Kitchen Update: It's what's on the inside that counts.

A pretty kitchen is a wonderful thing, but if it is poorly organized, then its beauty really only runs skin deep. With our renovation, we really put a lot of emphasis on the organization behind of all our stuff -- the insides, as it were. So today, let's take a peek behind the doors and inside the drawers, to see what's lurking.

Although we did get rid of a LOT of things that we had not used in years, we still have a lot of dishes and cooking supplies to house. Today's post will show where things are today; I make no promises that they will remain in these locations a month from now, as some things are still in flux.

Let's start our tour at the range.

The vent hood has not yet been connected to an external vent, so it currently houses cleaning supplies.

Those are rolls of paper towel, not toilet paper.

Most of this cabinet will be taken up with ductwork, so many of the cleaning supplies will move to below the sink (probably).

To the right of the range, we have my spice and baking cupboards.

L-R: Spices and booze; bulky baking items, oil and vinegar, and empty space; baking supplies including gluten-free stuff.

Below these cabinets, are two banks of drawers. The first one, next to the stove, holds items for cooking and serving meals.

Top: serving utensils
Middle drawer: frying pans, small pots
Bottom drawer: deep pots, steamer, asparagus pot
The bottom drawer also holds my aprons and the steamer insert.

To the right, next to the sink, is the drawer for all my preparation and baking supplies.

Top drawer: measuring, chopping, and food-preparation tools
Middle drawer: colanders, liquid measurers, grater, bowls
Bottom drawer: cutting boards, hot-pot mats (which,
now that I think of it, should be with the pots & pans), small appliances

Under the sink, we have what you would expect.

Right now, everything is just shoved in there. But I'm going to get a few more of those nifty little drawers (on the right wall of the cabinet) that are currently holding our dishcloths and dish towels. Our little items will go in those drawers, and the taller items will go in the middle of the cabinet.

To the right of the sink, we have the "dishes" station.

Glassware and some pretty serving dishes. Below that, we have another bank of drawers; this one is 30 inches wide, and the top layer is actually two narrow drawers.

Top drawer, left: utensils. Top drawer, right: everyday table linens and a couple of pot mats
Middle drawer: everyday dishes, steak knives, chop sticks
Bottom drawer: containers for leftover-izing

Now we move to the opposite wall, with the pantry, fridge, and coffee/tea station.

First, the pantry.

Left: pantry
Right: the two drawers under the pantry. Top drawer for pasta and rice; bottom drawer holds
pet supplies and saran wrap and foil (they need to find a better home).

The pantry proper will (eventually) have a shelf or two on the left to make better use of that space. I also hope to get a broom hanger in there.

Above the fridge I have my special-occasion table linens, flatware, and other things that I only use rarely.

"Table bling" is Stephen's term.

Next up: the coffee-and-tea station, which also houses the microwave.

Emily and I can just barely reach the lower mug shelf, so our favourite mugs hang from cup hooks below the microwave. As you can see, we actually have some space to spare in this cabinet.

The drawers here are rather cram-packed.

Top drawer: kitchen "junk" as well as our tea chest and other teas
Middle drawer: junk food and cereal
Bottom drawer: tea and coffee supplies, more tea, hot chocolate, and a popcorn maker.

The only thing I haven't shown yet is what will go on the two custom-built shelf units that Steve is working on.

The other significant storage space that is not actually in the kitchen is what we call "the hall pantry." It is a closet-sized space visible from the front hall. We had considered incorporating this pantry into the kitchen, but decided to leave it alone for now.

The empty place on the fourth shelf is where my bread machine lives
when it isn't making my house smell like heaven.

It is a hodge-podge space that includes everything from our cheap booze to casseroles to recycling and my tool box. Eventually, we want to make this space more efficient, but it's not urgent.

So now you've seen what's inside my drawers. I'll go over what lives on the counters once we get the granite installed. (For now, the plywood can't support my stand mixer, for example.)

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas you'll try?