This Beautiful Spice Organizer Completely Revamped My Kitchen Cabinet (It’s a Work of Art!)

As a mom of five and the primary cook in the house, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. That’s why it’s been my priority to make the space enjoyable and as functional as possible with each home we’ve lived in. I’ve been lucky to renovate our kitchens, and the one in our current home is the culmination of everything I’ve learned about creating an efficient and pleasant space. For instance, I have a huge workstation sink, a matte quartz countertop, and the most powerful garbage disposal I could get my hands on. But design and appliance choices aren’t the only decisions that come into play when it comes to making your kitchen work well for you. 

What’s not as visible but is equally, if not more, important is what’s behind the closed doors of the pantry, fridge, and cabinets. Putting items in strategic spots and organizing them for easy access is one of the most important parts of putting together a kitchen that hums without a hitch. 

One of my favorite such organizing finds is the space-saving spice rack I bought a few years ago on Amazon for less than $50 (though they have smaller versions for as little as $31.99). I put it in the cabinet to the right of our stovetop, which is also just to the left of my food prep zone — the perfect spot for grabbing while I’m actively cooking in the kitchen. I bought it because I needed a solution for storing my spices after moving into our new home, and over time I’ve realized how perfect it’s been. 

The spice rack comes with a ton of preprinted labels, all in alphabetical order. And in case you have some spices that aren’t on the list, you can use the included blank labels, too. There are 386 labels total, and each set comes with a chalk marker, a funnel, and wall mounts in case you want to attach it to your cabinet door or wall. 

I have the large 32-bottle spice rack, but it comes in several different sizes, so you can get one that fits your specific cabinet and accommodates the number of spices you own. Plus, simply putting the spices in a rack with uniform containers saves space and looks cleaner than keeping your spices in their original containers that are most likely different sizes and shapes. 

Especially in such a hardworking space, I wouldn’t sacrifice function for form — but because I spend so much time in this room, every aesthetic moment has impact. Every time I open my spice cabinet, I enjoy seeing my jars lined up nice and neat, tilted with their labels facing me so I can quickly grab exactly what I need. And so can my husband and kids, so they don’t have to ask me where anything is!

This might seem like a small thing, but the little details matter when you’re cooking and time is of the essence. Each spice jar lid has two helpful sides: one for shaking out spices, and a slightly larger “mini lid” that you can flip open to pour out larger amounts of spices (which I do often). This makes cooking much quicker because I don’t have to take off the entire lid and then put it back on if I need to do more than sprinkle a bit of garlic powder on something. 

I’ve had a few different spice storage solutions over the years, and this versatile, functional, and good-looking spice rack is by far my favorite. 

Buy: SpaceAid Spice Rack Organizer with 20 Spice Jars, $35.99

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: This Beautiful Spice Organizer Is a “Work of Art” — It Completely Revamped My Kitchen Cabinet!