If space is at a premium, decide what can be stored elsewhere. Table linens can find a place in the dining room; Christmas dishes and oversize serving platters can be stored in the basement or attic; kebab skewers you use on the grill can go out in the garage.
When you're down to the essentials and it's time to fill up the cabinets and drawers, follow a guideline from kitchen designers and professional organizers. They divide the kitchen into zones -- the cooking zone, which includes the range or cooktop and wall oven; the eating zone, which includes a kitchen table or island with stools; and the cleanup zone, which includes the refrigerator and dishwasher.
Top-Drawer Advice
1. Everyday dishes, silverware and glasses by the dishwasher.
2. Plastic food-storage containers between sink and refrigerator.
3. Vertical dividers in cabinet above wall oven or refrigerator for baking pans, cookie sheets, cooling racks, pot lids.
4. Baskets and other lightweight items used less frequently in the highest cabinets.
5. Paper towel holder mounted inside the cabinet door under the sink. A hook for the dish towel works well here, too, along with trash bags, sponges and dish soap. (Keep a refillable soap pump on the counter next to the sink.)
6. Potholders near the range.
7. Pull-out cabinet for garbage and recycling next to the sink (or store recyclables near back door or in the garage).
8. Spices, salts, oils and vinegars by the range/cook top.
9. Cutting boards in a cabinet underneath or near the cooktop; vertical dividers are handy.
10. Keep a crock for a few essential spoons, spatulas and whisks on the counter near the stove. Other tools and gadgets go in shallow drawers with dividers near the stove/cooktop.
11. Pots and pans near the range/cooktop or in the island. Deep drawers work well for these.
12. Coffeepot on counter near sink, with filters, sugar and mugs stored nearby.
13. Small appliances (hand blender, juicer, mixer) are best stored in a cabinet, not out on the counter.
14. Cleaning supplies are best kept in pantry, broom closet or basement, not near food-prep areas.
15. Keep foodstuffs together, if possible, with cans and boxes in one cupboard, cleaning supplies, paper goods, etc., in another.
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Arrange items according to zone. This means that soap and dishwasher detergent should go inside the cabinet under the sink and not by the oven. Knives are best located in a drawer between the sink and the range. Plastic wrap and baggies are handy near the refrigerator.
"Twenty years ago, people were not so discriminating" when designing their kitchens, Gilmer said. "They did not ask the questions early on that they do now." More and more, she said, homeowners ask her to write what goes where on the computer-generated design blueprints. This makes unpacking easier when the new kitchen is installed.
Karen Harris, who renovated her galley kitchen in American University Park last year, designed cabinets on all sides of her range. Her baking pans and cookie sheets stand in a cabinet with vertical dividers on the left; spices and oils above that. Another cabinet, atop the range and microwave, stores stockpots.
"Everything is right to the side and above the range," said Harris, a lawyer with two children. "It's great."
Many older kitchens were not designed to include vertical dividers and other de-cluttering features, but organizing accessories are available at such stores as Ikea, Target and the Container Store.
The quest for efficiency leaves plenty of room for personal preference. Some people, for example, store everyday dishes and glasses near the eating area, while others store them near the dishwasher. Telephones, especially cordless ones, and TVs may be better stationed in a nearby family room, though some people like them in the kitchen. Both solutions make sense and reflect careful planning.
In general, experts said to keep food in one place. If you have the luxury of space, two pantry closets are better than one: one for food and one for paper goods, cleaning supplies and bulk items from Costco-like retailers.
If you don't have a pantry, find space in adjoining cabinets. Group similar items so you can find them more quickly. Reconsider how much you're bringing home from the grocery store. "We buy so much more than we really need," Roewer said.
