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Staging the Kitchen

Use this article to stage a Landing kitchen correctly, with every item in the right cabinet, drawer, or counter position for the size of kitchen you are working in.

Who this is for: Hosts and Cleaning Companies staging a Landing kitchen.

Assess the kitchen before you start

Kitchen layouts differ from home to home, so assess the space and the items before you place anything. The size of the kitchen affects where specific items go.

Check how many lower cabinets the kitchen has. If there are more than two lower cabinets you can usually fit everything below the counter. If there are two or fewer, you will need to use upper cabinets and the cabinet above the fridge for some items.

Alt text: Wide view of a larger Landing kitchen with a refrigerator, stove, sink, dishwasher, Keurig, and multiple lower storage cabinets.
Alt text: Wide view of a smaller Landing kitchen counter with a sink, utensil holder, knife block, stove, and Keurig.

The kitchen in the first photograph is a larger kitchen with more storage options. The kitchen in the second is a smaller kitchen with fewer drawers, so a utensil holder is used on the counter instead.

Do not place items in cabinets above the microwave.

Wide view of Landing kitchen upper cabinets around a microwave, stocked with small appliances, plates, bowls, glassware, mugs, and cookware.

What goes in the cabinet under the sink

Place these items in the cabinet under the kitchen sink.

  • Cleaning supplies

  • Dish brush (if there's one)

  • Paper towel on holder

  • Drain stopper

Open cabinet under the kitchen sink containing cleaning supplies, a dish brush, a paper towel roll on a holder, and a drain stopper.

What goes in the largest cabinet by the stove

Use the largest lower cabinet by the stove for cookware and bakeware.

  • Cookware: pots, pans, and lids

  • Bakeware: baking sheet, muffin pan, loaf pans, and similar, if it does not fit in other cabinets

Open lower cabinet by the stove containing cookware, including pots, pans, and lids.

What goes in the other lower cabinets by the stove

Use the remaining lower cabinets by the stove for the following.

  • Small appliances, food container sets, and measuring cups. Always keep these three together.

  • Cutting boards

  • Bakeware

Always keep the warming drawer under the stove empty and completely clean.

Open lower cabinet by the stove containing small appliances, food container sets, measuring cups, and cutting boards.

Open lower cabinet by the stove containing bakeware, including a muffin pan, loaf pans, and baking pans.

What goes in the kitchen drawers

Landing kitchens use three drawers, two near the stove and one near the sink.

Drawer near the stove: oven mitts and extra kitchen towels.

Open drawer near the stove containing oven mitts and extra kitchen towels.

A second drawer near the stove: cooking utensils, measuring spoons, and a corkscrew.

Open drawer near the stove containing cooking utensils, measuring spoons, and a corkscrew.

Drawer near the sink: silverware in a silverware organizer.

Open drawer near the sink containing silverware in a silverware organizer.

What goes in the upper cabinets

Mixing bowls and the colander go near the stove.

Open upper cabinet containing a baking dish, food storage containers, a measuring cup, a colander, and a mixing bowl.

Bowls, coffee cups, and plates are kept together, preferably near the Keurig.

Open upper cabinet beside a microwave containing coffee cups, bowls, and plates.

Wineglasses and glasses go in the cabinet closest to the sink. Place wine and stemless glasses facing up, and put the glasses on the shelf below the wineglasses.

Open cabinet containing wineglasses on an upper shelf and stemless glasses on the shelf below.

What goes above the fridge in a smaller kitchen

In a smaller kitchen, use the cabinet above the fridge for the items that do not fit in the lower cabinets.

  • Small appliances: the toaster, blender, and hand mixer

  • Food container set

  • Measuring cup

  • Cutting boards, if needed

Open cabinet above a refrigerator containing food container sets, small appliances, a measuring cup, and cutting boards.

What goes on the countertops

Knife block. Place the knife block next to the stove.

Countertop beside a stove showing a knife block with salt and pepper placed between the knife block and the stove.

Keurig. Plug the Keurig in and place it directly in front of the outlet closest to the sink. If the sink is on the island, place the Keurig on the counter in a corner instead.

Countertop near a sink showing a Keurig plugged in and placed directly in front of an outlet.

Utensil holder. Use a utensil holder only in small homes with no extra drawers.

Countertop beside a stove showing a utensil holder filled with cooking utensils.

Striped kitchen towel. Drape 2 striped towels over the stove handle, as centred as you can get it.

Stove with a striped kitchen towel draped over the centre of the oven handle.

Welcome kit. See Welcome Kit Items for what is included and where each item goes.

ountertop showing a staged welcome kit with kitchen kit

Where the trash can goes

Keep the trash can near the kitchen but out of walkways and away from cabinet doors. Always add a fresh liner to the can.

Stainless steel trash can positioned near a kitchen wall and window, away from cabinet doors.

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