It’s called the most wonderful time of the year for a reason, but putting the holiday season squarely in the rear-view can feel pretty wonderful too – especially when your home’s been held captive by seasonal décor since October.

And while we might be a far cry from spring, there’s something about a new year that gives us that itch to clean and organize – starting with our favorite space: the kitchen. 

Organizing your kitchen can feel overwhelming because there’s just so. much. there. But with a little creativity and the right mindset, you can create an organized space you’ll enjoy all 2023 long. 

Let go of the excess

Decluttering is always much easier said than done. You might start out with the best intentions, but pretty soon you’re talking yourself into keeping everything you set out to throw away. When it comes to your kitchen, approach decluttering from a more utilitarian perspective. After all, your kitchen is a workspace, not a storage unit. 

If you can’t let go of something, consider storing it somewhere else. Save your precious kitchen storage space for those items you frequently use in your kitchen. Seasonal items, seldom-used dishware and cutlery and even shelf-stable food storage can easily be stored in the garage, guest room closets or even under beds.

Take advantage of cabinet doors and empty wall space

We’re never keen on filling up every inch of available space – especially in a work room like the kitchen. But if you can leverage some blank space to attain a more intuitive and organized kitchen design, we’re here for it. Keep your lower cabinets a little more orderly by hanging lids for pots and pans right on the cabinet doors. Just use low-profile command hooks on the inside doors of lower cabinets and you’ll never dig into a cabinet to retrieve a lid ever again. 

If your spice drawer or cabinet is overflowing or difficult to navigate, try a wall-mounted spice rack to keep those little jars easily accessible. This works great either on a wall close to your cooktop or inside a walk-in pantry. 

Pull it all out

There’s certainly a place for kitchen cabinets, but below your waist just ain’t it. Those lower cabinets might be easy to stock, but they can be a real beast when it comes to retrieving items. While most of us aren’t in a position to rip out all our lower cabinets and replace them with drawers (props to you if you are!), you can still get drawer-like functionality in your lower cabinets with an easy and cost-effective DIY project.

Easy-to-install pull-out shelves (like these on Amazon) make your cabinets instantly more usable. Clear an afternoon to replace your lower shelves with these handy pull-outs and you’ll never dig through those lowers again. 

Store to be seen 

If you haven’t caught on yet, our 2023 energy is basically not digging through our kitchen. That’s why we love any solution that allows us to see everything in our kitchen at a glance. Expandable shelf risers (like this one from Target) are a great way to keep items inside your cabinet – like cans, spice jars or condiments) visible and easy to find. 

You can also make the most of your shelves’ vertical space and avoid over-stacking plates, cups and glasses by using shelf organizers like these.

Keep that visibility trend going throughout your kitchen by giving your linen drawer a makeover. Those Geometry designs deserve to be seen, so we recommend folding your kitchen towels in the Marie Kondo method – so you can see every pretty pattern at a glance. 

Contain it all

If tackling clutter is on your 2023 to-do list, we gotchu. Any organized space is easier to maintain when it’s contained, so invest in some tried-and-true containing tools. We love organizers like these for Tupperware and other food containers, which keep those drawers from becoming a jumbled mess. You can also make your food storage drawer look pretty and functional with these bamboo holders for Ziploc bags, tin foil and plastic wrap. 

For countertop clutter, use pretty trays or lazy susans to keep produce, oils, soaps and sponges orderly. Our sleek Not Paper Towel Tray keeps your eco-friendly Not Paper Towels (which are back in stock!) organized and ready for use on your toughest spills.