My kitchen is a constant challenge due to its size and lack of storage, but with a couple of free hours over the weekend I managed to declutter and fall back in love with the space.

Try some of these ideas in your kitchen and see what a difference it makes…

Add more storage jars

A zero waste shop has recently opened in town (#scoopwirksworth) – this means buying loose store-cupboard essentials is now so easy. Not only are prices competitive but there is no packaging – just take your own containers and get them refilled. This avoids various half packets of the same produce ending up in the back of your cupboard and eventually being thrown away. I purchased some additional kilner jars to add to my collection, making the cupboards and shelves so much more organised – they look great too!

Declutter the overfilled drawer

You know that drawer that has everything in it…..from birthday candles to bits of string and serving spoons (that aren’t in a pair) and endless bottle openers – the list is never ending!

Simply buy a drawer organiser (I used the STÖDJA Cutlery tray from Ikea £2). Empty your drawer, pop in the divider and start sorting. You usually only need one of everything. So, one pair of kitchen scissors (and if you love flowers as I do), one pair of floristry scissors. One box of matches, one cork screw etc. If you have lots of kitchen utensils hidden in this drawer, separate them out and put them in a container on a shelf so they are easily accessible when you are cooking. I love to use old tins to store these types of items.

Reduce what’s under your sink

Start by taking out all the items stored under the sink into the middle of the kitchen floor so you clearly see what you have. I am guessing you have duplicates of many household cleaners, along with endless cloths, and other household items which you have used at some point. I have an old wooden open champagne box that sits under my sink and so don’t have the luxury of a large double cupboard. I threw away old cloths and sponges and stuffed all the new ones into a cotton bag that I kept from a gift. I then cut the tops off 2 small cardboard boxes and popped them inside the wooden container to divide the space. I threw away old and empty bottles and containers, I organised one side of the box with sprays, fluids and dishwasher tabs and the other side with my bag of cloths, bin bags and other smaller items (which I had forgotten I had as they were hidden at the bottom of the box!).

Reorganise your crockery

I have a small freestanding butchers block and the shelves below are stacked with our everyday crockery. I counted 11 large plates, 8 side plates, 7 saucers and 16 different sized bowls and there are only 2 of us living in the house!! The kitchen is tiny and although we do cook regularly for friends and we have a dish washer there is no need to have that much crockery to hand all the time. So, I simply took all the crockery off the shelves, then rearranged just four of each group back onto the shelving and stored the excess crockery into the large cupboard in the dining room where it belongs. This not only feels so much more organised, it will save crockery getting chipped and broken as they were stacked in such a precarious way.

Add something special

Even in the early part of the year you can find something growing in your garden that you can cut – bring the outside into your home. I have a few beautiful hellebores (also known as ‘Christmas Rose’) growing in a corner of my garden which cut can last for many days or why not a simple sprig of fresh rosemary popped in a little old jug – beautiful!

If you don’t have a garden or can’t find anything worth cutting then treat yourself to a bunch of daffodils or a potted winter primrose (less than a £1 to buy from most supermarkets) to brighten up your kitchen and get you into that springy mood.