Kitchen Organization Is an Art and a Crucial Design Element: 5 Tools I Swear By

Organization is a design element. An organized kitchen is a key layer in the overall look and feel of your entire home. It sets the tone for how you live.

This post contains a mix of affiliate links (which pay me a small commission at no cost to you) and standard links to products I genuinely love. I prioritize "functional beauty" over commissions, so if a non-affiliate product is the best solution for a specific design problem, that is what I recommend.

I always tell my clients: your space needs to function seamlessly between what's behind closed doors and what's out in the open. If things aren't organized and easy to put away, they spill out to make a very messy kitchen or, even worse, spill out into your living areas. The mess slowly creeps in, overshadowing even the most beautiful furniture.

Trust me, I've been there. Since I can't stand messes, I've developed fail-proof systems over the years. And because I don't have the attention span for long how-tos (and I'm guessing you don't either), I'm breaking this down into bite-sized fixes. Small changes that add up to a home that's easy to maintain.

1. Kitchen Organization: The Food Storage Edit

The more efficient your storage, the more you can fit without spillage into "no spillage zones."

I started with these 32 oz plastic containers and 16 oz plastic containers. They're food safe, inexpensive, and stackable. I use them for dry goods like baking supplies, but they work just as well in the fridge for prepped ingredients or leftovers. When I empty boxes of cereal, pasta, and rice into containers, everything takes up less space and looks organized.

Then one client mentioned she avoids plastic entirely, which sent me down a rabbit hole. The answer: mason jars, specifically wide mouth for easy cleaning and handling. They're my preferred storage now. I use 64 oz wide mouth mason jars, 32 oz wide mouth mason jars, and 16 oz wide mouth mason jars. They go from pantry to fridge seamlessly, and they're actually great for leftovers and meal prep too. Because they're vertical, they don't hog fridge real estate the way wide containers do. Unlike glass containers with lids that crack and break (a huge pet peeve and waste), you can always replace mason jar lids. I swap in these stainless steel lids from the start since they don't rust and stack easily.

For horizontal storage (think lasagna, marinated chicken, or anything that needs to lay flat), I love IKEA 365+ glass containers in only this size and this size. I only get these two because they stack well together and hold exactly what I need. You can buy the tops separately (bamboo, silicone, or plastic), which is a huge plus when one inevitably goes missing or cracks.

One more thing: a label maker makes all the difference. When everything's labeled, it stays organized because everyone in your household knows exactly where things go.

2. Small Fridge Wins

This egg dispenser changed my life. I stack two in my fridge, and they hold 18-24 eggs from Costco while taking up minimal space. No more bulky cartons hogging an entire shelf.

3. Rethink Your Recycling

One client asked if she should get a three-compartment recycling bin. I looked at her kitchen and said honestly, your space is too small for the one-compartment bin you already have sitting on the floor. So we got creative.

These hanging baskets mounted on the wall or the side of a cabinet solve the problem without eating up any floor space. They look intentional (not like an afterthought), they're easy to grab when you need to toss something, and when they're full you just lift and dump into the building's recycling. In a small NYC kitchen, every square foot of floor matters.

4. Tame the Under-Sink Chaos

Under the sink is where good intentions go to die. Cleaning supplies get shoved in, things fall over, and suddenly you can't find anything. These 3-tier clear pull-out organizers are the fix. The clear bins let you actually see what you have, the pull-out design means no more reaching into the abyss, and the removable dividers let you customize the layout. I use one tier for cleaning sprays, one for sponges and scrubbers, and one for backup supplies.

5. Give Your Spices a Real Home

You don’t need more space. You need better flow. Small systems ensure every single item has a dedicated home.

If you're still digging through a cabinet trying to find the cumin buried behind the paprika, this one's for you. The Lynk Professional pull-out spice rack installs in minutes with just two screws and holds up to 20 jars on two tiers. You pull it out, grab what you need, push it back. No more knocking things over or buying duplicates because you couldn't see what you had.

What's your favorite organizing hack? Let me know in the comments.