Someone asked me recently for details about how we organized the beach house kitchen. We photographed and filmed the space last summer to share with you, but when I went to send the link I realized we never actually wrote up the post. So these photos have been sitting on the camera for months as my tan faded and memories of sandy toes slowly drifted away (current status: toes in Ugg slippers because it’s freezing).
Years ago you liked seeing the inside of our Richmond kitchen cabinets, so John and I had fun taking lots of organizing photos last August and filming what may be the weirdest video we’ve ever made. If you can, watch it—John finds it highly amusing and it captures a lot more context than still photos. Last summer was the first time we used this kitchen for more than a long weekend, so it was the perfect opportunity to test the layout and optimize how everything is stored. With the pantry full and dishes and appliances getting daily use, we could evaluate what worked, make some improvements, and share tips that might help you in your own kitchen.
If you want to peek inside every drawer, the video covers it all. Fair warning: filming took several attempts because each run was long enough to shut the camera off. We got goofier every time, so the footage is a genuine, unfiltered cabinet tour. It’s also a good way to learn the flow of the kitchen in action—seeing someone load and unload makes organization choices clearer than still photos alone.
All the cabinets in the main kitchen area have three drawers (except the sink cabinet). The hardest-working set is to the left of the stove: the top drawer holds flatware and knives, the middle drawer stores plates and bowls, and the deep bottom drawer houses pots and pans. This layout is intentional—when the dishwasher is open, one person can stand in one spot and unload everything without walking back and forth to a wall cabinet. The dishwasher door cutting into the aisle isn’t an issue because we’re planted and efficient.
Stacking dishes and bowls in drawers might seem odd to some, but we’ve done it for years and it’s been great—an idea borrowed from John’s sister. Deep, soft-close drawers full of dishware are convenient and durable; we’ve never had a broken dish. If you’re worried about slipping, a grippy drawer liner helps keep items steady. The bottom drawer also uses Ikea’s clever nested shallow drawer: a 5″ drawer that tucks inside a larger drawer to create extra shallow storage above. We use one for a couple of pans and another for cutting boards. Those shallow inserts save digging and make the deep space below more accessible.
The island has a pullout trash solution that we retrofitted because a standard Ikea pull-out required a wider base cabinet than we had. We installed a single tall drawer front concealing a hardware-store trash can, which we screwed to the drawer bottom so it doesn’t shift. It’s removable for cleaning but stable in daily use. Small hacks like this can give you the look of a built-in system without custom components.
Near the sink is a favorite: a “drink station” drawer. It stores cups and mugs—stacked two-high when needed—and corrals drink mixes like dehydrated lemon packets. Inside the drawer we use a mix of bins and trays—leftover containers that work just fine. You don’t need matching storage solutions; repurposing items you already have is economical and effective.
Under the drink drawer is a generous stash of towels and cloths: top towels serve both kitchen and bath needs, and lower drawers hold microfiber cleaning cloths and cleaning supplies under the sink. We also keep Ziploc bags and reusable shopping bags here. In the video I demonstrate this drawer’s setup—part practical and, I’ll admit, a little theatrical because I’m passionate about drawer organization.
On the stove side of the kitchen we keep a tool-oriented set of drawers. The top is our junk drawer for pens, batteries, and bandages; the middle drawer stores miscellaneous DIY items like shims and weather stripping; and the bottom contains painting supplies—brushes, rollers, and trays. These tool drawers travel with us between homes because they’re useful for quick fixes and projects at the beach house.
Now for the back wall near the exterior door. These cabinets were originally intended as a pantry—bought before we decided to add a separate walk-in pantry—so they’re 15″ deep with two drawers instead of three. They’ve become handy storage for non-kitchen items like extra vases, candles, dog food, and hot tub supplies. They’re disguised as kitchen cabinetry, which keeps the space looking cohesive while offering utility.
Some readers worry that a drawer next to the doorway can’t open because of the door molding. In our case there’s a filler piece that prevents the trim from catching, and while the bottom drawer hits the thicker plinth block a few inches shy of fully extending, it still exposes nearly the entire shallow drawer and remains perfectly functional for our needs.
We kept the same shallow cabinet approach inside the walk-in pantry. Drawers here mainly store food items and the counter serves as a convenient prep area for sandwiches, cereal, or unloading groceries. We use a mix of baskets and bins to contain snacks, breads, and dry goods, and we “unbox” packaged snacks so they’re faster to grab from open bins. One drawer is my “Mommy Drawer” with vitamins and morning essentials grouped together for an easy routine.
The far side of the pantry stores DIY supplies—light bulbs, spackle, caulk, and small paint tins. Even at peak summer occupancy we never needed to convert these drawers to food storage, so they’re a good place for household maintenance items. Around the fridge we built-in extra pantry shelves and added more bins to maximize each shelf. By turning bins 90 degrees we doubled the number of bins per shelf and gained a lot of usable storage for paper towels, large chips, cereal boxes, and bulk cleaning supplies.
If you want to see more, including a Cribs-style fridge tour, watch the video at the top of this post. It shows every drawer, our reasoning for placement, and a few moments of organized chaos to illustrate how storage choices matter. Hopefully this gives you practical ideas for making your kitchen more efficient—especially if you’re working with Ikea components or limited cabinet depths.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to dig through the rest of our photos and videos that are living in purgatory on the camera. Apparently I’ve got more projects to write up.
*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.