How Julia Organizes Her Open-Plan Kitchen

Julia Badovinac’s open-plan loft kitchen required a bit of extra planning for storage, since the high-ceilinged space was once an industrial building with no built-in shelving or closets. Fortunately the owners installed a kitchen that ran from one end of the space to the other, and Julia and her boyfriend Julian added on from there. Here’s how they keep the open space organized:

“We got open industrial shelving from IKEA to go with the rafters and the feel of the room,” Julia says. The couple also built open shelves over the counters for easy access to glassware and teacups. A stainless steel IKEA kitchen island provides extra work surface and storage space, and a wall-mounted pot rack keeps larger items out of the way but still in reach.

Julia also prefers to hang as much of her kitchen tools as possible, both to open up her limited countertops and for visual appeal. Silverware is tucked in galvanized buckets at the end of the open shelving, and wirework racks keep plates and cups organized and can be put away even if they’re not quite dry, to prevent counter clutter. “This space has taught me to really stay on top of maintenance things,” she says. “And I can change things up to give a new boost to the space whenever I like.”

There’s only one item Julia would add: “I dream of a dishwasher,” she admits, partly because “if there are [dirty] dishes you see it from everywhere else. But I’m not sure where we would put it.” Until then, she tries to keep the chaos to a minimum by keeping all her tools neatly in place.

Thanks for sharing, Julia!