The beginning of a New Year is the ideal time to refresh how your kitchen looks and functions.

Decluttering your kitchen now will set you up for the rest of the year, making things easier to find and helping you achieve a minimalistic style that can restore calm to one of the busiest hubs in your home.

Decluttering expert Ms Sharne Kuper from My Organised Home, who helps families declutter their entire homes, says by cutting the clutter we can gain control over our environment and as a result function more effectively.

“Clutter tends to build up slowly over a period of time until it reaches a critical point where you no longer function at your best,” says Ms Kuper.

“If we live in a clutter-free space, we can enjoy peace of mind. This streamlined environment also gives us the freedom to focus on the more important things in life.

Sort and simplify what’s in your pantry and cupboards

One way to simplify your kitchen and to make it a calm and inviting place to enjoy with family and friends is to sort the kitchen cupboards.

It’s essential to declutter your pantry and kitchen cupboards intermittently, because food items get pushed to the back and expire, meanwhile you end up buying items you already own. Wasting time and money.

It’s also easy to accumulate lots of duplicate utensils and gadgets that were used a long time ago (e.g. that hard-to-reach pasta maker) and acquire shelf loads of cook books.

Ms Kuper recommends to following: “Keep only the items you use regularly and love.

“Recognise that your home is not a storage facility for old stuff and piles of maybe one-day items.

“Be realistic about what you use, eliminate duplicates and evaluate the reason you are keeping specific items.

“Sentimental items can be especially difficult for people to declutter. Frequently this is a large category in people’s homes, and many feel burdened by it,” she adds.

Vertical storage saves space and keeps things organised

Another way to get more control in your kitchen is appropriate storage. Ms Kuper suggests storing items “vertically” in the kitchen.

“Storing items this way is not only space saving, but it’s a stylish and effortless way to take out and put back items such as baking and oven trays.

Clutter-free benchtops using integrated appliances

The quest to achieve clutter-free benchtops is achievable with Miele’s range of integrated appliances.

Stylish coffee machines, steam ovens and dishwashers are now designed to integrate into kitchen cabinetry, with flush fronts and M-touch control panels.

Miele’s Artline range of integrated kitchen appliances is completely handle-less and blends seamlessly with flush furniture fronts.

 

Ms Kuper’s top three tips for reducing clutter in the home

1. Be mindful of what you bring to your home – buy what you need and keep what you use and love.
2. When the purpose of an item no longer exists, pass it on to someone who will appreciate it. Donate it, give it to a friend, or throw it away if it has seen better days.
3. Keep surfaces in your home clear by having a place for everything. This makes tidying easier and saves you time looking for items.

Click here to view Miele’s range of integrated appliances.