Minimalist kitchen: kitchen reorganization for the daring

For those who are serious about the minimalist kitchen, changes in the kitchen are almost inevitable. Here’s an approach that will be sustainable and, as an added bonus, provide a glimpse of functional simplicity.

Kitchen reorganization can be done the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is to clean some surfaces, put some things in drawers, and maybe even move some furniture. The problem with this is that the changes are superficial and the room will revert to a version of its previous state very quickly. In other words, easy at first but not easier in the long run. The hard way involves a much more drastic first step, but it will ensure that you don’t have to repeat the task for a long time.

Remove all

This requires another space in the house that can be occupied for about two weeks without causing too much turmoil. An adjacent dining room with a dining table is ideal. All you need to do now is put everything that isn’t fixed in its place in the reserved storage area. Everything includes all pots and pans, silverware, dishes, ingredients, furniture, Aside from permanent work surfaces, cabinets, the oven, and the refrigerator, the kitchen must be completely empty. Place frequently used things, like cutlery and plates, on the table so they’re easy to reach.

take a break

Take a break. Have a coffee or whatever your favorite drink is and sit in a part of the house where you can’t see either your now desolate kitchen or the pile of things that look very out of place in the dining room or other storage area. The purpose of this is not to give you time to wonder what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into, but to clear your mind and put some distance between the old kitchen and what will become the new kitchen. After a minimum of one hour, you can return to the kitchen.

minor repairs

Now is probably a good time to do any minor repairs that need to be done, like patching the walls or touching up the paint. It might be a good time to clean any hard-to-reach areas. The kitchen should instill a feeling of being in control. It has to be an environment that welcomes you. If you can redecorate that would be ideal, but that’s not always practical and as long as there aren’t any really bad areas that draw attention, that’s good enough. A quick note on paint: It may be a minimalist cliché, but white or a variation of white is really the best color to use. It gives a sense of order and allows light to define the space. Of course, any paint used must be resistant and washable.

replenish the kitchen

When you want to cook a meal or have a drink or anything else you normally do in the kitchen, like pay bills or just sit and think, bring from the storage area what you’ll need for the task and only what you need. task need. If, for example, you are preparing a coffee, just bring the cup or mug you want to use, the pot, the coffee and a spoon. Don’t be tempted to bring the entire set of mugs or the entire contents of the cutlery drawer. To continue with the coffee example, if you want to have coffee later in the day, don’t bring another cup or spoon, use the same ones you used earlier; don’t be tempted to bring another. If two people want a coffee, bring one more cup. The same principle applies with a meal, just bring what you need to cook and eat it. Obviously the dishes will need to be washed and this means dish soap and a cleaning cloth or brush will have to make the trip back to the kitchen. Anything brought into the kitchen in this way stays in the kitchen and is never put back into storage.

lose the surplus

After a period of time, everything you need will be in the kitchen and everything you don’t need will be in the storage area. About two weeks is probably ideal for this process, but you’ll find that 95% of the things needed are back in the kitchen in the first week. After two weeks, sell, give away, or throw away anything left in the storage area except items you know will be used for the year. These items can be stored somewhere other than the kitchen. The minimalist kitchen means not having to move the Christmas-themed napkin holders to get to the wine glasses in mid-June.

Why go through all this trouble?

The reasons for this approach are two. The first and perhaps most obvious is that there will be less clutter in the kitchen and the things that are left will all be useful. The second reason is that we start the process from scratch, adding only what we need, instead of starting with everything and subtracting what we think we don’t need. Only the first of these approaches puts the emphasis on what is kept and not on what is discarded. A good minimalist kitchen requires being aware of this fundamental difference.