12 Brilliant Ways Joanna Gaines Keeps Her Kitchen Organized

Unless you do an excellent job at staying away from social media, television, and Target, it's unlikely that you haven't heard of Joanna Gaines. Gaines and her husband, Chip, are especially known for their HGTV show "Fixer Upper," which saw the couple renovating run-down properties with massive potential. Gaines' penchant for interior design has earned her a loyal fan following, and it's not hard to see why – her Instagram page is dotted with stunning house setups that are terribly inspirational. 

Though design is really Gaines' forte, she also has a wealth of knowledge about how to merge personality with practicality. No matter what your personal decor style is, you'll need to keep it organized if you want it to reach its fullest potential. It's no easy feat (especially if you have kids), but employing some tricks of the trade around your household can help keep things in tip-top shape. With that in mind, Gaines has shared a wealth of organization tips over her long career. Below are some of the expert's best tips for organizing your kitchen space (and keeping it that way). 

We've previously called open shelving an outdated kitchen design trend to be avoided, but in all likelihood, Joanna Gaines would beg to disagree. Her own brand's blog touts open shelving as an attractive design element that also makes practical sense when employed correctly. Gaines is rife with tips on how to choose your open shelving setup (if you're working from scratch) and how to stock them for maximum functional appeal. 

If Gaines could only give one tip about arranging your open shelves, it would probably be this: Only put your most-used items on the shelves. This makes both visual and practical sense. Storing your best dinnerware on open shelving not only puts it in easy and immediate access, but it also keeps the attractive dishes in sight of any guests you may be hosting, even if you aren't having them over for a meal. Gaines would also say that this shelving should be designed thoughtfully — for example, putting frequently-used items on lower shelves keeps them well within reach, while it probably makes more sense to put items with purely decorative appeal up higher.

Even the most organized spaces are prone to clutter. That's perfectly acceptable, and it's part of the rhythm of living a busy life — you accidentally buy an extra container of baking soda (so now there are two in the pantry instead of one), you grab a bag of oats that never gets completely used, and you can't help yourself from snagging that matching tea set at the thrift store. There's no shame in glancing at your pantry or china cabinet every now and again only to think, "Wow, this has gotten a little out of hand." If you want to mitigate this annoying phenomenon, Joanna Gaines would recommend decluttering your kitchen spaces fairly regularly. 

Gaines has previously referred to this decluttering practice of her storage "getting a spankin',"  in an Instagram post, an endearingly cute moniker that we're absolutely going to adopt. The post saw Gaines sharing a photo of some kitchen cabinet spaces that are admittedly pretty cluttered, even by our standards. She doesn't share her process of decluttering in the post, which may be intentional — the organizational practice of "decluttering" will look different in every kitchen. For some it might involve clearing out unneeded pieces and donating them, while for others it might mean finding a better home for your favorite pieces so they don't look so crowded. Either way, regularly decluttering your kitchen will make it way easier to keep your space organized. 

Maybe your kitchen is an absolutely tiny space, and it feels like there's no possible way to keep it organized — all of your (very few) drawers and cabinets are full to the brim, and you've long since accepted that the kitchen will just be messy in perpetuity. Well, while Joanna Gaines doesn't have any tips for magically expanding your space, she does have one or two that can help you make the most out of even the tiniest kitchen. 

Rather than using a whole cabinet to store your pots and pans, why not hang them in your kitchen? Employing vertical storage is a great space-saving hack that can help your whole kitchen look (and feel) way more organized. Gaines shows this tip in action in an Instagram post of an ever-stylish kitchen remodel that saw a similar problem. She said that designing the tiny kitchen "Forced us to get creative with our choices," with one photo showing pots and pans hanging on the wall over the newly-installed range. As a bonus, if you have an attractive set of matching cookware, this also offers a visually pleasing way to display them while saving space as well. 

Vertical storage solutions go beyond pots and pans, and you can (and should!) utilize empty wall space as a valuable organizing tool in your kitchen. To that end, installing shelves — or even a whole bona fide wall organizer — is a smart way to store odds and ends, or anything that doesn't already have a home. Joanna Gaines has gone beyond employing this hack in her own kitchen, to even creating a wall organizer that can help anyone keep their space organized. 

Perhaps the best thing about using a wall organizer is that it can create a visually aesthetic piece, too — if you arrange it well. Avoid overfilling your wall organizer, which will just lend more visual clutter to your kitchen. Instead, be thoughtful about what goes on it. Use it to hold matching spice jars, cute coffee mugs, or even some small serving bowls, and don't be afraid to put a purely decorative piece or two on it (like a small succulent or a couple potted kitchen herbs).

So you have some cute, unique organizing ideas but they require more storage space ... and you just don't have the money to buy new cabinets and shelves. What you do have, though, is an old dresser collecting dust in your basement and some inspo from Joanna Gaines. News flash: Not every structure in your kitchen has to be specifically made for the space, and repurposing odd pieces can make for a cute and functional solution to your kitchen organization needs.

This is a tip Gaines has employed on "Fixer Upper," most notably in "Fixer Upper: The Castle." Gaines repurposed an old cabinet into a kitchen island, a particularly clever idea that both gives life to old pieces and creates more storage space in your kitchen. Utilizing old furniture pieces in your kitchen has several advantages besides the obvious. Getting thrifty with unique furniture pieces opens up a whole new world of customization options for your space. Are you trying to find a tiny island to fit your micro-kitchen? Look for a small hutch that sits at about waist height, add a countertop of your preferred material, and use the cabinet space for storage. 

Onto the next vertical storage tip! You know what we bet you're definitely not utilizing? Ceiling space. That's right — Joanna Gaines would be a proponent for using your ceiling to store items, too, particularly in the form of suspended shelving. Admittedly, getting the most out of this hack will involve a bit of construction and may require hiring out some help, but it could be well worth it in terms of realizing your organization dreams. 

"Fixer Upper" has seen Gaines employing this tip even in kitchens that aren't necessarily small, simply because it's useful. Especially if you want to maintain a clean aesthetic that doesn't have appliances all over the counters or shelves on every wall, suspended shelving can come in handy. Use your suspended shelves to store items you don't use as frequently, so you don't have to deal with pulling them down on the daily. A nice, upscale wok, serving platters you only pull out at Thanksgiving, or large wooden salad bowls and cheese boards are all viable pieces for your suspended shelves. 

Need some pantry organization ideas? Joanna Gaines has no shortage of those, but one of our favorites is simple and easy to employ — and best of all, it doesn't require you to whittle down your pantry goods to practically nothing. Rather than having mismatched bags of sugar, flour, oats, baking powder, brown sugar, and everything else you stock in your pantry space, invest into some matching glass jars (and labels!) for all your pantry dry storage needs.

"Fixer Upper" has seen glass canisters replacing store-bought storage in pantries, and the aesthetic difference can't be overstated, particularly if your pantry space isn't hidden behind closed doors. Plus, in this day and age, this type of storage isn't hard to come by at a range of price points. If you have the extra money to spend, go ahead and splurge on an expansive set of matching canisters. If you don't, thrift sets of large canning jars, sterilize them, and use these to store your dry goods. Either way, you'll end up with a space that's both more organized and very aesthetically appealing. 

Shelves, shelves, shelves — we've mentioned them plenty of times in this piece, but we haven't yet talked about how shelves can be beneficial even when they're not in plain sight. If you want to make the most out of cabinet spaces or small, seemingly purposeless nooks, utilize hidden shelves as a storage solution. The process of installing hidden shelves may be more or less involved depending on where you want them to go, but even complicated projects are worth taking on when they'll give you extra organization options.

Joanna Gaines has used hidden shelving in "Fixer Upper" projects before, and it's safe to bet this is a tip she would employ in any kitchen that needed to store items the owners don't want in full view. You could install sliding shelves in cabinets rather than stacking kitchenware on top of each other — if you don't think this would benefit your Tupperware cabinet, you're kidding yourself. You could also install hidden shelves into a nook that would otherwise be a blank wall; for example, on the side of a built-in stove or in that weird gap between your fridge and your counter. 

When you're on a serious budget and need some kitchen storage solutions, overwhelm can set in pretty quickly. Why does even the cheapest hutch at IKEA cost enough to warrant some budget adjustments? If this is a problem you've faced in the past, you may have already turned to Joanna Gaines for inspiration — and there's a decent chance you've come across this problem-solver in the process. 

Gaines is a big proponent of using wooden crates as creative, aesthetically pleasing storage pieces. Though she's been seen using these in other areas of the house to store items like books, there's no reason they wouldn't work well in the kitchen. Turn a couple wooden crates on their sides and stack them on top of each other to use as shelf space. You can store anything you want in the crates, but we recommend putting some lesser-used, visually pleasing items on these shelves — for example, that stand mixer you only pull out around the holidays.

On the other hand, say you have the budget for a full kitchen remodel (maybe you're already drawing up plans for one). This should go without saying, but we're going to say it anyway: It will benefit you in the long run to customize your new kitchen to suit your needs. This means taking into consideration your storage and organizational spaces. It's easy enough to go the standard route when it comes to cabinetry — install a row of cabinets above your counter space and another row below, and call it a day. 

However, Joanna Gaines is a proponent of taking into consideration your personal storage needs when redesigning a kitchen. We see this in action in her remodel of "The Castle," particularly in the butler's pantry. One look at the pantry will show an abundance of drawers, cabinets, and open shelves, and it's clear that there's plenty of storage space without making the kitchen look cluttered. The placement of the cabinets has also been carefully considered, with frequently-used pantry goods on open shelves right above the counter.

So, you're after a minimalist vibe in your organizational aspirations and you don't want appliances scattered willy-nilly all over your countertops. If you're remodeling, the solution is simple: Hide your appliances! Using clever built-ins can lend to a more streamlined kitchen appeal. Best of all, it'll be way easier to organize your kitchen when you aren't worrying about where to put your appliances. 

Joanna Gaines advocates for putting appliances in your kitchen's island. It could be as typical as installing a sink into your kitchen island, or you could go further with it by installing an in-island drawer microwave. If you can put outlets into your island, you can hide appliances like toasters and blenders behind cabinet doors, just transferring them to the countertop when you need to use them. Having a dedicated, functional, hidden space for all your appliances will eliminate at least a quarter of the headache that comes along with organizing your kitchen. 

This last organizational tip requires turning your creative brain on to maximum power. Perhaps every square inch of your kitchen space is already being put to use, but if you live in a larger house or an older home, there's a good chance you have some nooks and crannies that are just ... there. Joanna Gaines would tell you not to let that blank space go to waste! It might take some ingenuity, but you can absolutely come up with a creative use for that empty space to help you better organize your kitchen. 

On her Magnolia blog, Gaines gives a great example of this when she talks about turning a blank wall space into a thin breakfast bar. If you need more storage space, the same empty space could be used as vertical storage space or could even get shelves installed into it for another organizational solution. Or turn it into a breakfast nook to free up your kitchen island for another purpose. The bottom line is if you have any awkward blank space in your kitchen, getting creative with it will go a long way in helping you reach your organizational goals.