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Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

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In this post: You don’t have to completely renovate your kitchen to make it more functional. These 5 kitchen upgrades are things I do to keep my kitchen efficient.⇒

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

Do you ever find yourself running in circles when preparing a meal?

Third time around the island and you’re thinking, maybe this kitchen is not as efficient as it could be?

We’ve all heard of the kitchen triangle and storing things near where they’ll be used, but apart from basic storage, here are 5 things I do to keep my kitchen efficient.

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient  

Let me start by saying, when it comes to kitchen upgrades, you don’t have to gut your kitchen and do a complete remodel. If it needs that for other reasons, and you have the resources, have at it! But these 5 upgrades can be done to your kitchen even if you’re not doing a major renovation.

1. Glass front cabinets – when we re-did our kitchen (which you can see in THIS POST), we only refaced it and kept the old cabinets. In addition to painting them, we added glass fronts to many of the upper doors. Not only did this open up the look of the kitchen, but I love that it forces me to keep the cabinets neat. I think twice about keeping that one lone glass that the caterer left behind and I can always see where everything is. No more rummaging through cabinets to find things. I can see at glance where they are.

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

2. Uncluttered countertops – I am very intentional about leaving breathing space between the items rimming the counters. Not only does it look better, but it ensures your usable counter space is more functional. You need to be able to get to the outlets and have workspace to spread out on.

I like to use vintage pieces in practical ways. An enamel bread box which actually holds our bread. An old silver ice bucket as a utensil holder. Antique trays to hold oils and such. A silver tea caddy which stores… you guessed it… tea!

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

The island I keep free to work on and when not being used, it holds nothing more than fresh flowers.

Now, I will grant that if you have a tiny kitchen it’s harder to keep open wall space along your counters. But even then, it can be done in a smaller way. The key is to keep out only what is absolutely necessary and used every day.

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

3. Multi task lighting – I like a lot of light. I mean A LOT. At any given time, my house can be lit up like daylight because I really like it light. And nowhere is that more true than in the kitchen. You can’t be efficient at preparing a meal if you can’t see what you’re doing. So, in addition to high hats we have mini chandeliers over the island. When we first put them in, my husband said he needed sunglasses because the light was so brilliant!

The key here is to have multiple light sources controlled by different switches. Use under counter lighting if it will help, but there shouldn’t be dark corners in your kitchen if you use all the spaces. 

Now, that said, we use dimmers too. Because once the meal is prepared, we do like the ability to set a more romantic mood. Various light sources can be turned off, while others can be dimmed.

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

The same goes for the eating area, where we have a vintage chandelier, as well as high hats. Both are on dimmers and this works great for us.

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

4. An organized refrigerator – As many of you know, I’m nuts about organization and I try to be certain that all of my cabinets and closets are perfectly in order. But the refrigerator warrants extra attention and I clean out my fridge every single week when I do my grocery list.

When we first re-did our kitchen a few years ago, we chose to keep the appliances in an effort to save money. But when the refrigerator stopped working, I welcomed the opportunity to select a model of my choice! I opted for what would look stylish in our newly renovated kitchen, but I was also driven by how I would organize things in that refrigerator. 

I chose the Samsung 23 cu. ft. Counter Depth 4-Door Flex™ Refrigerator with FlexZone™.

*This post is sponsored by Samsung, but that decision was made purely by my own opinion and long before I met my sponsor. 

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

I’m a compartment girl and I believe the key to organization is having designated areas for different things. I wanted varied shelves and deep door storage, as well. And the essence of my crazy system is keeping things in rows – a row of iced teas, a row of milk, a row of water, a row of juices. You get there idea. If someone puts juice in the iced tea row, you can be sure they’re going to hear about it! 🙂

I also store food in clear containers so you can see what’s in them and use before spoiling. It drives me batty whens someone puts away leftovers in the plate it was served on, covered with foil. Then I open the fridge to a sea of tin foil, with plates doing a balancing act piled precariously all over the place.

Nope. I need clear containers in neat rows.

(Btw, I intentionally chose to show you my actual fridge in its natural state with the door opened on any given day. Like many organizers, I could have decanted everything and lined up only rows of same-sized bottled waters, but that’s not how we genuinely keep things and hence it’s of no use to you.)

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

5. Easy to reach ice and water – If you’re going to get a new appliance, you may as well get one that will make your life easier. I use my ice and water makers all the time, as we love to entertain and it’s a wonderful convenience. I have a butler’s pantry that’s often set up for guests with an ice bucket and drinks, but 9 times out of 10, we just use the fridge in the kitchen.

It’s. so. much. easier.

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

There’s one more convenience of this Samsung fridge that makes my kitchen more efficient and it’s a feature I need to point out that I really love. The lower right section of the 4-door layout is a flex zone, meaning it can be switched from freezer to fridge and back again, depending on your need. This is awesome for holidays when early in the week I have more things frozen, but as the event gets close I need to move more into the fridge temp range. No more trips to the old basement fridge. I have the extra space right here in my kitchen!

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

It’s wonderful to have a brand new renovated kitchen, but even if that’s not in the cards, each of these points can be employed in an existing kitchen. Why be exasperated by the time guests arrive because your inefficient kitchen made it difficult to prepare to entertain? With a little planning and a few kitchen upgrades, you can be more relaxed and enjoy your guests.

And when it’s time to clean up, just hope hubby (or whomever is helping) doesn’t make mountains of tinfoil in the fridge!

Kitchen Upgrades: 5 Things I Do to Keep My Kitchen Efficient

Kitchen Upgrades Resource List

To get the look, click on the items below for direct links to the products. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided many similar options. 

(This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.)

white kitchen

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

  • Dramatic Kitchen Renovation without Removing Cabinets
  • Kitchen Pantry Organization: Simple and Easy to Maintain
  • Simple Ways to Declutter Your Under Sink Storage
  • Kitchen Counter Organization: Keeping Your Counters Clear

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18 Comments Filed Under: Evergreen Decor, Homestyle   Tagged With: kitchen upgrades

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Comments

  1. Janet says

    Tuesday, September 4, 2018 at 10:40 am

    What a great post! I totally agree with your tips for a kitchen that really works and I used many of the same strategies in our own renovation. Your thought on refrigerator organization were a total revelation to me. I’m employing them today! (I recently wrote a post about our kitchen renovation. You can read it here: https://ivyandironstone.com/2018/08/08/behind-the-kitchen-that-works/ )
    Love your blog!

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at 6:36 pm

      Thank you so much, Janet!!

      Reply
  2. Elizabeth Roderick says

    Tuesday, September 4, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    Thank you for more great ideas. We’ll be purchasing a refrigerator soon so this is very helpful.

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at 6:35 pm

      You’re most welcome! I truly love the fridge!!

      Reply
  3. Katarina - Sukhirugs.com says

    Thursday, September 6, 2018 at 7:13 pm

    Great tips! Let me first say that you have a gorgeous kitchen. I’m sure that preparing a meal in this wonderful oasis is one very enjoyable experience. I am head over hills with everything vintage, so I love every single vintage piece in there. The way you find a practical purpose for those details is brilliant. I’ll make sure to ‘steal’ some of your tricks when styling my kitchen these days. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Thursday, September 6, 2018 at 11:52 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words!!

      Reply
  4. Norma Rolader says

    Friday, September 14, 2018 at 9:04 am

    Absolutely amazing and beautiful as always

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 9:31 pm

      Thanks, Norma!

      Reply
  5. Alison says

    Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 9:27 am

    Your home is stunning! Curious the water pitcher that has the silver leaves on the handle where did you buy that it is beautiful!

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 9:31 pm

      Thank you so much!! The pitcher is from Vagabond House. They have gorgeous stuff! I post a lot of from them… 🙂

      Reply
  6. Vicki says

    Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 9:26 pm

    We have just discovered this type of refrigerator and have seen similar types in other brands. Thank you for the info. Your kitchen is great, and your info very helpful!

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 9:33 pm

      Thank you so much!! And yes, the fridge is great in so many ways. I’m not super into gadgets, but it has just enough conveniences to be really useful and the storage space is perfect for our needs!

      Reply
  7. Sarah says

    Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    I couldn’t agree more regarding the importance of a clean and organized fridge. I, too, clean out my fridge/freezer every week. It does’t take very long because nothing builds up. I giggled at the thought of foil-wrapped plates piled high. My biggest issue is when there are multiple bottles/containers of the same food item open at once (talk about a waste of money and space).

    Really like the mini chandeliers. Are they vintage? Happy fall days, Lory!

    Reply
  8. Sarah says

    Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 9:52 pm

    I couldn’t agree more regarding the importance of a clean and organized fridge. I, too, clean out my fridge/freezer every week. It does’t take very long because nothing builds up. I giggled at the thought of foil-wrapped plates piled high. My biggest issue is when there are multiple bottles/containers of the same food item open at once (talk about a waste of money and space).

    Really like the mini chandeliers. What a great find. Are they vintage? Happy fall days, Lory!

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 3:09 am

      Haha, so fun to find a like minded person out there!! No, those chandies are new… 🙂 The larger one in the breakfast room is vintage.

      Reply
  9. Jill says

    Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 2:32 pm

    Thank you so much for the post and pics of your kitchen. I have been trying to decide on paint color for the kitchen and going all white. I think the pics of your kitchen have definitely pushed me in the all white direction. So clean and bright! Have also been wanting to replace wood cabinet fronts with some glass. Just need to find someone to tackle the routing of the doors.

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Monday, October 1, 2018 at 7:39 pm

      Thanks! I’m very happy with the white. I bet you’ll love it for yourself… 🙂

      Reply
  10. Margo says

    Friday, August 30, 2019 at 7:54 am

    We have the exact same fridge and the inside arrangement is nearly identical! We bought the fridge because the style was new and we thought it was lovely. I’m curious if yours has stood up well because I’m rather disappointed with ours. Like you, it’s just my husband and myself so there’s no abuse but the front control panel had cracked and the finish has worn off after 3 years.
    I’m sorry to say that I don’t have the exact same chandeliers!! When we moved to our current home I was very self conscious about my decorating style since I came from a more formal colonial but felt I needed a more rustic approach to this house on the lake. After 3 years I realize that it is not my style. Thanks to you and a few other blogs, I got over trying to figure out what the house “should” look like and realize that the country French aesthetic fits quite nicely here. I just love Country French Fridays!

    Reply

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