The Kitchen; It's The Best Place in Your Home to Hone Your Multitasking Skills

The kitchen; it's the best place in your home to hone your multitasking skills. And the best conditions for multitasking are when whatever you need is close at hand at any time. It helps when you're not bogged down with clutter, too. And of course, it really begins to hum when you're able to organize your kitchen to the point where the elements in it actually contribute to the visual effects you're after. How do you accomplish all this? Well, guest writer Tom Demers is here with a few suggestions … It's easy to run out of room in kitchens. No one wants cluttered countertops, but what else is there to do with all the appliances? Not to mention the extra dish set your mother gave you and all the artwork your kids want to hang on the fridge. We'll discuss a couple solutions that are functional yet stylish. Your kitchen will be neater without a dip in style! Dishes as art For example, there are a lot of possibilities when it comes to putting your extra dish set on display. Whether it was your mother who gave them to you, a distant cousin, or you found them at a yard sale, they have meaning or beauty that you can use to add a unique touch to your kitchen. Don't hide them away in cupboards! Find a two-shelf cabinet with glass doors and keep your dishes lined up in plain view. It will feel that much more special to take them out of the cabinet rather than dig them out of boxes in the basement. If your kitchen doesn't have room for an extra cabinet, consider a plate rack above the sink. It's a way to safely show off dishes (while keeping them away from pets and children) and maximize the available space in a small kitchen. Plus, talk about easy access! They're right above your head. After you use them for a special occasion, simply place them back in the rack above the sink to dry. Re-thinking countertop appliances placement Now that your dishes are in line, let's take a look at the appliances. When you run out of drawer space, the coffeemaker, blender, microwave, toaster oven, and rice cooker have to go somewhere. Try utilizing corners and windowsills for a couple extra spots. Are they already taken? Take a cheap black bookshelf from Walmart instead and place it in the kitchen along an unused wall or countertop. Proudly line up your appliances. You do a lot of work in your kitchen- you might as well take credit for it by displaying your workmates. Look for more vertical space options Speaking of tools, utensils take up a lot of horizontal space in drawers. Fix the problem by using cans to stand up utensils like ladles, slotted spoons, and spatulas. There's always tons of vertical space in kitchens and it might as well be put to good use. Another stretch of this idea comes from applying it to cookie cutters. Take all the holiday cookie shapes and stack them on a vertical paper towel rack. It's decoration that reminds you to actually make the cookies during the proper season and not a day before they expire. Free up your fridge And as for the fridge that's being taken over by all the artwork and perfect report cards, there's a solution for that too. Move the papers on the fridge to a permanent shadowbox hanging on the wall. The best kind are ones with a hinged glass front that swings out easily. That way, the kids can place their latest creation in front of their past successes without encroaching onto the space in your kitchen and your peace of mind. Think of it as their own personal display case. They'll love being able to manage it themselves. Transform your kitchen Take up each of these suggestions as a Saturday or Sunday project and you'll find that your kitchen will be newly functional and stylish in no time. The kitchen is a place to gather both for special occasions and the ordinary Wednesday night dinner. It will now be able to both live up to your family gatherings and support instead of hinder them. Enjoy it! Source: builddirect