's out of control, implementing some hidden storage ideas might just save your sanity. I spoke to a few professional organizers to learn what storage solutions are best for concealing kitchen clutter. Here's what they shared with me.
1. Use decorative baskets
If your busy kitchen is filled with items that lack a home, incorporating bins and baskets will give them space. Plus, it's a great way to effortlessly reduce visual clutter in the kitchen. This way, you can relocate your goods with ease, and they won't create a cluttered eyesore in the room.
Di Ter Avest, professional organizer and owner of Di Is Organized, says, "Baskets and bins are great to corral all odds and ends around your kitchen. They can look intentional too, almost like décor, even if they're holding chaos inside."
So, if your mug tree is filled to the brim or your spare sets of coasters just find themselves sitting on the windowsill, designate a basket or box for them to live in which can be labeled with something like the Avery multi-use labels from Walmart and tucked away wherever space is available.
There are endless options out there to choose from, but Di recommends opting for wicker or fabric storage bins to add texture. "The Y-Weave Curved Storage Bins from Target are budget-friendly and come in tons of colors to match your kitchen vibe," says Di. These baskets are also easy to wipe down, an important factor to consider when potentially battling with food stains or leaking condiments.
Target's decorative coiled rope baskets and their toy storage boxes like the sweet Jojo designs fabric storage bin are great (though less washable) choices too, depending on the visual you're aiming for in your kitchen.
2. Create a drop zone
You're likely here reading this because clutter always seems to find its way back into your kitchen, no matter how hard you try to eliminate it for good. But if you think about it, clutter is just a sign that a space is being lived in, which isn't a negative thing. A bit of clutter is normal!
Mary Jo Contello, certified professional organizer and owner of Organized by MJ, suggests a tip to help keep kitchen worktops clear and clutter-free: creating a drop zone. Bringing a drop zone or two into your kitchen where clutter can live helps to normalize clutter in a space while still providing it with a boundary so that it doesn't take over.
"I would recommend investing in some decorative bins that you can utilize for things that create the clutter in a typical kitchen like mail, items left behind, kids homework, and packages coming in and out of the home," explains Mary. "Then you can sort these items in the bins at a later date. It will help to keep everything contained in one place."
This won't only help to declutter your kitchen but also to conceal the clutter by placing it in one space in an aesthetically pleasing storage piece. The Better Homes & Gardens extra large natural water hyacinth boat decorative basket from Walmart is an ideal choice for a drop zone as it's spacious, has handles to carry around with ease, and doesn't have a lid so there's no barrier between a person and placing items inside.
3. Utilize cabinet doors
I can't think of anyone I know who uses the inside of their cabinet doors as well as the cabinet space itself for storage, but when Cheryl Arzewski and Jordan Marks, co-owners of It's Organized, LLC, recommended it, it sounded like a genius way to reduce clutter by making your current storage work harder. "You can utilize the inside of your cabinet doors as well as their shelves," say Cheryl and Jordan.
Di agrees, adding: "Vertical space is often wasted. A pegboard or magnetic strip on the inside of your cabinet doors can hold utensils, measuring cups, or spices, keeping them out of sight but within reach. Stick with a magnetic strip if you're short on depth; it's great for knives or small metal tools."
The household essentials 1228-1 double basket door mount from Amazon is a great choice for storing little jars that otherwise accumulate on your counter top.
Don't forget to look into purchasing knife guards if you plan to use a metal strip to hang up your knives. This ensures you're kept safe!
4. Install a pull-out trash cabinet
Trash cans are unsightly at the best of times, but when they're full and sitting in your space, they can create an even more unappealing, cluttered visual. Installing a narrow cabinet or drawer designed to hold your trash can is a fool-proof way to seamlessly hide your waste and save space, as it'll blend in with the rest of your kitchen cabinets and tuck away out of sight.
So don't neglect the power of kitchen drawers as the answer to concealing clutter — that would be a dire kitchen storage mistake people with clutter-free kitchens never make.
"Trash bins can take up precious space and aren't exactly a glamorous focal point," says Di. "Hiding them behind a cabinet door keeps the room looking sleeker. But if you don't want to invest in a pull-out system, tuck a smaller, stylish trash can under the counter to keep it out of sight."
5. Do more with your pantry
If you have a pantry, now's the time for it to shine. As a naturally tucked-away space, it's the perfect area to collect and conceal your possessions when not in use, so optimizing the space to store as much stuff as possible without creating a cluttered environment is key.
Mindy Godding, certified professional organizer, owner of Abundance Organizing says, "If you can see wall at the back of your pantry closet, you have not optimized the space," says Mindy. "Use products like turntables and bins to increase storage capacity. Shelf risers can help lend visibility and accessibility to jars and cans that are placed in the back of a shelf, too."
Two products highly praised by Mindy are the Everything Organizer Shallow Turntable with Silicone Liner and the large expand-a-shelffrom The Container Store.
These items will introduce order into your pantry, creating more room to conceal your kitchen supplies. In most cases, kitchens seem more cluttered than they actually are, so bringing in that sense of order will work wonders and keep everything neatly put away.
6. Think multipurpose with your furniture
If you're really struggling to conceal your kitchen items and wish to purchase some new storage pieces, take a moment to think about the furniture you already have and if it could operate in a more functional way.
Have you got a seat by the window that could have been a storage bench like the breeanna faux leather upholstered storage bench from Wayfair? And how about your dining table: if it needs replacing anytime soon, why not consider something like the knauss extendable solid wood base dining table also from Wayfair with storage capacity?
Thinking multipurpose can go a long way to creating space in your kitchen, and best of all, it is ideal for concealing unwanted clutter.
FAQs
How do I make my kitchen look less cluttered?
Cheryl Arzewski and Jordan Marks, co-owners of It's Organized, LLC, suggest three main rules to follow when trying to achieve a less cluttered-looking kitchen.
"Firstly, get rid of the piles. Piles always look messy, even if there is an order to them. Next, put away the large appliances as they will quickly make your counters feel fulll. And finally, relocate everything that doesn’t make sense to have in the kitchen. For example, if your kids do messy art projects in the kitchen, store those items outside of the kitchen or in a contained space out of sight, like the garage or playroom, and only bring them in when in use."
