One Trick You’re Missing That’ll Help You Maximize Space in Your Kitchen

Even if you aren’t exactly short on kitchen storage, figuring out how to organize everything so it’s easily accessible when you need it can be a tricky process. Nobody likes to search through a menagerie of pots, pans, and other kitchen gadgets just to find a colander — but what’s the best way to keep things in order?

To save room in your cabinets, help keep things as tidy as possible, and prevent unnecessary digging, one Instagram influencer has a simple-yet-brilliant organization trick: a seasonal capsule kitchen!

Rather than keeping every piece of cookware and all of her serving items in the kitchen all year round, designer and blogger Melissa Coleman of the Faux Martha keeps things on a seasonal rotation.

Here’s how it works: Because you will probably only use things like roasting pans, your slow cooker, holiday cookie cutters, your turkey baster, and festive dishes in the colder months, keep them in designated plastic bins in another storage area in your home (with the rest of your seasonal decorations) until fall arrives. 

When it comes time to bring your fall and winter items back up to the kitchen, it’s time to clean out your summer-y cookware (like your ice cream maker, beverage dispenser, lemonade pitchers, summer tablecloths, and all your grilling gear). Worried about storing these items away? The key is to keep all your seasonal stuff well-organized in labeled bins. That way, if you find yourself hankering for some home-made chocolate ice cream before your ice cream maker is back in the regular rotation, you will know exactly where to grab it! Problem solved.

Buy: Garage Totes, from $42 for six at The Container Store

Coleman, who authored The Minimalist Kitchen in 2018, says an intentional practice of storing seasonal cooking items away with her holiday decorations has both fueled her minimalist lifestyle and helps prevent common kitchen frustrations. 

“For years, I’d dig past the once-a-year Christmas cookie cutters and the twice-a-year turkey tools to get the thing I actually needed: the spatulas,” Coleman says. “As I started to intentionally pare down my kitchen, I realized these special occasion items were taking up precious, limited space of the items I use every day.”

Do you rotate your seasonal kitchen items?