I Sent a Pro Organizer a Photo of My Kitchen Junk Drawer, and She Helped Me Transform It

There’s a little corner of my kitchen that my husband and I playfully refer to as “supplement central.” We’re both gym rats, and between a drawer and the cabinet directly above it, we have a wide array of powders, such as protein, collagen, creatine, pre-workout, and greens. The espresso machine also lives in this area, so Nespresso pods pile high as well. 

Over time though, the drawer has become a spot where junk has accumulated — everything from light bulbs and COVID-19 tests to over-the-counter medicine and a pill container. The dream was to declutter everything and create an organized drink storage space (an upgraded supplement central if you will), and with the help of Natalie Ron of Swoon Spaces, this has become a reality.

Here are a few of her tips and tricks to tackle your own junk drawer transformation.

I procrastinate organizing projects because they generally seem very daunting. Some of them are, of course, but Ron told me that organizing a junk drawer would be quick. Since the space is small, and honestly most of the items in my junk drawer were trash or just needed to be moved, the decluttering process only took about 15 minutes. A lot of satisfaction comes with a fast and easy project!

After decluttering and removing everything, it’s time to categorize the items you wish to keep. Creating categories was very simple for this specific project because I knew exactly what I wanted this drawer to function as — drink storage. Anything that wasn’t a drink powder or Nespresso pod had to go. A lot of it was trash, and the rest just found different homes. For instance, medicine and tests went into the medicine cabinet, and light bulbs went to a cabinet in the living room.

Once I had all of my drink powders ready to go, it was incredibly satisfying to put them back in the drawer. There was so much space! I could have left the drawer as is, with all of the powders and pods in their boxes, but I wanted a little more ease when it came to prepping my drinks. I truly wanted to open the drawer and grab what I needed instead of opening up a box, so I asked Ron to help me with some storage product curation.

Working with a professional organizer is fantastic because Ron is an expert at knowing what products are appropriate for each project. After sending her the measurements of my drawer, she armed me with a list of products to buy at The Container Store: small, medium, and large Home Edit organizer bins, as well as two small The Home Edit by iDesign pantry canisters.

Once I got back home, I played around with all of the containers, and that’s when I started getting excited. I’ll admit, I was hesitant to invest in little containers because they didn’t seem necessary. But once they were in the drawer, something clicked in my brain. Seeing my drawer be impeccably organized where everything in it is clearly visible made me so happy. 

All in all, the total cost of all the containers was about $80. I initially balked at the price, but now that I feel a rush of satisfaction and calm every time I open the drawer, I see it’s a worthwhile investment. If you’re on a budget, though, containers aren’t always necessary, so don’t let cost stop you from decluttering your space. I’m now in love with my kitchen drink drawer!