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This week, weโre talking ๐ฌ๐ช๐ต๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ณ๐จ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ด๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏโand who better to take the reins than yours truly? Ann, the better half (haha!) of 2F11D, is officially taking over because, letโs be real, ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ is my domain. Kitchen organisation isnโt just something I enjoyโitโs something I ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ด๐ฆ๐ด๐ด over. Some people collect stamps; I collect perfectly labeled spice jars. Some dream of walk-in closets; I dream of drawers that glide smoothly and reveal neatly arranged storage bins. If there were an Olympic event for maximising cabinet space, Iโd be bringing home the gold. So, letโs dive in, because a well-organised kitchen isnโt just about aestheticsโitโs about ๐ด๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ. A huge part of keeping a kitchen actually organised is making sure itโs not drowning in stuff on the countertop, because letโs be real, a cluttered kitchen just makes everything feel messier than it needs to be. One major lesson my previous kitchen drilled into me? Small appliances left on the countertop are just visual noise. They eat up valuable workspace, create unnecessary mess, and letโs be honest, no one needs to see the blender 24/7. So with this new kitchen, I was determined to have all our small appliances tucked away. Enter our appliance garage! 
But stuffing them into a cabinet wasnโt enough; I wanted them to be functional in their own little hideaways. So, I added pull-out drawers and power sockets at the back of each section. Now, when I need to use the rice cooker, for example, I just pull out the drawer, turn it on, and let it do its thingโwithout worrying about steam slowly murdering the laminate inside. 
It also comes with a pocket door that can be pushed to minimise hindering of movements in that area. 
The topmost shelf stores my baking tools (I hardly bake, haha, so this made sense for me), and inside my microwave cupboard are also my TM6 tools. Above, in the wooden baskets on the open shelf, are where my onions, garlic, potatoes, etc are stored. How else did I ensure my countertop stays gloriously clutter-free? By giving a proper home to the usual countertop squattersโstarting with the kitchen roll drawer! 
One of my kitchen must-haves is a dedicated kitchen roll drawer. Not only does this keep it off the counter, but I now have a very cool way of dispensing paper towels, plus a neat little hideout at the back to store extra rolls. 
I'm going to save the best for last (trust me, it'll be worth it), so letโs move along to other parts of the kitchen that are pretty visually self-explanatory. Here are my pantry cupboardsโone dedicated to cooking essentials like salt, sugar, and all the powders that make magic happen, and the other for my pantry essentials like instant noodles and snacks. 
But let me tell you, this setup didnโt just ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ. You should have seen me in actionโmeasuring every shelf with the precision of a mad scientist, furiously scouring Shopee for canisters that were exactly the right size, and calculating how many would fit like I was cracking some complicated maths formula. Sketches were drawn. Calculators were involved. I was basically the Einstein of pantry organisationโexcept instead of E=mcยฒ, it was more like "how many airtight containers can I squeeze into this space before I lose my mind?" 
So, where are my spices, you ask? Right here, under my stove! 
I had these two slim swing cabinets flanking my oven, and I used the left one to store my spice jars. Now, I did initially have a pull-out spice drawer in the plan, but after the cabinetry went up, I realised itโd actually work better for something else (Iโll get to that shortly). 
So, I moved all my mini jars into this slim cabinet and installed a pull-out drawer myself. Oh and the labels are designed by me, too! Okay so now the pull-out spice drawer I had initially planned. Turns out, I felt it would be better to store my ladles and basically, all the tools I need to cook up a storm without having to dig around. 
I asked my ID to drill four big circles into the top section and used these nifty containers I found to organise my ladles, tongs, and turners. Underneath, I store the usual sauces and oil used during cooking. Before we get to the ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฎ of my kitchen organisation, here are how other areas of my kitchen are organised. I requested for two large drawers to store our crockeries (top) and pots and pans (bottom). Inside the crockery drawer, is a small internal drawer to store and organise our utensils. 
Inside our cooker hood cabinet, I installed two extendable shelves I purchased off Shopee, and use this to store extra disposable cloths, liners for my pantry baskets, and also to keep my cleaning spray within reach cos I usually clean as I cook. 
It's all about maximising vertical space! Hereโs my under-sink area, where I keep all the cleaning solutions and sink essentials like drainer mesh, extra sponges, and whatever else Iโve convinced myself I need. If youโre wondering what that white capsule is, itโs my mini washing machine. Yep, because I wash my hand-drying and dish-drying cloths DAILY and I prefer not to have them washed in the same laundry load as our clothes, so this mini washing machine does the job every night. 
You'll notice as well, I dislike storing cleaning solutions in their original bottles. I can't stand the chaos of mismatched shapes, sizes, and colours cluttering up my space. So, I did what any "reasonable" person would do (haha!): I bought uniform spray and pour bottles and designed and printed my own labels. If you want to call me psycho, I will gladly accept. My friends already have. Haha! Oh yes, hereโs a slightly tall cabinet to store cleaning tools. 
Things like my floor wiper, duster, etc can extend, collapse, or come apart, so they fit perfectly in this space.โจโจALRIGHT! We've now finally come to the pride and joy of my kitchen organisation: MY FRIDGE! About 5-6 years ago, I broke the internet (or at least, my corner of it) when I shared how I organised my fridge with the same containers you see here. It's a different fridge this time round, but still by the same brand, and thank goodness, it's the same size. Which means, yesโI can still use the same containers! This is how it looked when we first moved in: 
And this is how it is going many months later: 
Here is back of the door where I store our flavoured drinks, milk, and sauces that need to be refrigerated: 
The labels for the acrylic boxes and drink-containers are designed and printed by me. How did I find drink and sauce containers that fit perfectly? Actually...I detached the two little trays from my fridge and brought it down to Daiso and measured each possible contender! ๐ I prefer not to call it OCD...more like a finely tuned system where everything has its place, and if you take something out, you better put it back where you found it. Is that really too much to ask? ๐คญ Guests get super incredulous when they try to grab something out of my fridge. And you know what? I swim in pride every time. Heh. And letโs be honest here: this system wouldnโt work without my ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ supporting my craziness. Theyโve somehow learned to uphold the system, without (too much) complaining. Love โem. -- To wrap this up, one thing Iโve really come to appreciate through all my kitchen organisation efforts is that a little planning, some strategic compartmentalising, and a bit of patience can make all the difference. It might take a little time to get everything just right, but once you do, itโs so worth it. A clutter-free kitchen makes cooking and cleaning a lot smoother, and itโs a bonus when everything has a placeโno more hunting for that elusive jar of sesame oil! Whether you're already a kitchen organisation fan or just trying to keep your countertop clear, I hope this post gives you some inspiration to make your space work better for you. Happy organising! ๐ฉถ XOXO Ann
15 March 2025
