The Silverware Drawer

If I asked you to go grab a spoon… how long would it take?

Chances are, as soon as you got into the kitchen, you could easily grab a spoon or fork.

Now why is this important?

Every home in which I have worked, there is a silverware drawer. Yes it might be a little cluttered or crummy, but it is there. Again, it doesn’t matter how disorganized the rest of the home, or kitchen is… there is always a silverware drawer.

Everyone has a silverware drawer. And everyone knows where to find the silverware.

At this point, you might be thinking… so what?

Alli, why do you care about a silverware drawer?

Let me tell you. I care, because silverware always has a home. You know where to find it. You know where to put it away. And there is typically a reasonable amount.

What if we took this concept, and applied it to the rest of our homes. I’m talking scissors, stamps, tools, Band-Aids, etc.

Is that such a crazy idea?

The silverware drawer is just an example of providing a consistent and predictable home for everything in your house. Eliminating the hours of searching. Not having kids (or significant others) asking where something is. Eliminating the overbuying. And providing a sense of structure.

Everything in your house deserves a home. This does not mean everything has to be in its home all the time, just like your house doesn’t always have to be tidy. But it should be easy to tidy your house, aka, put items in their homes. 99% of the time when you ask me where something is in my house, I can tell you without looking. Probably even which shelf of a closet or section of a drawer you can find it. Now, I did not get this way over night. And my home is not always tidy. But I maintain this standard by regularly decluttering, being mindful of purchases, and giving everything in my house a home.

This is my silverware drawer theory.

Everyone has one.

Even the most chaotic, busy or cluttered homes have one.

Everyone knows where to find it.

Can we expand this concept?

I’d love to see you try!