How To Organize A Kitchen for EVERY Style!

If keeping your kitchen clean feels like a never ending chore, you’re not alone — especially when your house is full of people who organize completely differently than you do.

This post is all about those real-life compromises that make a shared kitchen actually work — even if you’re a Ladybug married to a Bee, or a Cricket trying to survive in a Butterfly’s world. These tips work whether you’re visual or hidden, detailed or not.

Let’s dive into smart organizing tricks that keep your kitchen functional, tidy, and still really pretty.

Start Here: Know Your Organizing Style (and Everyone Else’s Too)

Everyone organizes differently!  If you’re not sure what your style is (or the people living with you) be sure to take the quiz here, it’ll be SUPER helpful in creating systems that work for everyone!

Here’s a quick breakdown of the four Clutterbug styles:

Bee: Visual + Detailed

Butterfly: Visual + Not Detailed

Ladybug: Hidden + Not Detailed

Cricket: Hidden + Detailed

Knowing who you’re living with is everything.

The Golden Rule!

When organizing for multiple styles, the golden rule is:
👉 Default to the Visual and the Non-Detailed

That means if a Butterfly lives with a Cricket?  The Butterfly wins. (Sorry, Crickets.)

Compromise Hack #1: Decant (Only When It Makes Sense)

Let’s talk decanting. I’m not saying you should decant everything – because that doesn’t work for everyone.  BUT if you’re a Ladybug, you probably just want to keep everything hidden but say you live with Bees and Butterflies?  They need to see what they have so decanting may make some sense.

For the hidden organizers – if you’re leaving soap, hand lotion, or dish soap out on the counter – it can feel chaotic and too much.   Instead, decanting them and putting them in pretty matching containers (which takes one second) will instantly makes the space feel less chaotic — no visual noise, no mismatched branding, and no stress.

Compromise Hack #2: Make Drawers Work for Each Style

Everyone can win with drawers — if they’re set up right:

For Bees & Butterflies: Use clear containers or snack bins with stacking systems so everything is visible at a glance. Great for things like snacks or pantry items.

For Ladybugs & Crickets: Use open-top bins in drawers — just toss and go. Still organized, but way less fussy.

Remember: it’s okay to organize your space in your style. So if only one person uses the spice drawer, organize it to work for them.

Compromise Hack #3: Create a “Visual But Tidy” Setup

Visual organizers often struggle with things hidden behind doors (because they forget).   But you can make it work for everyone by keeping things visible inside closed spaces. How?

Use clear bins, lazy Susans, or pull-out trays inside cupboards.

Stick peel-and-stick hooks on the back of cabinet doors for things like oven mitts or paper towel holders.

Use wall-mounted or stick-on bins for things like plastic wrap, foil, or small tools.

Everything’s behind a door, so it feels hidden… but it’s still easy to see and access. Win-win.

Compromise Hack #4: Use Vertical Space (Especially for Food!)

You know I love a good wall system. Try this:

Use hanging baskets on a wall for fruits and veggies.

It’s functional, visual, and super budget-friendly.

Bonus: your produce lasts longer because you see it and use it before it goes bad.

This is one of my favorite tricks — especially in small kitchens.

Compromise Hack #5: Create Smart Zones

Before you organize, ask yourself: what do you do most often in your kitchen?

Brew tea or coffee?

Bake?

Reheat leftovers in the microwave?

Help with kids’ homework?

Whatever it is — that gets the prime real estate. Put all the tools for that task together in one spot. (Here at Clutterbug HQ, coffee is important so we have a full hot beverage station with syrups, tea, mugs, and honey all in one drawer.)

Organizing by activity keeps your space easy to use and harder to mess up.

Compromise Hack #6: Open Shelving

If someone in your home is visual, they probably leave stuff all over the counters.
Try this instead:

Add open shelving for everyday items like dishes and mugs.

Keep color choices minimal (2–3 colors max) so it doesn’t feel chaotic (for those hidden organizers).

Store above the dishwasher or near the sink to simplify cleanup.

It looks cute and keeps surfaces clear — no more “Where does this go?” chaos.

Compromise Hack #7: Keep it Neutral

Here’s a sneaky trick: the more visual clutter you have on your walls, the more overwhelming the space feels for hidden organizers.

So go light or neutral with paint, backsplashes, and finishes. That way, the stuff that needs to be out (like dishes or your coffee bar) becomes the “decor,” and it doesn’t compete with wild wall colors.

Neutral doesn’t mean boring. It means peaceful.

Compromise Hack #8: Hide the Big Stuff

Want to instantly make your kitchen feel calmer?

Hide the fridge, dishwasher, and microwave with cabinet panels.

Use a portable induction cooktop instead of a traditional stove — especially if you barely use your oven.

This keeps the appliances out of sight, so the everyday messier things can be out without overwhelming the space. It’s a total visual game-changer — especially for Ladybugs and Crickets.

Compromise Hack #9: Use Peel-and-Stick Everything

If you rent or just want easy, non-permanent upgrades, peel-and-stick accessories are your BFF:

Rods for towels

Hooks for tools

Mini shelves and wall bins

These tiny add-ons give you smart storage without drilling holes, and they help everyone keep things where they belong.

Compromise Hack #10: Add a Visual Command Center

Everyone needs a drop zone — for bills, permission slips, schedules, and reminders.

Create a small command centre in your kitchen using:

Wall files

Pinboards

Magnetic dry-erase boards

Cute baskets or clipboards

This keeps paper clutter off the counters and makes the space feel calm and purposeful.

Final Pop Quiz: Who Wins in a Shared Kitchen?

🐞 Ladybug + Cricket? = Ladybug wins

🐝 Bee + Butterfly? = Butterfly wins

🐝 Bee + Cricket? = Bee wins

The visual + non-detailed always wins — not because they’re better, but because it’s the easiest to maintain for everyone.

And if you’re a Cricket? I see you. I love you. I married one. (Sorry, Joe 😅)

Want More Organizing Style Tips?

If you’re new here and wondering, “Wait, what Clutterbug style am I?” — take the free quiz here. It’s a game-changer for understanding why things never stay tidy and how to fix it (without changing who you are).

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