I was a maniac yesterday. I started working after lunch and stopped occasionally to stretch my back, pick up the boys from school, and help Nicholas with his homework. At one point, the kitchen looked like a bomb went off. I stopped after sunset (you’ll see the lighting change in the pictures as the day progresses) but had I the light, I would have kept going. I just want the kitchen cabinets done. I’m almost there.
Yesterday the skinny cabinet looked clean, but wasn’t a good use of space. I decided to store soap and dog medicine, which we normally keep in a basket on the counter.
We kept more than dog medicine in the basket. Clearly. I tossed everything aside from the dog medication.
Here’s how it looks now.
I hit the glassware cabinet next. I’ve been wanting to do this one for a long time. The first thing I did was to get rid of the wine glasses. We don’t need them, so I gave them to my mom for her to use during the holidays.
That freed up enough room for me to pull the beer glasses out from another cabinet that was not a mess, but not functional, either. I was able to rearrange that cabinet, too, but don’t have pictures. I’m telling you, I was like the Tasmanian Devil yesterday. The loan mug on the shelf is there because I use it only to melt butter for baking. I’m not sure where it belongs.
That skinny cabinet I ended with in yesterday’s post also got a quick clean up. On each shelf I used wire baskets from The Dollar Store to act as drawers. They work much better than I anticipated!
The cabinet above the refrigerator. Worthless. It stayed fairly organized since the last time I worked on it last October, but the lunch bags were flying around like bats.
I rounded them up in a basket. The rest of what’s up there are refrigerator parts (wine caddy, egg caddy, extra shelf) that I need to keep for the day I sell the refrigerator. Oh, and a paella pan.
I did two more cabinets, and I have before pictures for one of them. The after pictures I will take today before I start on the next project…which better not be in the kitchen.
I’ve been horrible about remembering the link up because all the days are running into each other. Oops! Here is the link up, better late than never. Please share your William Morris Project inspired projects around the house!
New here? For the next 31 days I�m living according to the famous William Morris quote, �Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.� You can learn more about the project here, and catch sneak peeks of my projects by following me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (I�m @pancakesfries).
All this organizing you are doing is going to make it so nice whenever you work in your kitchen!
I can’t tell you how nice it was to make breakfast this morning. It was so calm and peaceful for a change!
You are on fire! I am slowly chipping away at our clutter. It feels good to be able to see a difference. You are keeping me inspired.
Your kitchen is looking great! I noticed you have an extra shelf above the dog medicine. You could take that out and use it in the cabinet next to the refrigerator and add another basket. That would give you some more storage. Just an idea. ;)
That’s a great idea I’ll have to remember if I need more space in that cabinet. I’ll have to check if they are the same width.
Impressive!! What a great feeling to have all that accomplished!
We just moved about 10 days ago. In my head I had everything planned for the kitchen cabinets before we moved. Everything had a place and everything was in it’s place. In my head. Then we moved and I started trying to execute my plan. Well, the cabinets weren’t having any of that. Shelves were too low. Cabinets too narrow. You know how it goes. But I powered through. And do you know what kept me going? Every single time something didn’t fit where I wanted it, I would think, “How would Jules handle this?”. You have become my orginizational guru! I think I need one of those WWJD bracelets. It could be my What Would Jules Do orginizational motivation! I’m so glad you’re doing this series right now. It was exactly when I needed it!
Hah! As long as it says What Would Jules Do After 1 Apartment, 2 Homes, and 13 Years, you’re onto something. It could be WWJDA12H13Y for short. ;)
Great to see the progress you’re making! I often get discouraged when undertaking a cleaning/organizing project, because it does get far, far worse in the process of getting better. Thanks for the reminder to KEEP GOING!
Yes, at one point yesterday I laughed because the kitchen was just SO BAD.
You rock Jules! Your kitchen looks fabulous and more importantly, it works for you. Great work!
Thanks for the linky, Jules! You are really making great progress. One of these days when I’m not running in 10 directions for business stuff, I’m going to do a challenge like this in our new apartment to get rid of the final bits of nonsense that linger! ;)
Thanks, Tiffany! If you do the challenge and blog about it, please let me know. :)
I really love the light and dark contrasts in your kitchen. Feels like home.
Thank you. :)
Idea…put the mug you use for melting butter with your baking supplies! Also, maybe those refrigerator parts could be sold online for people who are missing theirs. Or, could you box them up, label the box, and put them in storage elsewhere? It doesn’t seem fun to keep knocking those things around for years while you wait for your fridge to leave the house.
I thought about it, but I don’t like the way my baking supplies are set up. When I finally figure out the hows and wheres of that, I’m going to keep it there. Great minds think alike! ;)
Not sure how many more skinny cabinets that you have, but one thing that my mom found useful with one of hers by the stove — store baking sheets and muffin tins on their side, so you can just slide them out. Of course, that would only work if you didn’t have multiple shelves in them, but for a tall and skinny cabinet, it’s perfect. You don’t have to worry about them all crashing around in the drawer under the stove (where we store them) and are super easy to pull out! Just a thought if you have a cabinet like that!
I have a cabinet devoted to cookie sheets and cutting boards. I haven’t shown it because it’s always organized–pretty hard cabinet to mess up! :)
Yay for accomplishing the kitchen! I am still casting an evil eye at the upstairs hallway closet, hoping someone else will come and clean it so I can join the party.
Jump in, Lisa–the water’s fine. ;)
Oh, it looks so lovely and nice to work in!
I am selfishly pleased you are spending so much time in your kitchen. I have been laid up with evil “morning” (hah!) sickness of doom for the past two months and have no energy to William Morris along with you. My kitchen is one room I feel pretty okay about, so it’s nice to enjoy your posts without feeling miserable about my space. Just warn me before you do anything office-y okay? =)
It looks amazing, Jules! Mad props to you, girlfriend! You’re inspiring me to do a mad cleaning spree before winter hits.
Was surprised with the amount of skinny cabinets that your kitchen has, especially those two single ones to the bottom left of your sink, I would prefer 1 normal size wide one. Is this a common feature in American homes and are they useful or more of a hindrance trying to fit things in?
I mentioned it in the comments of yesterday’s post, but it’s not common to have so many skinny cabinets. It’s because I have a small kitchen. I really wanted a double oven with pullouts, and that took up a lot of room which affected the size of the rest of the cabinetry. It isn’t a hindrance to me because I don’t have many appliances or one-use tools. I also keep my dishware, glasses, and bake ware at a reasonable amount. A small kitchen forces you to keep things to almost a minimum, and I like that.
the wine glasses!!! what a revelation! they are taking up plenty of precious space in my cabinets too! we don’t use them much and when we do need them for holidays, i have to wash them all anyway because of dust/grease(?). ugh. i will store them now and take back my cabinets! i have my rarely used platters in a padded, zip-up case from crate & barrel. stored on low shelves in my dining room. now i have to dust those covers…