Home Refresh: Reset Your Kitchen for the New Year

With the start of a new year (and my recent move) I like to take time to get organized and ready for the year. To do this, I tackle major areas of the home like: the kitchen, bathrooms, closest, and home supplies. Spending time to purge, clean out, take inventory of needs, and restock in an organized manner. Doing this with your goals for the year in mind will support your success.

For me, this year in the new house I am extremely focused on getting organized, making sure I have high quality essentials in every area of my home, and getting ready (stocked) for a variety of home design projects. To kick off the Home Refresh series – we are going to begin with our kitchens. They are typically the hub of the home and throughout the year get in a state of chaos. This week, we will focus only on this kitchen thinking about our goals for the year and how we can set the space up to help.

Step 1 – Kitchen Purge:

• PANTRY / SPICES – go through and purge all expired items
• UTENSILS / SILVERWARE – get rid of damaged, stained, non-functioning
• SMALL APPLIANCES – purge or donate unused in the last 12 months; throw out any damaged/nonfunctioning
• DISHWARE / GLASSWARE – eliminate any items with stains, chips, or broken parts
• POTS / PANS – take a look at what you have and determine if any are damaged/broken or do not serve your needs
• KNIVES – purge any with rust, broken parts, or donate unused
• BOWLS / BAKING – go through and purge; we tend to build up inventory here that is not used and takes up space
• UNDER SINK – clear out this area and toss anything that is old / unused
• KITCHEN TOWELS / POTHOLDERS – be brutal here and remove any that are stained, frayed, unmatching
• FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS – be brutal here as well and remove any that are stained, unmatching, or have lost a lid

Step 2 – Kitchen Re-Stock:

• Take inventory of what remains in all of the above areas
• Make a list of pantry + spice items to restock at your next grocery run
• Make a list of other items needed to reorder/buy. Consult my list of essentials for a kitchen refresh.
• Deep clean all cabinets, drawers, shelves and pantry
• Determine if any categories of items should be moved to function better in your space + move them

Step 3 – Kitchen Organization:

• To achieve a cohesive look you need to determine what will best work in your space and/or what you like aesthetically for organization supplies. You can mix + match clear acrylic with white and natural elements like baskets or bamboo. However, I would not recommend mixing different design types like farmhouse and traditional or industrial and coastal. You will not like the outcome!
• Determine what size and shape of containers are needed for all spaces. Pro Tip: take time to measure + and plan realistically based on what your family needs/uses/stocks.
• Make a list and plan your purchases. Consult my list of kitchen organization essentials for a kitchen refresh.
• Execute your design! When items arrive take the time to put them away based on your plan.
• Take pics and share with me on Instagram by tagging @abroadandabode!