How I’ve Simplified My Life by Organizing My Kitchen Into Zones

I’ve simplified my life by Organizing my Kitchen into Zones. These simple tricks can save you time, effort and stress by just moving a few things around!

It’s amazing how one task generally begins another. We had just wrapped up our Farmhouse Pantry Makover but I realized we needed to fix one more thing.

The other day, I glanced at the clock and was shocked to see how the time had passed me by. Exasperated, I was racing against a deadline and hadn’t even thought about cooking dinner, finishing the dishes and laundry yet!

I was flustered and frustrated! We all need to find ways to make our lives easier, don’t we?  Here is how I’ve simplified my life by organizing my kitchen into zones.

In a world of constant busyness, creating a solution that can help simplify things can be a true sanity saver.

Can I get an amen?!

So these simple tricks can save you time, effort and stress by just moving a few things around.

Organizing my Kitchen into Zones

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So what do I mean by zones?

The idea is to streamline your space to create a cohesive work area that doesn’t leave you exasperated like I was.

With everything in arms reach of the task you are doing — be it cooking a meal, unloading the dishwasher, or making a cup of coffee — you can save precious minutes and be frustration free with a simple switch-a-roo!

For me, I’m organizing my kitchen into zones that make sense for my floorplan: Cooking, Beverage, Baking, Dishwasher, Pots and Pans, and Pantry Zones.

If you missed my Farmhouse Pantry Reveal last week, you can check it out to see how I’ve organized that space.

Cooking Zone

Sources: Stirring the Pot Tea Towel     Topiaries
Black and White Striped Tea Towel

When cooking, I wanted to make sure that everything that I might need are next to me. For the upper cabinets here’s how it’s broken down:

• cooking tools on the left side of the microwave (graters, mixing bowls, etc.)
• taller ingredients above the microwave (oils, sauces, and tall overflow like my thermos)
• other cooking ingredients on the right side (spices, breadcrumbs, sauces, etc.)

The drawers and cabinet beside my stove hold any cooking tools you might need.

In the top drawer, you’ll find measuring cups and spoons, as well as smaller cooking utensils.

Below that are my potholders and kitchen towels.

And the bottom drawer has tin foil and plastic wrap and bags.

The drawer to the right of the stove has my larger cooking utensils.

We added shelves to the cabinet below to hold our pizza pans, baking sheets and cast iron cookery.

One the counter, I keep my cutting boards and wooden spoons displayed because they’re just so pretty! I love displaying them old crocks that came from my family.

Beverage Zone

The beverage station is pretty self explanatory, but I’ll show the details of how I moved a few things around.

I thinned out our glasses and mugs to showcase only what we actually use. The rest was donated or put away if it was seasonal.

Sources: Enamel Coffee Tin     Handpainted Coffee Sign     Mini Cow Creamer
Milk Carton Cream and Sugar     Paddle Chalkboard     Pig Drawer Pull

This was originally planned for a desk area, but the seating is extremely cramped, so I turned it into my coffee bar area. I skirted the desk area with a DIY curtain made from some linen tea towels.

Behind the curtain, we installed a shelf that holds anything beverage related:

• Cocoa, tea, coffee
• Behind the basket sits my rarely used coffee items, like my Keurig
• In the crate, there are overflow to go drinking cups and canning supplies

Above my refrigerator is where we keep our pitchers, and larger and more commonly used to go cup and water bottles.

Dishwasher Zone

This was the biggest switch-a-roo that I made. I wanted to be able to stand in one place and quickly unload the dishwasher with out having to make multiple trips back and forth. Other, than my glasses, most everything lands right around here.

Here’s what is in the cabinet above the counters:

• Top shelf: rarely used cookware and glasses
• Middle shelf: casserole pans and seasonal plates and bowls
• Bottom shelf: our glass food storage items

By far, those glass food storage bowls were the best investment I’ve ever made. I’ve had them for years and they are so resourceful. Much better than tupperware type containers, the glass makes reheating and cleaning so easy!

In the drawer next to the dishwasher is where our silverware sits.

And on the wall opposite the dishwasher is where I place my plates. It’s a simple pick up and twist to put all my dishes away!

Baking Zone

When baking happens in this kitchen, I love that I have a designated area where my mixer and all my tools are as well as ample counter space to work.

Above my mixer is where I store my cookbooks, baking ingredients, and tools.

In the drawer below sits more measuring spoons and baking utensils.

And in the cabinet below are my pie and loaf pans, as well as my cake and treat carriers. This is where I also place my baking related cooking appliances, like my food processor and blender.

Pots and Pans Zone

I love my DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Island, but I didn’t love that you could see the storage area beneath.

So by using the same linen for my coffee bar skirt, I made a matching one for my kitchen island and hung it using a simple tension rod.

Behind the curtain is where I have placed all our pots and pans, which it right next to my cooking zone. So we’ve made it full circle!

The only areas I’ve left out are our Farmhouse Pantry and under our kitchen sink. You can read the details of our Pantry in this post.

Beneath my sink is where our cleaning supplies live. How sad is it that the cleaning supplies are so not clean and tidy?! This spot is what I hope to organize soon, so stay tuned for how I plan to get this area under control!

Kitchen Colors:

• Upper Cabinet Color: Pure White by Sherwin Williams
• Lower Cabinet Color: Dovetail by Sherwin Williams
• Wall Color – Crushed Ice by Sherwin Williams
• Flooring – Casa Italia by Stainmaster

So hopefully this is the beacon in the midst of foggy disorganization! By organizing my kitchen into zones, I’ve found my life runs much easier.

If I’ve left any details out, or if you have any additional tips to share, please leave a comment below – I love to hear from my readers!

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