Sometimes the best kitchen-organizing decision isn’t buying another basket or adding another shelf. It’s giving an existing cabinet a completely different purpose.
In one kitchen I organized, we needed a dedicated place for baby essentials. A cabinet that had been used for mugs became that space. I later described the change simply: from mugs to baby essentials. It was a small part of a much larger kitchen project, but it illustrates something I believe strongly: a beautifully organized kitchen should work for the people living in it, not just look lovely in a photograph.
I’m Liz from Liz Organizes Your Pretty Mess. When I organize a kitchen, I don’t start with a catalogue of matching containers. I start by looking at what’s actually in the cabinets, what the family uses, and what isn’t working.
Why a cabinet’s old purpose doesn’t have to be its new purpose
It’s easy to get used to where things have always been. The mugs go in that cupboard because they’ve always gone there. Baking supplies live on one shelf, even if no one reaches for them very often. Baby items end up wherever there’s a bit of room.
But daily routines change. Families grow. The way we cook, make breakfast, prepare drinks and use our kitchens changes too. Our cabinets can change with us.
That mug-to-baby-essentials change was about recognizing a new need and giving it a proper place. Instead of treating each cabinet as permanent, I looked at the kitchen as a whole and considered what each space could do for the household now.
What I actually look at when organizing a kitchen
One of the things I enjoy most about hands-on organizing is discovering how much function we can create with the storage a home already has. I work through the actual contents of cupboards and drawers, not just the surfaces people see when they walk into the room.
In my kitchen projects, I’ve grouped pasta and noodles, breakfast foods, spreads and honey, baking supplies, tea and coffee, dishes, food containers, utensils, pots and pans, and cleaning supplies into more practical areas. I’ve also tackled those awkward cabinets that seem to collect bags, water bottles, thermoses and miscellaneous items.
That doesn’t mean every kitchen should have the same layout. Here are the questions I keep coming back to:
- What does this household reach for every day? Those items should be among the easiest to access.
- What naturally belongs together? A tea-and-coffee area, a breakfast zone or a dedicated baking space can make more sense than scattering related items across the kitchen.
- What is taking up valuable space? Duplicates, rarely used items and things that belong elsewhere can make everyday storage harder to use.
- What has changed? A growing family, different cooking habits or a new routine may call for a different cabinet arrangement.
I don’t believe that the prettiest cabinet is automatically the most successful one. If a family can’t easily find and put away what it uses, the arrangement needs another look.
Before buying bins, see what you already have
I’ll say something that may surprise people: not every shelf needs a bin.
I’ve looked at breakfast items and decided that oats could be grouped together, seeds could have their own container, granola bars could stay on an existing plate, and jars of jam, honey and other spreads could sit directly on a shelf. Sometimes that is all the structure the space needs.
Organizing products can be useful, of course. A divider may make a drawer easier to use. A basket may help contain a category that otherwise spreads everywhere. But buying products before sorting can leave you with containers that don’t fit the cabinet, don’t suit the contents or simply create more things to manage.
My preference is to sort and categorize first, see how much really needs to be stored, and measure the available space before recommending any purchases. New baskets, drawer organizers or other products are optional and, when requested, are discussed and priced separately from the organizing project.
A practical kitchen reset you can try at home
You don’t have to empty every cupboard in the house to make a start. Choose one area that frustrates you regularly—perhaps your breakfast shelf, a mug cabinet or a drawer full of utensils.
1. Ask what the space needs to do
Forget how it looks for a moment. Is this the best place for the items stored here? Who uses them? Are you reaching past things you rarely need to get to the things you use every morning?
2. Sort the contents into real categories
Take out enough to see what you have. Group like with like. Check whether something belongs in another area, whether you have duplicates, and whether you still want or need everything. If you’re organizing with someone else, don’t make decisions about their belongings without asking.
3. Put things back according to how they’re used
Give the most frequently used items accessible homes. Keep related things together where practical. Try the arrangement before deciding you need more storage products. A simple system that someone can maintain is worth more than a complicated one that only looks good on the day it’s finished.
And if a cabinet would serve a better purpose entirely? You’re allowed to change it.
My 3-Step-Pretty-Mess-Reset: CONNECT, CLEAR, CREATE
That thinking is part of my 3-Step-Pretty-Mess-Reset.
CONNECT: I learn about your home, routines, frustrations and what you want the space to do. Photos or a walkthrough video help me understand the space and prepare a personalized project-based proposal.
CLEAR: I sort, declutter and categorize belongings. You can work alongside me, or you can give me the autonomy to carry out the hands-on organizing while we check in on decisions. Either way, nothing is donated or disposed of without your approval.
CREATE: I put practical, attractive systems in place using the space and belongings you already have whenever possible. I also enjoy finding beautiful pieces around a home and giving them a fresh place or purpose. If you want me to source new organizing products or decorative items, we can discuss that separately.
My goal isn’t to make your home look like somebody else’s. It’s to help it work better for you.
When professional kitchen organizing can help
Maybe your kitchen has more mugs than you need, the pantry categories have become mixed together, or everyday supplies are spread across several cabinets. Maybe your family has changed and the kitchen hasn’t caught up. You might know exactly what you want but feel overwhelmed by the amount of sorting involved.
That’s where I can take the lead. I work cabinet by cabinet and drawer by drawer, looking at the entire space rather than simply making one shelf look tidy. The work is hands-on, judgment-free and shaped around your priorities.
You can explore my kitchen and pantry organizing services, see how I approach whole-home organizing projects, or review the communities I serve.
I work with homeowners in Brampton, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Georgetown, Caledon and surrounding GTA communities.
Let’s make your kitchen work for your life
You don’t need a perfect kitchen before asking for help. Show me the real one—the crowded cabinets, the awkward drawers and the spaces that no longer make sense. Tell me what you wish worked differently.
Request a personalized project-based quote from Liz Organizes Your Pretty Mess. Send a video showing the full space and its contents, and tell me what you’d like to change. We’ll start with what matters most to you.