Learn how to maximize storage and organization in a mid-century kitchen.
Mid Century Modern kitchens are notorious for starving you on space. If found in its original state, it’s often small and lacking in storage. When you decide to renovate, there’s a lot to debate: what to keep, what to update. Should you expand? What should you preserve? No matter the route, kitchen optimization—maximizing the space—is essential.
Amanda Burns Clark is a professional organizer and owner of Ever So Organized, a full-service organizing business based out of Orange County, California. She is well-acquainted with the nuances of space issues in a mod kitchen and says hers inspired her to be a minimalist.
“I saw its limitations as a way to inform our way of living in the space,” she says. “Before moving into our Eichler, we lived in a 1,000-square-foot home near the beach as a family of four. We doubled our square footage in the Eichler and added another family member with our third child, but I got rid of half our belongings.”
For Amanda, reducing her stuff was liberating. “Our kitchen is not large by modern standards—and that’s the way I like it,” she says. “Bigger is not always better. Bigger can mean more to maintain. We have one large pot and two pans. That means there is never more than three pots and pans to wash at any given time. This minimalist approach has given me plenty of room in my kitchen. I think about the family of five that lived in our home for over 50 years. If they made this kitchen work, surely I can as well.”
Here are some of Amanda’s tips for getting the most storage and organization from your kitchen.
Start With the ‘8 Cs’
When working on her clients’ kitchens, Amanda always follows the same process: Clear, Categorize, Clean, deClutter, Create zones, Contain, Clearly label…and then, Calm.
“The first thing I do is remove everything from the cabinets and drawers so we can really see what we are working with. Tackling an entire kitchen on your own can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to give up,” Amanda says. “We come in with a full team to make the process more manageable.”
After giving the newly empty space a good cleaning, Amanda’s team starts grouping like things together: canned foods, baking dishes, utensils, etc. “This is the time that we bring the client in and have them make decisions on what to declutter. They may not have realized that they owned multiple can openers or melted spatulas until everything is gathered together.”
Once items have been decluttered, Amanda space plans and decides on where items should live. “It usually makes the most sense to keep utensils near the dishwasher for easy unloading and items children use go lower for access,” she explains. “We also start to create areas that are specific to the client’s needs. This might include a smoothie station or an area to keep lunch items.”
Then food and ingredients get decanted in tidy containers and labeled. “Labeling helps everyone find what they are looking for quickly, but it also guides them to where items should be put back. The final step is to enjoy the sense of calm you feel when your kitchen is organized,” Amanda says.
Identify Your Dead Zones
Amanda is currently tweaking her own kitchen, leaving most of the original cabinetry and whatever original Philippine mahogany they can save, but reworking a previously renovated peninsula and adding pull-outs to a blind corner. “No matter what I tried, I could never keep this deep abyss to the side of our sink organized. I had to crawl on my hands and knees to fish out items I had stored in there,” she says. “So I added pull-out shelves to the existing cabinets to make cookware more accessible.”
Lean Into Modern Appliances & Amenities
“I’m utilizing some of our original cabinetry to house our modern microwave/air fryer/convection oven combo, but because we have so few pots and pans and bakeware, there was room to create a space under the cooktop. We are adding an Invisacook induction cooktop under the new porcelain countertop. This new tech solution gives us a ton of useable countertop space,” Amanda says. “We are adding a drawer for our trash, compost and recycling. I don’t think anyone was considering compost bins in 1960!”
Amanda says this total revamp for your kitchen storage really does have lasting effects. “An organized kitchen is like any room in the home,” she says. “Once the systems are in place, it just needs the occasional tidying up.”
Kitchen Optimization Priority List
Amanda’s best tips for prioritizing space in the kitchen.
Single-use kitchen appliances: The promise of fresh juice or a hot panini is alluring, but these appliances take up valuable space and rarely get used. Opt for appliances that serve multiple functions or get creative with the appliances you already own.
Coffee mugs: Every time someone has gifted you a mug (which is strangely often), you put it in the cupboard with the others. I suggest taking the time to remove all your mugs, evaluate what you need and keep only a few favorites per adult. You always reach for your few favorites anyway.
The fridge: Check the expiration dates on food and condiments monthly, tossing everything that’s gone bad. Let go of those one-off ingredients that you bought to try with a new recipe but know you will never use again. This spoiled and unused food is taking up valuable real estate.
Decant: Store food in clear containers. OXO containers are a favorite of professional organizers. Food will stay fresher longer and you’ll know how much you have. No more grabbing a box from the cupboard and realizing there’s only one cracker left. Cut out cooking directions and expiration dates, and tape them to the back of the container. Packaging takes up so much space. Remove your items like granola bars from bulky boxes and reorganize items in storage bins.
Label everything: Labeling helps remind you where everything is. It can also help others find what they need and return items to their proper places. Using the same label style can give mismatched bins a cohesive look.
Free the counter: Consider removing the toaster from the counter. You may use it everyday, but putting it away for the 23 hours a day it’s not being used will free up that much-sought-after counter space we all crave.
See more of Amanda’s kitchen optimization advice, read on here. For more MCM kitchen ideas and inspiration, see Blend Until Smooth: An MCM Kitchen Renovation and Old Meets New in this Clever Modern Kitchen Remodel. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Mid Century Modern inspiration!
