Plan the kitchen while it is still empty
An empty kitchen is the only time you can see every cabinet at once. Walk it with a notepad and decide what each one will hold, rather than filling the nearest cabinet with whatever box comes in first.
Write the plan on painter's tape inside each door: "glasses," "baking," "plastics." Whoever unpacks, whether that is you, a friend or our unpacking team, can follow it without asking.
New layouts break old habits, so do not copy your last kitchen
Many Las Vegas moves are into newer master-planned communities, and those kitchens often have a big island, a walk-in pantry and fewer upper cabinets than older homes. Families relocating from older California homes often find the opposite of what they are used to.
Rethink storage for the space in front of you. The island may become your prep and baking center; the pantry may take small appliances that used to crowd the counter. Base the plan on the new sink and dishwasher positions, not on muscle memory.
- Large island: knives, boards, mixing bowls and baking tools
- Walk-in pantry: food plus small appliances on a low shelf
- Fewer uppers: dishes in deep drawers with peg dividers
- Two ovens or a range plus wall oven: bakeware by the oven you use most
Step by step
- Note the fixed points
Mark the sink, dishwasher, range, refrigerator and main counter on a quick sketch.
- Assign each cabinet and drawer
Give every storage spot a job based on its nearest fixed point and tape a label inside.
- Unpack the survival kit
Set up just enough to cook, eat and clean for a few days.
- Unpack zone by zone
Finish cleanup, then prep, then cooking, then pantry and serving.
- Cook for two weeks, then adjust
Swap anything you keep walking across the kitchen to reach, then measure for products.
Unpack in a deliberate order
Start with what you need to eat and clean up for the first three days: a few plates, cups, flatware, a pan, a knife, dish soap and the coffee setup. Then unpack zone by zone, finishing one area before opening the next set of boxes.
Break down boxes and remove paper as you go. A kitchen buried in packing material is where good plans fall apart.
Edit as you unpack, because a move is the easiest time
Every item you unpack is a decision. If the bread machine did not get used in your old home, it does not need prime space in the new one. Keep a donation box open in the garage and keep heat-sensitive items out of it in summer.
Valley donation options include Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Opportunity Village and The Salvation Army. You make the keep-or-donate calls; the job is simply to keep that decision in front of you while the boxes are open.
Wait to buy products until the kitchen tells you what it needs
It is tempting to order a cart of bins the week you close. Measure first and give the layout a week or two of real cooking. You will discover which drawer needs dividers and which cabinet wants a riser, and you will not end up returning half the order.
When you are ready, our guides to organizing kitchen cabinets and deep kitchen drawers show what to buy for each spot.
