The older I get, the more I’m drawn toward decorating and organizing solutions that reduce visual clutter. So when we renovated our kitchen last year (see the “before” and “after” of our kitchen remodel {here} if you missed it), instead of rehanging the large bulletin board we once used for our family command center, I created a hidden command center in one of our kitchen island drawers. While it might look like our kitchen island simply has five large drawers,
the two top drawers actually have shallow rolling secondary drawers hidden inside:
These were a last minute addition to our kitchen cabinetry plans and I’m so glad we added them because they’re two of the most-used drawers in our kitchen. The shallow drawer in the middle of our island holds all of our plastic wrap, aluminum foil, baggies, parchment paper, etc. The one on the right that’s closest in this pic has become my hidden kitchen command center that’s organized to fit everything I use to have on my bulletin board and more. It’s a lifesaver! (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here})
In case, you’re wanting measurements to see how it compares to the size of drawers in your own home, the interior dimensions are 24.5″ wide x 19 3/4″ deep:
Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop My Command Center Drawer:
Starting on the left side of the drawer, the main organizers are two of these large accessory trays in dark gray (found {here}) that measure 13-3/4″ x 9-7/8″:
One of the trays holds five of {these decorative file folders} labeled with “To Do”, “Waiting” (things that I’m waiting for a response on like insurance claims), “Poss Returns” (receipts for things I’m not 100% sure I’m keeping), “Girls” (mostly things related to my daughters’ school like info on upcoming field trips, class schedules, etc.), and “Coupons”:
The other large tray below has one of {these divided organizer trays} nestled inside of it. In the gap between the outer large tray and the inner divided tray, I keep our portable chargers and phone cords. The divided tray holds clips, car keys, scissors, and stamps:
We also keep a bunch of hair bands on a 2″ binder ring like {this} so they’re organized and easy for the girls to grab on their way out the door to school or sports:
The middle of the drawer holds two medium accessory trays (available {here}) including one that holds a mini notebook for meal planning (getting better about meal planning is one of my 2019 goals but to be honest, I’m not doing so hot so far :), rubber bands, and chalk pens:
The medium tray below it holds pens, pencils and a calculator. One thing I did just a week ago is get rid of all of my zillion freebie pens (half of which didn’t work very well) that were overflowing my drawer. Why didn’t I do this simple thing years ago? Now I just have a pack of my favorite pens which is more than enough. I use {these pens} in either fine or medium point which my dad got me addicted to – if you’re on the hunt for a great pen, trust me that this is it!
On the right side of the drawer I have extra rolls of tape, post-it notes in a holder, {this stapler and tape dispenser} (I love this particular tape dispenser because it’s weighted so stays in place), and three of {these gray business card holders} (one with gift cards, one with local business cards, and a third with all other business cards). There is also normally a tape measure between the stapler/tape dispenser and the business card holders – I didn’t realize that someone had absconded with it and not put it back when I took my pics!
Since it’s hard to see in the drawer, I took the acrylic post-it note holder out to show you – who knew a post-it holder could be so pretty? It’s {this holder} filled with {these white post-it notes}:
That’s it for my hidden kitchen command center! Super simple but so great for keeping everything we need at hand without the clutter! And in case you want more details about the flowers, planter, and vase on our kitchen island in these pics, these are new additions that I just bought for spring. The flowers include one of {these peony bundles} in raspberry and one of {these hydrangea stems} (I think I might add a second to make it more full) that are on sale and ship free this weekend. They’re just a little more than a nice bouquet of real flowers but will last for years! The planter is {this one} and vase is {this one} that also ship for free!
I added them to my Shop page along with a bunch of other favorite deals for the holiday weekend so be sure to check them all out {here}! These are just a few of my favorite weekend sale finds that I included on that page (scroll & click/tap to shop):
I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend, especially if it’s a 3-dayer for you!
RW says
February 17, 2019 at 4:22 pmTy for this idea. I am not ready for a kitchen job yet, but I can put the idea to work in my four top island drawers — three of them are ridiculous. I have two with hardware bits ( junk drawers so full we inch them open and slip a screw inside) and one with miscellaneous small collections of rubber bands and flower tubes and … I guess I haven’t bothered because I had not identified a use. The fourth holds a useable, functional set of supplements. It used to be junk, too!
About meal planning, since you are not having good results with the notebook you have selected…
I encourage anyone to move on to another system now if its not working in a few weeks. I have tried for decades to find a meal planning system and routines that work for myself. IME, if it is going to work, I have found out very quickly.
I suffer badly from “out of sight, out of mind” syndrome. So a closed notebook or calendar doesn’t work, and while I love the colored filled folders and do use similar for many other papers, for some things I’ve found that clear vinyl file folders or open baskets (my coupons and sales flyers) prevent that problem. Or flat laminated charts. On those, I add post-its.
In fact that’s the only system for menus I’ve found thru the years that worked for me. Why I abandoned it, I’ll never figured out! Entrees were written onto post it notes and categorized by color. A calendar chart of two weeks, laminated —
so easy to select post-its from my stash and fill in the calendar. But more importantly, I could change my mind through the week and swap meals very easily. Juggle!
It did create visual clutter on my fridge. Plenty of room in your stack of files for me to create a fold-out double-sized menu chart. And keep the extra inventory of meal post-its in something like that little notebook. Hope this helps someone reading in the same boat.
My fridge and surfaces thank you!
Karen Bunch says
February 17, 2019 at 9:56 pmI absolutely love the drawers and the way they’re organized. I read in someone’s post recently about getting rid of all of the logo pens that turn up in our pen holders. It makes a difference. I truly have a few favorite brands and have purchased enough now to be rid of the cheaper logo freebies. What a clever drawer configuration. Thanks for the inspiration. I’ve started spring cleaning/organizing a little early and it’s always fun to get inspired by someone’s tried/true methods.
xo,
Karen
Karen W says
February 20, 2019 at 9:46 amThat drawer sparked all kinds of joy for me!! 😍😍😍😍
Kathy says
April 2, 2019 at 3:34 pmWow! A 2 layer drawer system in one kitchen drawer! This is such a fantastic idea… I’ll definitely have to incorporate this into my kitchen remodel.
I know some people think that “out of sight” means “out of mind” but as I get older, I’m starting to think otherwise. Perhaps it’s because I can’t deal with too many things at once as well as I used to in my 20’s or 30’s but I find myself desiring less visual clutter in my home, too.
I’m also finding that having less stuff on my countertops actually counteracts clutter. It’s kind of like the idea of like attracting like–clutter attracts more clutter but simplicity attracts more simplicity. I also appreciate the peak into your drawers. They’re exactly how I’d love mine to look-minus the hair bands-I only have boys 🙂