Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
gobruno_gw

How did you organize your drawers? Pictures pls!

gobruno
13 years ago

I was wondering how you all went about organizing your drawers? Not just what the end product looks like, but what was your process for knowing and figuring out your needs? Perhaps my brain is a bit fried from homebuilding, but I just can't wrap my brain around figuring out the minutiae of each dimension I'll need for every little kitchen item. Half our stuff is in storage also; so, that doesn't help me catalog each need. I've seen some photos of drawers, and I am amazed at how perfectly everything fits--just like a puzzle. I think I could figure that out for our silveware, but how do you do that for everything else? May be our problem is that we're trying to think of this stuff before we move in. I feel like it might be easier to wait until we move in and then figure out where everything will go, and then make organizers based on that. Also, what type of organizers did you use?

Thanks!

Comments (8)

  • lowspark
    13 years ago

    it might be easier to wait until we move in and then figure out where everything will go, and then make organizers based on that

    Yup, that's the way to do it. I stored things according to where I was going to use them. For example my main PREP area is my peninsula so that's where knives and other prep tools go. Things like wooden spoons and spatulas that I use during cooking go in the drawers near the cooktop. Silverware and serving utensils go outside the cooking and prep area so that someone accessing those doesn't get in the way of the cook.

    Next I organized within each drawer. Like items grouped together, so all wooden spoons in a pile, all scrapers in a pile, all whisks, veggie peelers, etc. I arranged them in the drawers as it made sense to me, laying some vertically and some horizontally to make best use of the space.

    I lived that way with no dividers for a while, to give me an opportunity to move things around and rearrange. Once I was happy with it, I put in the dividers.

    I started out with plastic dividers from Container store which were fully customizable. Worked great for a while but they weren't durable.

    In the end I switched to Lee Valley clips and wood strips which I cut, sanded and stained. A bit of work but not hard at all to do. Worked out great for me.

    Here are several threads with ideas and pictures:

    Here is a link that might be useful: lee valley dividers search

  • rhome410
    13 years ago

    I had a vague map of where everything was going, according to area of use, and shifted it as things fit...then have tweaked and refined over the last 2 years. I don't use organizers in any of the drawers except my silverware. I think it'd be nice in the knife drawer, but otherwise, I'd just be fighting the kids to get things in their proper little slots and I don't feel that's necessary...it's been hard enough with our bigger kitchen to get things in the right cupboards and drawers. :-)

  • chicagoans
    13 years ago

    The problem with waiting until later is that you might decide you want a different kind of configuration. For example, even though most of my lowers are drawers, I have a small cabinet for cutting boards and baking sheets. I really wish I had something like this instead (with a nod to desertsteph - I think this is hers):

    Keep looking at inspiration pictures to help you determine what things you use on a regular basis and how they can be made more handy.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Thread with pics of handy drawers (I hope the thread isn't gone)

  • plllog
    13 years ago

    Same as Rhome, only two weeks, rather than two years for the tweaking. I looked all over for organizers that didn't bug me. The Blum ones are very expensive and ugly. Most of the wood/bamboo ones are too small/shallow/ugly/expensive or all of the above. I ended up buying the OXO ones on a whim when I saw them at BB&B. They're very well designed, acrylic. Fairly inexpensive. Easy to wash. They clip together to form a custom silverware organizer, or stack for a double decker. The smaller ones aren't very useful. My small flatware is bigger, and the wee little ones are too wee. The big utensil ones are great. I don't attach them, though. I use the space between for things like the long shaft of the big ladle.

    For dishes, bakeware, bowls, etc., I did a lot of shifting around so that I had everything I needed in every zone, and it all made sense. My top drawer for pie pans and casseroles went to more utensils, however. Organizing them in a useful manner expanded the whole thing, even though I've relocated extras and over sized things to the pegboard cabinet.

    I don't have pictures, but here's my first working plan (tweaked a bit, and will be tweaked some more, but seems to work). Here's the tour:

    • Pegboard: Big tongs, extra cooking spoons, spatulas, etc. Peels. Upper, flyswatter. Middle (message center) will have pads and pens when it's done.

    • Facing away from ovens cabinet: Pitchers, vases, small stuff, cookbooks.

    • Under the ovens: cooking small appliances, except toasters (waffler, crock pot, egg boiler, electric skillet (where did that come from?)). Pizza stone in shallow drawer. Over ovens--racks and oven trays.

    • Spice rack also has oils and vinegars.

    • Baking zone: Top drawer--utensils for oven or baking. Second drawer--bread bowl & kitchen serving bowls, pie plates, pie weights, casserole dishes. Bottom drawer--baking pans, mixing bowls.

    • Corner: Top--utensils for stove and tea. Middle-- canisters (flours, sugars). Bottom--tall canisters and strange grains. Counter: KitchenAid mixer. Upper Corner: Bowls and accessories for mixer, salad spinner (it needs a better home, but fits here).

    • Under stove: Top shallow tray--grill pans, spatter screen, wooden spoons, meat forks, silicone stirrers. Middle--pots (Le Creuset & Corning). Bottom--pots (Stock pots, small roaster, meat pan, etc. Upper (baking side) measuring cups, strainers, extras. Upper (sink side): spice blends (Italian Herb, Garlic Pepper, Lemon Pepper, 21 Seasoning Salute), salt, light olive oil (good for saute--higher smoke point), wine for cooking, Wondra, cooking spray, dried mushrooms...and Pepermint Schnapps???? I'm not sure why that's there!! Upper Uppers: Over hood are empty, lidded tins. Over seasoning cupboard are rarely used pots.

    • Under sink: roll out tray shelf with sponges, garbage strainer, DW powder (I know it's not supposed to be a good place, but it's the best one unless the powder goes lumpy), extra dish liquid,...

  • Buehl
    13 years ago

    I did the same thing LowSpark did. As I moved in I put things where they would probably be used the most and then lived with it for probably a year or so b/f ordering dividers, etc. I moved things around quite a bit that first year. The only two things I didn't wait long for were the flatware (silverware) divider and tray dividers.

    I ordered the flatware divider from my cabinetmaker so it would be custom-fit. Yes, it cost more, but it fits perfectly left-to-right. It's not a perfect fit back-to-front, but it's fine...much better than the dividers I had in my old kitchen!

    For tray dividers (above my ovens) and cutting board divider (under my prep sink), I purchased dividers from Wal-Mart as a temporary fix until I was willing to pay the extra (a lot extra) for dividers like Rev-A-Shelf has. However, the cheap ones worked so well that I just kept them.

    Like RHome410, I still find myself tweaking my storage almost 2 years later and I suspect that's something that will happen "forever". However, after a year or so most items were "placed" permanently enough to start getting organization things (like knife divider, utensil dividers for cooking, prep, serving, etc. utensils).

  • desertsteph
    13 years ago

    "I really wish I had something like this instead (with a nod to desertsteph - I think this is hers)"

    chicagoans - it's not my pull out/drawer, but sure seems to be my favorite so far that I've seen on this forum considering how many times I post it! I love it! It could have so many uses - the way it is and with a few divider changes for so many other items. Some day in the future I do hope to have at least 1 like it.

  • loves2cook4six
    13 years ago

    I put everything into the drawers I thought would be most efficient and lived and tweaked for two years before building my own dividers using the same Lee Valley dividers Lowsparks pointed you to and plywood we had lying around the house. I measured and cut each section to fit after laying everything out the best possible way.

    Other items were all planned out during the planning stages so I knew exactly where pots, pans, bakeware, cutlery, dishes etc would go.

  • dianne47
    13 years ago

    loves2cook - that divider drawer is a work of art and ultra efficient. There is not one cubic inch wasted. Love the small wavy dividers at the upper left. Wow.

Sponsored
DryHome Roofing & Siding, Inc.
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars82 Reviews
Loudon Co. Roofing, Siding & Exterior Remodeler Best of Houzz 5 times!