Organizing The Kitchen Countertops And Sink: Hall Of Fame (Part 5)

As you can see, lots of people have participated in the Organizing The Kitchen challenge, since we're now on part 5 of the hall of fame. Specifically, the first week of the challenge dealt with clearing off our kitchen counters and sink area.

Each of the people in this hall of fame did an awesome job clearing the clutter off their counters to make room for what counters are supposed to do, give you flat free space to spread out and work in.

Here are the step by step directions for the first challenge if the images below (scroll down for more) inspire you to take some action in your own kitchen.

If you do the challenge, be sure to take some before and after pictures too, so you can also be included in the hall of fame. You can submit your pictures to the Home Organization Hall of Fame here.

Photo by radical.librarian

Clearing Off The Counters For The First Week's Challenge

by Angela @ Confessions of a Craft Addict

Angela at Confessions of a Craft Addict blogged about how she did in the first challenge.

I like how she discussed each of the steps of the challenge, and how it applied to her own kitchen. She especially thought about the zones of her kitchen, and what there was room for in there, and just as importantly, what there was NOT room for.

Organizing The Kitchen Counters and Sink

by Beth Koehler
(Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Beth says:

We moved to The Netherlands 18 months ago and were immediately thrown for a loop with how small the homes are and the lack of storage space.

We have always had large kitchens because that is where we spend a lot of times and anytime we have had friends over we all end up congregating there.

We chose this particular house because of the open floor plan (on the ground floor anyway), but we still struggle with the layout of the kitchen.

As a result of little countertop space and a small sink it has been cluttered essentially since we moved in...until NOW!!! I finally finished week 1's task tonight (only 3 days late).

I am SO excited about how much better we feel and what is great that with my after picture, I realized a major overhaul I'm going to make during week 2 (cabinets and drawers).

I still need to find a better location for our bread, but I'm especially happy with the change of the cooking utensil holder. Since I switched to a pitcher to hold our frequently used kitchen tools, not only are they more easily accessible, but it looks prettier (and helps for week 2 at the same time).

The only paperwork I'm going to allow on the counter is my Home Organization Binder and my daily to-do list notebook.

A note on the pictures: While the before pictures are at the extreme of what it would normally be (right after New Year's and family just left that morning after 3 weeks with us), it's embarrassingly not too far off what our "normal" has been. I'm hoping to go to bed every night with it looking like it does in the "after" picture.

Taylor says:

Beth, thanks so much for sharing your before and after pictures from this challenge.

I can tell you really made a big difference in how functional your kitchen will be by creating more flat working space you can use.

I also love how you used a beautiful pitcher to hold your cooking utensils. This keeps them handy and also elegant looking in your home. Great job!

Melody's Clear Counter Tops

by Melody

Melody shared this picture on Home Storage Solution 101's Facebook wall, showing how nice her kitchen looked after working on the challenges.

She's had a setback now, with a leaking water pipe, but the work was extraordinary before it happened, and deserves to be in the hall of fame.

Organizing The Kitchen Counters Challenge Completed!

by Leigh Z @ Joy and Strength
(Canada)

Leigh shared her before and after pictures from the Organizing the Kitchen challenger on her blog, Joy and Strength. She sent me a small excerpt from her blog, plus a collage of her pictures.

Leigh says:

Before I even announced to my family that we (yes, WE) are tackling this year long operation, my DH had DD#1 clear off all the kitchen counters, wipe down & put the junk away! Wow, how's that for being in sync?? Maybe he really can read my mind!

So "Week 1 Kitchen Organization - Countertops & Sinks" was off to a great start. I'm happy that I'll be reaping the benefits of the de-clutter/organizing kick I was on during the last half of 2011. My counters had previously been slightly de-cluttered & I was able to de-clutter & purge even more "stuff"....

Taylor says:

You can read even more of Leigh's blog post on her site.

In it she also discusses the trouble she was having with her "Command Central" that she had placed in her kitchen previously, which contained her family calendar, kids school papers, etc. , and how she addressed the issue.

I Can Breathe A Sigh Of Relief Now That I've Completed The Organizing The Kitchen Challenge

by Procrastinating Hummingbird

The blog The Procrastinating Hummingbird also shared her experience doing the first challenge.

She has shared her before and after pictures, and you can definitely see a big difference.

My favorite sentence from her blog post says, " I am now able to breathe a sigh of relief when I walk into the kitchen instead of getting frustrated by all of the mess!"

I totally understand that one! That is one of the best benefits of organizing -- just making yourself feel better in the space you live in!

Then she said, "Here's hoping the next 51 weeks are as rewarding and provide me with a completely organinzed home/life!" To that I say, yay! I can't wait to see what else you accomplish as you work through the 52 Weeks to an Organized Home Challenge.

Bry's After Photos From The Organizing The Kitchen Challenge

by Bry

Bry shared these after photos on the site's Facebook wall.

I love how she now has a clear countertop and kitchen table that her whole family can enjoy! Thanks so much for sharing Bry.

Opening Up The Kitchen With Just A Little Decluttering

by Jessica @ His Plan, Not Ours
(Washington)

Jessica from His Plan, Not Ours also blogged about the first challenge. Jessica wrote in to tell me about her blogging, and said:

"I started a little late, but check out my blog where I posted about doing the challenge. I posted Week One today (1/16) and will post Week Two tomorrow (1/17) and then I will be caught up! I am loving the challenges. You can use any of the photos from the challenges in your Hall of Fame if you would like."

In her blog she has even more pictures, for before and after, so be sure to check them all out.

I really liked how she really considered the functions of her kitchen when deciding how to organize it. In her blog post she said: "For me, the main function of my kitchen of course, was cooking. But I also wanted an area to serve as a place for incoming mail because it typically gets dumped on the kitchen island (a common dumping ground for random stuff)."

She also said, "Anyway, just doing those few things has really opened up some kitchen space and made our kitchen look much less cluttered. That and being more diligent about keeping dishes clean and then putting them away afterwards, and it will look great!"

I think you've done a great Jessica! Thanks so much for sharing these pictures with us.

Are You Inspired Now To Join The Organizing The Kitchen Challenge Yourself?

I hope that these before and after pictures have inspired everyone to get their own kitchen countertops and sink in order, if they aren't already.

If you want to take the challenge it's never too late. You can take the Kitchen Organization Challenge here, where it shows you all the steps to take to complete this task.

Be sure to take some before and after pictures, and then share them with me in the Creative Storage Solutions and Home Organization Hall of Fame. You can be featured too for your accomplishments!

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Creative Storage Solutions & Home Organization Hall Of Fame

Getting Rid Of Kitchen Clutter Hall Of Fame

Go From Organizing The Kitchen Challenge Hall Of Fame To Home Page