6 Ways Joanna Gaines Keeps Her Kitchen Flawlessly Organized

Since "Fixer Upper" first hit our screens in 2013, Joanna Gaines has become synonymous with stylish design and beautiful decor. The kitchen is often the most anticipated room during her renovations, and usually has the wow factor. However, the beauty of Gaines' methods is that she manages to create kitchens that are simpler to keep organized while still looking attractive.

An organized kitchen is crucial for those who love to cook. Constantly clearing clutter from the worktops or hunting for baking supplies languishing at the back of a cabinet can drain the excitement. Gaines' kitchen tips are designed to create a functional space that makes day-to-day tasks easier, rather than more stressful. From making the best use of vertical space to keeping your everyday essentials proudly displayed for easy access, her advice prioritizes practicality. Whether you desperately need to restore calm to your kitchen or you want advice for an upcoming refit, let's take a look at six ways Joanna Gaines keeps her kitchen flawlessly organized.

Most of us are pretty good at using low space effectively, especially if kitchen space is tight. Kitchen cabinets and pantry shelves can be filled with baskets and shelf dividers to create more space. Where we often miss out, though, is maximizing vertical kitchen space. If you look upwards in your kitchen, you may notice lots of unused space, and Joanna Gaines has the perfect solution.

Suspending sturdy shelves from the kitchen ceiling is an excellent way to use space that would not usually be put to use. Gaines used this space saving technique in the Season 4 finale of "Fixer Upper," creating substantial space above the island in the kitchen. The shelves can be used to store everyday items such as plates and glasses, keeping them close at hand without using valuable space in kitchen cabinets.

This trick allows you to keep your kitchen more organized compared to overfilling the cupboard and hunting for items that may be lurking at the back. The suspended shelving keeps essential items on display and uncluttered. Even smaller kitchens can benefit from the expanded storage space.

If you've ever entered your kitchen with the intention of cooking a masterpiece, only to meet a mass of clutter, you know the frustration of a messy kitchen. In most households, though, the clutter doesn't all originate in the kitchen — and Joanna Gaines has an expert tip to prevent it arriving there at all.

Gaines uses baskets on the stairs to allow each member of the family to pick up their own mess as they come across it without needing to go upstairs for every item. Books, homework, and random items of clothing go into the baskets throughout the day, with each person returning the contents of their own basket to its rightful home in the evening. In homes where the kitchen is the hub of the house, this helps prevent non-kitchen items from building up on countertops, kitchen islands, and other food preparation surfaces. Gaines' system can be easily incorporated into your family routine, as long as you get the rest of the household on board. Once they get into the habit of temporarily storing stray items in their baskets, the kitchen — along with other rooms in the house — will begin to feel more calm and organized.

Not every kitchen is the same shape as you would find in a model kitchen or show home. Sometimes, regular kitchen storage simply won't fit. This forces you to use a little creativity, and Joanna Gaines is the master at making the most of unusual spaces and using unique items to fill them.

In their special season of "Fixer Upper," subtitled "The Castle," Gaines and her husband Chip created a new kitchen to replace the one that was originally in the basement. This meant transforming existing features into kitchen-friendly ones, such as removing the fireplace to make space for the range. They also turned a dumb waiter into a spice rack, and added a gorgeous marble top to an antique island to create a new preparation surface.

If you have furniture from other rooms in your house that are no longer being used, don't be afraid to put them to use in the kitchen. If they fit well, it will save you the hassle of trying to find modern, kitchen-specific items for an awkward space. In addition, it will give your kitchen some unique charm.

Open shelving is featured regularly in Joanna Gaines' kitchen designs as a way to enhance the visual aspect of a kitchen in a practical way. Instead of constantly opening cabinet doors to retrieve items you use regularly, open shelving means they can be at hand whenever you require them.

Easy-to-reach shelving helps to keep your kitchen neat and organized by storing items that usually end up sitting out on the countertop — it's a vertical solution that also happens to look great. Vertical space in a kitchen is often wasted, so keeping cups, crockery, and staples (such as sugar and flour) on shelves means making the most of your kitchen setup. Additionally, it'll save you time in the process.

Gaines also points out that using open shelving helps to keep the kitchen feeling "open and airy," compared to having everything hidden away behind cabinet doors. As long as you keep the shelves free of clutter, they will add a calm vibe to your kitchen, and be a practical use of that underused vertical space.

For those of us who run in fear whenever anyone mentions decluttering, Joanne Gaines has a humorous take that may just inspire you to get on top of your kitchen cleaning schedule. In an Instagram post, she declared that her kitchen cabinets were "getting a spankin'," along with every other storage space in her house.

What makes Gaines' approach so encouraging is that it can inspire you to make decluttering a regular occurrence, rather than a one-off event that needs a whole weekend to carry out. Clearing clutter regularly is the key to preventing your kitchen space from becoming overwhelmed — it is easy for unnecessary items to pile up in a short time. Kitchens are notorious for having duplicates of many items. They are often used as a stopping point where family members accidentally leave behind other items, too.

If you enjoy cooking, having a clutter-free kitchen will help make the process more fun without needing to work around piles of ingredients and dishes. Doing a quick declutter every day — and a bigger one in the cabinets and pantry once a week — can help keep the space calm and organized. This will allow you to whip up culinary delights whenever inspiration strikes.

Whether it is a set of open shelves or a glass-fronted hutch, the temptation to store decorative items on display is a natural urge. Joanna Gaines used to do the same, but now opts to use them for storing everyday items, such as crockery and pantry staples.

In an Instagram post, she shared a photo of her kitchen hutch, admitting, "I used to have decorative cups and bowls on this rack that I never used." Once she replaced them with her regularly-used baking essentials instead, she found that it was much less effort to gather the items she needed for a bake. In true Gaines style, of course, her glass containers for her sugar and flour are attractive, and she is keen to point out that "pretty and practical" is the aim. By sourcing a few charming containers for your most-used ingredients, you can proudly display them while keeping them close at hand whenever you need them.