I Asked a Stager for Basically Free Hacks to Transform My Kitchen
Some people just naturally live clutter-free lives — they’re the type of people who put everything back in its “right” place out of habit and never let clutter catch up to them or collect on surfaces. Unfortunately for me, I’m not one of those people, especially not in my kitchen.
I’m always feeling like I’m banishing piles of clutter slower than I’m collecting them. As my husband and I are considering an out-of-state move, I’m hyperaware that if we take the plunge, we could be entertaining home showings and open houses in our space very soon — and while we may not get a home stager, I am looking for free ways to make the heart of my space look its best.
To harness that “my-kitchen-always-looks-perfect” energy, I spoke with Darla DeMorrow, a professional home stager and organizer, owner of HeartWorks Organizing, and the creator of the SORT and Succeed System. Here are seven tips she shared with me to keep my kitchen neat enough on the daily for anyone to drop by.
Talk as you tidy.
Home organization can often be overwhelming, which is why it helps to talk it out — even if it’s with yourself. To move quickly as you declutter and tidy your home before a tour, she suggests naming what the object is and then deciding where it needs to go out loud.
For example, if you’re looking at a cookbook: “This is a cookbook. And I need to put it with my other cookbooks.” Simple, yet very effective. “When you verbalize responses over and over and over again like that, that will help you determine what the very next step is so that you can organize each item in your home,” DeMorrow explains. It all goes back to the familiar adage, “A place for everything and everything in its place,” she adds.
Curate items on countertops according to size.
I was certain DeMorrow was going to tell me to banish my beloved — and heavy — KitchenAid mixer from my counter, but she assured me that high-end appliances can be left out “as long as they are displayed neatly and attractively.”
Instead, she suggests eliminating anything smaller than a basketball from your kitchen counters. That means the coffee maker can stay, especially if you’ve got a fancy espresso machine. But when it comes to small decor, bounce it.
Always put the dishes away.
A basic but important rule for reducing kitchen clutter: “No dishes sitting out,” DeMorrow says. Wash them and put them away, or at least get them out of your sink and into the dishwasher, she says. If this means decluttering your cabinets and drawers so that every dish, cup, and utensil has a home you can quickly return it to, do it. And, at the end of the day, it gives homebuyers a good look at your counters — and how well they’re maintained.
Use corners to your advantage.
Looks can be deceiving, and DeMorrow suggests using that to your advantage, especially in the kitchen. “If we want the buyer to see how big your kitchen is, we’re going to put things in the corners so that the eye goes all the way to the corner,” she says. This trick applies to appliances on the kitchen counters — so move them to the corners, and your countertops will look a bit longer than they actually are.
Group small items in a container.
Containers or bins are perfect for tidying up small items, DeMorrow says. Piles of kitchenware — cooking utensils, for example — might start off flat and neat in your drawer, but they don’t stay that way in the long run. Using a container (like a drawer organizer or a utensil holder) has a double positive effect. If you have open shelving units, put your ingredients into ceramic or glass jars, for example, to make everything look as “designer” as possible.
“It instantly makes surfaces look more organized, and it also gives you a way to move things out of the way quickly when you are showing the home or when you have guests coming over,” she explains.
Empty the trash daily.
Buy smaller bags if you’re not filling up the big ones, but make sure they get taken out every day. “Trash smells, and you don’t know what it smells like because you live there,” DeMorrow says. (Plus, do you really want strangers knowing what you throw away?)
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) Every Sofa at West Elm — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
