Setting Up Your Kitchen after a Big Move: Here’s What to Do
So you’ve finally made it to your new home; what an exciting time! The moment you enter your new home, you want to unpack and organize your stuff. You can’t wait to give it some personal touches to convert it into a place you can truly call home. But let’s be honest, unpacking is way more complicated than packing a home for the big move.
It’s easier to assemble furniture and roll out your rugs, but setting up areas like a kitchen can be a real challenge. You need to set up your kitchen meticulously so you can start cooking your first meal as soon as possible.
Here’s how you can set up your kitchen efficiently after a big move.
- Unpack in Stages
Setting up a kitchen is not easy, especially if you have an enclosed or small kitchen in your new home. Imagine how ghastly your kitchen will look when it’s jam-packed with packed boxes and appliances. You may not have even an inch of space available to move around or sort out your stuff.
Instead of cramming your kitchen with all the items at once, we recommend unpacking and organizing your kitchen items in stages. Only move and unbox kitchen items that are urgently needed and that actually fit in your kitchen at the moment. If you are coming from a bigger home, you might need to sell or let go of some stuff. But there is no rush; you don’t need to make this decision right away. The best thing you can do is store your unneeded items in a temporary storage facility. This actually works for not just your kitchen – but your whole house.
If you have used a credible moving company like 495 Movers for your move, they also give you the option of storing away belongings for as long as you need at an extremely affordable rate. Once you unpack and arrange your most needed items, you can slowly move in other items and set them up.
- Identify Your Main Work Zones
Your entire kitchen layout depends on how you plan to use it. Here are some simple tips to help you plan the main work zones in the kitchen:
- Take a look at each area of your kitchen, including kitchen cabinets, drawers, and attached pantry. This will give you a rough idea of where each item will be placed.
- Plan the most frequently used spaces in the kitchen, ideally between the kitchen sink, stove, and appliances.
- Choose the largest surface for prep, ideally adjacent to the stove.
- Set Up Larger Items
Does it feel like setting up your kitchen is taking you forever? This typically happens when you start with smaller items first and skip the larger ones. Set up your larger items first so you can keep the counters clear and create ample space to easily navigate your kitchen.
When you arrange all your bulky items, like large pots and pans, appliances, and organizers, you can plan the remaining cabinet and pantry spaces more efficiently. This allows for better organization of the remaining items and makes it easier to unbox and arrange smaller items faster.
Start with setting up your larger appliances like ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, coffee makers, water dispensers, etc. Once the appliances are in place, create a layout for the remaining items, keeping in mind your ideal flow of activities in the kitchen. Place organizers and dish drainers at their desired place. Either hang your pots and pans or place them in the cabinets, and voilà! Almost half of your kitchen space is free to use!
- Organize Essential Items First
Your unpacking should be aimed at making your kitchen functional as early as possible. Pick out boxes that contain essential kitchen items, like plates, mugs, and jars, and start unpacking and organizing these items. Make sure you place them in the right cabinet in the first place instead of changing your kitchen layout over and over.
Next up, go to the grocery store to shop for all your essential pantry and refrigerator items. Make sure you have everything you need to start using your kitchen and preparing meals. Once all essential items are accessible and in place, you can arrange other kitchen items faster.
- Place Your Items Based on Frequency of Use
Placing your needed item at hard-to-reach places will only test your arm and leg muscles repeatedly throughout the day. You want to make sure all your regularly used items are easily accessible and remain in sight.
Once you start placing your items in the cabinets and storage shelves, be sure to keep your everyday items well within reach. Push items that are not commonly used farther behind in the cabinet or place them higher up.
The same strategy works best when organizing your pantry. Make sure all your regularly used items are placed at eye level or on easy-to-access shelves.
- Unleash Your Creativity
Many kitchens have loads of wasted vertical space, no matter how many cabinets there are. You can creatively use the wall space to arrange items like jars, kitchen decorations, spices and herbs, pots, etc. Use hanging racks and floating shelves to arrange items and free up space in your cabinets.
Kitchen drawers are another extremely cluttered space that needs proper organization for quick access and a neat look. Place lid stands or organizers in cabinets or in larger drawers to neatly arrange them. An under-the-sink organizer is another great option to arrange your cleaning supplies and fabrics and keep them in close access to your sink.
Final Thoughts
The kitchen is the heart of a home, and it’s important to set it up at the earliest. The above tips will make the daunting task of setting up a kitchen easier and more efficient. Be sure to place kitchen items in a way that supports your ideal workflow and makes it easier to find what you need. However, bear in mind that the initial kitchen layout almost always needs changes once you start using your kitchen.
