How to make your kitchen feel bigger- Instantly!
The kitchen is the hub of the home and when it is cluttered and messy, it can make you feel overwhelmed and stressed out.
As a professional organizer, many of my clients want tips on how to make their kitchens work better for them. I can tell you that it definitely does not take remodeling or enlarging your kitchen to get the results that you are looking for.
The biggest issue I see in kitchens is SMALL APPLIANCES! They are so handy, right? they will make your life easier right? But do they really?!
You can’t turn on the TV or look on social media without seeing an ad for the newest and greatest kitchen appliances. They guarantee that it will make cooking dinner a breeze and you absolutely must have it in your life. It’s so easy to get sucked in and convince yourself that you must have this item.
The problem with kitchen appliances is that they are usually a one-trick pony- they are designed to do just one thing, fry, blend, toast, grill, slow cook, induction, mix, chop, or roast. Or the manufacturers catch on to this and make a hybrid model and now you are left with 2 maybe 3 items that do the same thing. They are normally very bulky and come with numerous attachments. I have yet to meet a family that truly has the space big enough for these monsters and they end up taking up precious real estate on the kitchen counter or get stored in the basement and never used.
Ask yourself these questions:
1. How often do we use this? Can I make more than a few meals with it?
2. Do we have the cabinet space for it? Can it, plus the attachments fit comfortably in the space we have allowed? Is it easy to get out of the cabinet when we want to use it?
3. Does it actually make our lives easier? Is it easy to use, easy to clean, and make great food?
4. Do we have more than 1 appliance that does the same job? Can we eliminate one (or two) others and keep the one we really love?
It is freeing to be able to eliminate a few appliances and keep just the ones you truly love and use. Don’t be ashamed if you only end up with a few left (we only have a coffee maker and a small toaster). My home does not have the cabinet or counter space to have such large items. It took a few years, but I was able to see this clearly and took the steps to clear them out.
Give it a try in your own home!
And before buying a new appliance, first, determine where you will put it, there should be room in your cabinets to store the new item. Do you already have something that does something similar, and can you let go of the older version or pass on the new version?