How to Set Up Your Kitchen So It Works for You
How to Set Up Kitchen Organization
A practical kitchen organization workbook to help you decide where everything belongs, make better use of your storage space, and create a kitchen that works for the way you actually live.
DIGITAL PRODUCT • NO PHYSICAL PRODUCT WILL BE SHIPPED
Your kitchen should make your life easier, not make you work harder.
But figuring out where everything should go can be surprisingly difficult. Should the dishes go near the dishwasher or the table? Where should you keep pots and pans? What belongs in the easiest-to-reach cabinets? How do you make a small or awkward kitchen work better?
There isn’t one right way to organize a kitchen.
The best kitchen is one that works for you, your space, your belongings, and the way you use your kitchen.
This 47-page workbook walks you through practical kitchen organizing principles, examples from different kitchen layouts, and planning tools you can use to set up your own kitchen.
Make Your Kitchen Work Better for You
Instead of simply telling you where things “should” go, this workbook helps you think through why items belong in certain locations.
You’ll learn how to:
- Put items close to where you use them
- Keep frequently used items easy to reach
- Take your height, strength, and physical needs into consideration
- Create kitchen zones for activities and groups of related items
- File items instead of stacking them
- Make better use of vertical storage space
- Decide what is worth labeling
- Keep counters and other horizontal surfaces from becoming storage areas
- Find better places for seasonal and rarely used items
- Make your pantry easier to use
- Organize your refrigerator and freezer
- Set up a junk drawer that actually works
The goal isn’t a picture-perfect kitchen.
The goal is a kitchen that saves you time, energy, and frustration.
See How the Principles Work in Real Kitchens
Every kitchen is different, so seeing examples can help you figure out what might work in your own space.
The workbook includes six kitchen layout case studies. Each one shows a different kitchen and explains what could be stored in each cabinet, drawer, and storage area.
You’ll see how the same organizing principles can be adapted to different kitchen layouts and storage situations.
Plan Your Own Kitchen
Once you understand the principles, it’s time to apply them to your kitchen.
The workbook includes planning pages to help you:
- Draw your kitchen layout.
- Number your cabinets and drawers.
- Make a list of the kitchen items you need to place.
- Decide where each item belongs.
- Map those items to specific locations in your kitchen.
- Adjust your plan as you begin using your kitchen.
You don’t have to get every decision right the first time. The workbook even encourages you to make adjustments after you’ve lived with your kitchen and learned what works best for you.
What Makes This Approach Different?
I’m a trained professional organizer, and I’ve lived in more than 20 homes, each with its own kitchen layout, storage challenges, and needs. I’ve also helped clients organize kitchens to work better for the way they actually live.
One of the most important things I’ve learned is that there isn’t a universal kitchen organization system that works for everyone.
A kitchen needs to be organized around the people who use it.
That means considering questions like:
- Where do you naturally reach for something?
- How often do you use it?
- Where are you using it?
- How easy is it for you to reach, lift, or put away?
- What items do you always use together?
- Which things deserve your easiest-to-access storage space?
- What can be moved somewhere less convenient because you rarely use it?
That’s the approach behind this workbook.
What You’ll Get
Your purchase includes the 47-page How to Set Up Your Kitchen So It Works for You workbook in PDF format.
Inside you’ll find:
- 12 kitchen organizing principles
- Practical examples for applying each principle
- Kitchen use-zone ideas
- Accessibility and safety considerations
- Pantry organization tips
- Refrigerator and freezer organization tips
- Junk drawer organization tips
- Six kitchen layout case studies
- A list of common kitchen items to plan for
- Space to add your own kitchen-specific items
- Kitchen layout planning grids
- Instructions for creating and adjusting your own kitchen plan
A Method I’ve Used With Real Kitchens
The ideas in this workbook come from the same practical approach I use when helping clients organize their homes.
“Susan has helped me with several spaces in my home including my kitchen cabinets and pantry. What I use is now at the front of every cabinet. Each session has made me assess my belongings and bring what I really need and use into focus.” – J.
“I can’t thank Susan enough for her help when we moved to Virginia. It was overwhelming. There was stuff everywhere and I didn’t know where to start. Susan started in the kitchen. Rather than do it all for me, she taught me how to choose what went where based on what I found functional. She said, ‘Think about where you want something to be when you need it.’ She had me setting up my kitchen with her at my side in no time.” – K.
“We would have been paralyzed if Susan hadn’t come in and set up our entire kitchen. She made it possible for us to move into our home and function stress-free while we unpacked and set up the rest of our home. We’ve maintained the kitchen organization for over 8 months and it continues to work beautifully for us.” – G. & M.
These comments are from clients I’ve helped with their kitchens and homes. They are not reviews of this workbook. They illustrate the practical organizing approach behind it.
How to Use the Workbook
You can use the workbook as a reference while you organize your kitchen or use the planning pages before you start moving things around.
Start by learning the organizing principles. Then look at the kitchen layout examples and consider how those ideas might apply to your space.
Finally, use the planning pages to work out where your own items should go.
You may need to make adjustments as you go. That’s okay. Your kitchen organization should evolve as you learn more about how you use the space.
Is This Workbook Right for You?
This workbook is a good fit if:
- You’re setting up a kitchen in a new home.
- Your current kitchen isn’t working as well as you’d like.
- You have trouble deciding where kitchen items should go.
- Your cabinets and drawers aren’t being used as effectively as they could be.
- You have a small, unusual, or awkward kitchen layout.
- You want to make frequently used items easier to access.
- You want a practical way to plan your kitchen organization before you start moving everything around.
- You want organizing ideas you can adapt to your own home rather than a one-size-fits-all system.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This is a digital PDF workbook. No physical product will be shipped to you.
No. The principles are designed to be adapted to your particular kitchen, whether you have a large kitchen with lots of storage or a small kitchen where every cabinet and drawer matters.
It gives you practical guidelines and examples, but it doesn’t assume that every kitchen should be organized the same way. You’ll use the principles to determine what makes sense for your space and the way you use it.
No. The focus is on deciding what belongs where and creating a functional arrangement for your kitchen. The workbook includes ideas for bins, shelf risers, hooks, turntables, and other storage solutions that you can consider if they would make your particular kitchen easier to use.
Yes. You can print the workbook for your own use, including the planning pages.
Ready to Set Up a Kitchen That Works for You?
You don’t need a perfect kitchen.
You need a kitchen where the things you use are easy to find, easy to reach, and easy to put away.
Use the principles, look at the examples, and then make a plan for your kitchen.
DIGITAL PRODUCT • NO PHYSICAL PRODUCT WILL BE SHIPPED