I hate to use the word wrong. It makes people feel bad. But when it comes to our kitchens, 85% of us have set them up wrong. And if we have a walk-in pantry, it’s even worse.
Our kitchens are inefficient. Inefficiency promotes chaos. Chaos promotes “chaos spill-over” into the adjoining spaces. Inefficiency, chaos and spill-over make us feel bad about ourselves, and about our home. Feeling bad creates shame—we don’t want anyone to visit and see our mess.
If this rings true for you, you’re not alone. Only 15% of kitchens are working as they should, so you’re in good company!
How it happens is simple: We set up kitchens according to logic versus efficiency. Logic says all things “food-y” belong in a pantry, and all thing “kitchen-y” belong in the kitchen. As a result, most kitchens are a version of the following:
- Appliances and often-used food sit out on what’s left of the counter space that isn’t covered by a month’s worth of mail.
- We’re always wiping down the coffee maker sitting next to the sink because it’s always getting splattered by food.
- We organize with a bread box and canisters, add the toaster and knives, and run out of prep space.
- Cereal boxes and bags of chips litter the top of the refrigerator.
- Sometimes, our rarely-used appliances and bowls sit on top of the cabinets, as “décor.”
- It’s hard to keep the counters clean because it means moving everything to wipe beneath it all.
- Sometimes the kitchen is so large, we’re getting in all of our daily steps by preparing two meals and a snack each day.
We spend hours on Pinterest for ideas, becoming envious and frustrated over wonderful ideas we know would never work in our kitchen. If our kitchen is small, we dream of moving and getting our walk-in pantry because then, all of our problems would be solved.
Until then, we’ve turned the coat closet into our pantry. But the coat-closet-now-pantry is ‘way over there. We’ve lost track of the times we’ve stepped on the dog or mowed over the toddler while retrieving the box of Stove-Top dressing from ‘way over there.
When I am working with homeowners and see that they have a walk-in pantry, I cringe. And then, because I can’t help myself, I spend a few minutes on a quick, free mini-workshop about their kitchen. I point out a few key truths and solutions then see the lights behind their eyes turn on. Inevitably, I hear, “That’s so logical and simple! Why hadn’t I ever thought of that before?”
I believe it’s because many people don’t realize they’re struggling with kitchen fatigue until I point it out.
The good news? After we work together, not only will you have a transformed kitchen, you can apply the same simple concepts to every room, every space, in your house. Over-stuffed closets, cabinets and drawers? Cluttered basement? Disorganized garage? Done, done and done.
When it comes to tackling clutter in the house, one of the most common hurdles I hear people say is, “I don’t know where to start.” They typically hear, “Start slowly, do a little at a time, make progress every day, eat the elephant one bite at a time,” blah blah blah. This works after you get started, but the original question was, “How do I start?” When there is no overall concept guiding the work, it feels like pedaling a stationary bike: you’re in motion but aren’t going anywhere.
We often don’t know how bad we’re feeling until we no longer feel bad. This is the ultimate in self-care: getting your house in order…for YOU. It will positively affect every single day of your life. You’re worth it.
Don’t waste another three-day weekend tackling an out-of-control project, get only a little bit done, then beat yourself up for not finishing what you started. If you’re looking for that magic bullet, you’ve found it—call today!
You might also like: Why Decluttering is So Overwhelming
Copyright © 2022 by Cynthia Gentry Black, Home Staging by Cynthia, LLC in Kansas City.
All rights reserved. No portion may be shared, reused or republished in any format without express written consent of the author.
