The 6 Zones in a Kitchen
Learn what goes in each zone for the best functionality and what my fav kitchen organizing products are.
There are so many things to fit in a kitchen. It’s no wonder that people struggle with making their kitchen functional for them. Here is a basic breakdown of where to put what and a few of my favorite organizing products for the kitchen.
The Kitchen Triangle
A common way that kitchens are zoned, even by professional chefs, is by using the triangle between the fridge, stove, and sink so everything you need to prepare a meal is easily accessible. But which things should go by each?
The 6 Zones in a Kitchen
As with any area of your home, store things close to where you’ll need them. In general, below are some tips for where things should go in the kitchen, but of course, you should store things where you use them, not other people. Question where you put them now and whether they make sense there. If you have a tiny home, everything will be close so you can be more flexible with your space, which is good because you’ll need to be.
Coffee, tea, and drinks can either go near the fridge or sink. Place them near the fridge if you make a lot of smoothies with fresh fruit and vegetables or source your water from there, and place them near the sink if that’s where you get your water from daily.
Washing/chopping/prep goes near the sink, along with things that you need for prep work like knives, cutting boards, mixing bowls, trash, and compost.
Cooking goes near the stove and oven, which includes spices, oils, pots and pans, potholders, and cooking utensils.
Cleaning goes near the sink and dishwasher, which includes dishes, cutlery, and cleaning supplies. Kids’ dishes (and snacks) should go low where they can reach them.
Food storage containers and wraps go by the fridge, along with foils, baggies, and school lunch containers. Alternatively, they could go where you’ll be creating lunches or cleaning up leftovers.
Serving and entertaining go near where you eat, such as the kitchen island or dining table, including napkins, salt and pepper, serving dishes, serving utensils, and placemats. Seasonal or special occasion items can be stored elsewhere if there’s no room.
The 5 Levels of Accessibility
When deciding where to place things inside those zones, your most used or important things should be closest or easiest to access and work your way out from there.
The 5 levels of accessibility are:
Priority/Frequent Use – within arm’s reach, starting with the dominant hand side
Important/Regular Use – just out of reach
Secondary/Occasional Use – must make some effort, like climbing a step stool
Seasonal/Infrequent Use – need to make an effort and could even be out of the room
Annual/Rare Use – like seasonal/infrequent use, but even less accessible, like hard-to-reach backs of closets
My 8 Favorite Kitchen Organizing Products
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Pan Organizer
This pan organizer is expandable with adjustable dividers. I love how this makes grabbing a pan or lid so much easier. No more having to lift the entire pile. This is especially great for people looking to protect their back.
2-Tier Lazy Susan
Lazy Susans are great for being able to access things in the back of a cabinet. They are best used for round things like spices and cans. I like 2-tier ones that make the best use of the vertical space.
Cabinet Shelves
Use cabinet shelves to get use out of all the vertical space, especially if you don’t have adjustable shelves. They’re even nice enough to put out on the counter.
Food Storage Bins
Not only do these bins keep your food organized into categories, they have handles and are sturdy enough for the freezer. My favorite use for them is to keep all my pre-cooked individual food portions from falling all over the freezer. Now my deli meat doesn’t go bad AND I can find them.
Drawer Organizers
Drawer organizers allow you to sort everything by category and keep everything in place in the drawer so you can find things. They are great for all types of things from silverware and cooking utensils to turning your junk drawer into a utility drawer.
Under-Sink Stacked Drawers
There’s nothing like having to kneel down on the hard kitchen tile, sometimes in a puddle from the sink, to get something from the back of the under-sink cabinet. These stacked drawers solve this problem.
Dish Shelf
A dish shelf allows you to use all the vertical space in a cabinet, but you don’t have to lift off the other sizes to get the size dish you want. They are particularly helpful if you have heavy dishes or small hands.
Kitchen Towel Rack
I hate searching for a towel in the kitchen, but if you use the fridge door handle it gets bunched up and doesn’t dry properly and on the oven it hits the floor when you use the oven. I prefer my kitchen towel right at the sink where I need it, so I use one of these over-the-cabinet door towel racks.
Related Resource: This information is part of my Organize Step by Step Workbook. Get the workbook for a complete how-to guide to organizing any space in your home.
