Dilly Carter's kitchen renovation has convinced me I've been using cupboards and drawers the wrong way

As one of the busiest spaces in our homes, the kitchen needs to be kept organised and easy to use. However, when it's always in use, managing that can be difficult. Luckily, organising expert Dilly Carter has shared her kitchen design tips for keeping your space functional at all times

With so many cupboards, drawers and appliances, knowing how to organise your kitchen is essential to ensure every design aspect is optimised. And while you can do this at any stage, professional organiser Dilly Carter recommends prioritising it from the moment you design your kitchen space.

Sharing her recent kitchen renovation on her Instagram, @declutterdollies, Dilly walked us through the thought process behind certain aspects of the space. She also explains how she consistently prioritised functionality and flow when deciding where to place things.

"I think the most important thing when you are designing your kitchen is to think about your daily routine: what matters to you? What do you do every day? How does your family function? And we've really thought about all those things," says Dilly.

"Obviously, my kitchen was well organised before; it was well designed before. I've just taken it up another level. You know the cupboards are still blue, but now they're much better quality," she points out.

"I've got more drawers in the island; I've got drawers instead of cupboards, which also makes a huge difference to how your kitchen functions because you can get to the back of drawers rather than scrambling to get into the backs of cupboards," explains Dilly.

"So, if you can invest in drawers in your kitchen, always invest in drawers; they're more expensive, but they're worth it," she adds.

All you'll need now is to master how to organise your kitchen drawers, and thanks to their easy accessibility, they won't need reorganising every week.

Then it's simply a matter of putting your kitchen essentials right where you need them, somewhere you can easily access them once you've started cooking.

"Think about what you do, so when you are standing at your hob and you're designing your kitchen, think: what do I need? My oils, my vinegars, my spices, my pots, my pans. Make sure when you're laying your kitchen out, all of those things are around you, so when you're making and creating, everything is easy," says Dilly.

"Think of zones. Do you need a baking zone? Do you want a breakfast zone? These are the things we want to think about when we're laying out our kitchen, when we're unpacking it after a renovation," she continues.

"So everything is about layout, everything is about flow, is about zones. So when you are designing your kitchen, think about how your family functions, what makes sense and then imagine yourself in it," recommends Dilly.

While it's helpful to look at this year's kitchen trends, the top priority is creating a space that works for you day in and day out.