We at money-central.com are excited to share an inside look at a fantastic kitchen organization project we undertook with Michelle Money, the beloved personality from The Bachelor franchise. Michelle, known for her vibrant personality and impeccable taste, was a joy to work with, and her kitchen became our canvas for creating organizational magic. In a single day, our dedicated team transformed her entire pantry and kitchen space, and we’re thrilled to reveal the stunning results, starting with one of our favorite kitchen areas to tackle: the spice drawer.
Spice Drawer Goals: Order and Efficiency
Michelle had already made admirable efforts to organize her kitchen, utilizing some excellent storage products. However, what was lacking was consistent container use and a cohesive system to tie everything together. Spice drawers are particularly rewarding to organize because the transformation is always so visually striking and functionally impactful.
To achieve a streamlined and efficient spice storage solution for Michelle, we employed our go-to organizational tools. We utilized a set of matching spice jars to decant all her spices, ensuring uniformity and maximizing space. The set included pre-printed labels for common spices, and for those unique blends in Michelle’s collection, we used a cube labeler to create custom labels that seamlessly matched the set. For anyone looking to replicate this level of detail, remember that these perfectly sized measuring spoons are designed to fit into these spice jars, eliminating the frustration of oversized spoons.
To elevate the organization and accessibility within the spice drawer, we incorporated an acrylic spice shelf. Arranging the spices alphabetically on this tiered shelf not only creates a visually appealing, seamless look but also makes maintaining the system incredibly easy for Michelle and her family in the long run.
Tea Drawer Tidy-Up: Finding Calm in Chaos
A common sight in many kitchens is a tea drawer resembling the “before” state we encountered in Michelle’s home. The inconsistent sizing of tea boxes from various brands can quickly lead to disarray. Finding your desired tea in such a chaotic drawer can become a frustrating daily mini-quest, and nobody wants that, especially when seeking a moment of relaxation with a cup of tea!
Our solution for Michelle’s tea collection was this excellent tea organizer. By removing the bulky outer boxes and placing the individual tea bags into this divided container, we achieved significant space savings. Now, everyone in Michelle’s household can easily locate precisely the tea they’re in the mood for, transforming tea time into a more serene and enjoyable experience.
Protein Powder and Supplement Sorted: Streamlining Wellness
We discovered protein powders and supplements scattered in several locations throughout Michelle’s kitchen, including this drawer. This is precisely why our organizational process always begins with emptying everything out and grouping similar items together before placing anything back into designated spaces. This comprehensive approach ensures we understand the full scope of items and can create the most logical and efficient storage solutions.
Michelle actively participated in the decluttering process, diligently going through each item and removing anything expired or no longer used. To maintain order in this drawer, we utilized bamboo drawer dividers and clear acrylic bins. The result is a vastly improved, orderly drawer that makes accessing and managing protein powders and supplements much simpler for Michelle.
Food Wrap Freedom: Consolidating Kitchen Essentials
Every functional kitchen requires a designated space for plastic bags, wraps, and foil. With the right containers and strategic placement, we successfully consolidated all of Michelle’s food wrapping supplies into one functional drawer. We are particularly fond of decanting plastic bags into these specialized containers. This not only makes them easily accessible but also eliminates wrestling with cumbersome packaging and significantly enhances the drawer’s aesthetic appeal.
Silverware Serenity: Dedicated Drawer for Serving Utensils
Once we gathered all of Michelle’s serving utensils, it became clear they warranted a drawer of their own. This strategic decision freed up space in her primary silverware drawer, allowing us to utilize an expandable bamboo silverware tray more effectively. This tray ensured her everyday silverware could fit comfortably and be neatly organized. Do you store your silverware sideways like this? It’s a space-saving technique that also adds a touch of elegance to drawer organization.
And these acrylic drawer organizers from The Container Store proved to be the perfect solution for Michelle’s dedicated serving utensil drawer.
Small Appliance Solutions: Maximizing Vertical Space
Michelle’s kitchen featured ample overhead storage, some of which was quite high, requiring a step stool for access. We collaborated with Michelle to identify items she wanted to keep but didn’t use frequently, and we strategically placed these items in the less accessible upper cabinets.
One of our favorite techniques for storing small appliances, like this juicer, is to keep all related parts together in a clear acrylic bin, positioned right next to the appliance itself. This “appliance kit” approach ensures everything is contained and easily accessible. Michelle can simply pull down the entire bin and have all components readily available when she wants to use the juicer.
Water Bottle Wisdom: Taming the Tumbler Chaos
Water bottles are often a source of storage frustration in kitchens. Many people attempt to store them upright in drawers with lids attached, intending to maintain tidiness. However, inevitably, the bottles tip over, leading to a jumbled mess and a frustrating search every time you need a water bottle.
The solution for Michelle’s water bottle woes involved relocating them from a drawer to a cupboard and utilizing a combination of a dedicated water bottle organizer and deep acrylic bins. This strategic shift addressed all her water bottle storage frustrations. Now, the family can clearly see their water bottle inventory and easily grab the one they want.
Baking Bliss: Creating a Baker’s Haven
We always enjoy consolidating baking supplies into a dedicated area, and these next two drawers in Michelle’s kitchen provided the perfect opportunity to create a baker’s haven.
Drawer dividers are invaluable for maintaining order within drawers, keeping items in their designated places. Small items like measuring spoons always fare better when contained within acrylic drawer organizer trays. And a pro tip: applying museum gel to the bottom of these trays prevents them from sliding around every time the drawer is opened and closed.
Containing larger baking items like a hand mixer, sifter, cookie dough scoop, and aprons in 10-inch acrylic bins left just the right amount of space for rolling pins in the same drawer. This thoughtful arrangement maximizes every inch of drawer space.
Cooking Utensil Comfort: Transforming Drawer Functionality
A simple yet impactful change involved swapping out drawer organizers that weren’t maximizing space for expandable drawer dividers. This upgrade truly transformed this drawer dedicated to large cooking utensils, making it far more functional and user-friendly.
This in-drawer bamboo knife block is a much safer and smarter way to store knives, and it also helps maintain their sharpness by protecting the blades.
Storing similar cooking utensils together, such as spatulas and tongs, makes it significantly easier to find precisely what you need while cooking, enhancing efficiency and reducing kitchen stress.
Pot and Pan Perfection: Lid Logic
The key to effective pot and pan organization often lies in figuring out the best way to manage lids. In Michelle’s kitchen, we decided to relocate the lids to their own dedicated drawer and utilize lid organizers to keep them upright and neatly arranged.
Bowl Brilliance: Nesting for Success
Bowls were found in various locations throughout Michelle’s kitchen. Once we gathered them all together, we could assess the collection and determine the most suitable storage spot.
By nesting the bowls inside each other, they fit perfectly into this large drawer. Now, whenever Michelle’s family needs a bowl, they know exactly where to find them all in one organized location.
Dish Cloth Delight: File-Folding for Function
Observe the remarkable difference a simple expandable drawer divider made for Michelle’s dishcloths and drying mats. This drawer will undoubtedly remain much tidier moving forward. By file-folding the dishcloths, Michelle can easily see her inventory at a glance and select what she needs.
Oven mitts and trivets were conveniently stored next to the stove, with the meat thermometer neatly contained within a bamboo drawer organizer. This strategic placement keeps frequently used items within easy reach while maintaining organization.
The cupboard closest to the back patio was primarily used for placemats. We relocated the placemats closer to the dining area and repurposed this cupboard for grilling supplies. This logical reassignment of space enhances kitchen functionality based on item usage and proximity.
We are big fans of using deep acrylic bins to prevent items from getting lost in the back of cabinets. And Michelle had a brilliant idea for these stylish white-on-black labels, adding a personalized and chic touch to her organized grilling cupboard.
Utility Drawer Upgrade: From Junk to Jewel
Almost every household needs a utility drawer (we prefer not to call them “junk drawers”!), but keeping them organized can be a persistent challenge—until you introduce the right organizational products.
These acrylic drawer inserts come in a variety of sizes, allowing for complete customization of your space. When everything has an assigned spot, maintaining organization becomes significantly easier and more sustainable.
Coffee Corner Comfort: Creating a Caffeine Station
Due to its proximity to the coffee maker, we designated this cupboard to house all of Michelle’s mugs and coffee-related products. Once again, Michelle was incredibly helpful in decluttering, removing items that were no longer in use. We filled deep acrylic bins with mugs and positioned the family’s most frequently used mugs at the front for easy access. All other coffee essentials were placed on the shelf above, creating a comprehensive and organized coffee station.
Under-Sink Sorted: Transforming a Trouble Spot
Under-sink areas have become one of our favorite organizational challenges. Because they house so many functional items used daily, a well-organized under-sink space can genuinely improve daily life! We always begin by selecting containers that effectively work around existing plumbing and disposals, and multi-purpose bins from The Container Store are consistently reliable for this task.
Craft and Game Central: The “Aunt Cupboard”
Lastly, we organized what we affectionately dubbed “The Aunt Cupboard,” and it was incredibly enjoyable. Michelle Money is known for being a fantastic aunt. She frequently hosts her nieces and nephews for games and craft activities and desired a dedicated space to store these items, along with gifts and wrapping supplies. We unfortunately didn’t capture “before” photos of this space, but we were so pleased with the “after” results that we still wanted to share them! Multi-purpose bins prove their versatility and effectiveness once again!
And that concludes our kitchen organization journey with Michelle Money! It was a substantial project, and we are absolutely delighted with the final outcome. We truly cannot express enough positive sentiments about Michelle. She was incredibly welcoming, kind, and fun to collaborate with, and transforming these spaces for her was an absolute pleasure. Did any of these organizational transformations inspire you to tackle a cupboard or perhaps your entire kitchen? You absolutely can achieve this level of organization! Or, if you’d like professional assistance, we are here to help! Click here to book your free consultation now and let Reset Your Nest bring organizational bliss to your home!
Jen Martin is the founder of Reset Your Nest, a Professional Home Organizing Business in Utah (servicing Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, Alpine, Highland, Mapleton, and St. George). She is passionate about creating order and efficient systems from chaos and is recognized for her beautiful aesthetic and ability to bring easy-to-maintain functionality to any space. You can find more tips and tricks on her Instagram @reset_your_nest.
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