Closets get all the focus when it comes to organizing and de-cluttering, but what about the kitchen? As one of the most-used and well-loved rooms in the home, the kitchen can easily become the household "catch-all." Combine that with inadequate storage and poorly-designed cabinets and the problem is compounded.

If you're planning on an upcoming Chicago kitchen remodeling project, we recommend doing some serious spring cleaning and organizing. Eliminating unnecessary clutter will give you better insight into your future kitchen design needs.

Tips For De-Cluttering & Organizing Your Kitchen

The following tips will get you well on your way to designing a kitchen that is organized and will stay organized, day after day and month after month.

1. Out With the Old, Broken & Unmatched. Cabinets can fill up pretty quickly with stuff that's past its prime. For this reason, it's worth going through them one by one to see what's really going on in there. Throw away any plastic Tupperware or storage containers that are missing lids, and any lids that don't fit a bottom. Are there dishes, pots and pans, utensils or bakeware that is obviously worse for wear? Ditch them. In some cases, your de-cluttering is already half-over already!
   
   
2. The One-Year Test. Professional organizers always recommend throwing away clothing, shoes or accessories that you haven't worn in a year. As professional kitchen organizers, we recommend ousting any kitchen stuff that you haven't used in the past year as well. This includes those decorative cake tins, the funky monkey bread pan Aunt Susie gave you over the holidays or an extra dish set you think will come in handy but never actually comes out to play.
   
   
3. Consider a Message Center. Now, let's look at the countertop clutter you've got going on. What does it consist of? For the contemporary family, it's usually lots of phones, gadgets, coats, bags, piles of mail and miscellaneous paper or pens. This is a good sign that your family is in need of a message center or a kitchen-based small office. With this one, efficient addition - you'll have places to hide, store and charge electronics. You can add organizers for bills and papers and install a few hooks for jackets and purses. Now that you've cleared that stuff out of the way, you'll be able to see the gorgeous countertops you've selected.
   
   
4. Eliminate Your Soffits. If you're embarking on a Chicago kitchen remodeling project, ask your contractor if you can get rid of the soffits. Soffits are rarely necessary but they take up a ton of space. By opening that space up, you can take cabinetry to the ceiling, adding more storage space.
   
   
5. Design Contemporary Storage. Cabinets and drawers used to be wide-open spaces. Now, contemporary storage solutions make it possible to have a custom-organized kitchen, based on your belongings and the way you use your kitchen. From a more modern layout, to contemporary storage solutions - you can design organized cabinetry in which every square-inch counts.

Don't let a disorganized kitchen get the best of you. Consult with a professional kitchen design-build team to make an organized, de-cluttered and stress-free kitchen an everyday reality in your life.