I recently took a short break from the ovens to give my kitchen a much-needed refresh. While the space was functional before, tailoring the layout to flow seamlessly with my baking process has been an absolute game-changer for my daily workflow.
When you’re running a cottage bakery, your kitchen isn’t just a home—it’s the heart of your business!
Let There Be Light!
Operating a cottage bakery from a basement kitchen means natural daylight is a luxury. To combat the shadows, I painted the walls and ceiling in ‘Polarbear White” by Behr
The difference is night and day. The bright white allows what little light I have to bounce off every surface. Not only does this help me keep a clean environment, but it also drastically improves the lighting for filming content. I might not be a professional interior designer, but the DIY charm is exactly what makes this feel more like me.
Channeling Julia Child: The Pegboard Experiment
Lately, I’ve been reading up on legendary chefs who took non-traditional career paths, which led me straight to photos of Julia Child’s famous kitchen pegboards.
While a fully exposed tool wall might be a visual nightmare for some, for a baker, it’s pure efficiency. Having everything laid out at eye level is a fantastic reminder of the tools I already own (perfect for curbing the urge to buy random kitchen gadgets!). Plus, it makes grab-and-go styling incredibly easy mid-bake. The pegboards are from Amazon.
👉 Baking Tip: Group your tools by station: Right by my mixers, I’ve hung my spatulas, rulers, and mixer attachments.
Meanwhile, I love to handle the cutting, scooping, and messier prep work right between the sink and the stove, making that the perfect secondary spot for the rest of my utensils. I’m giving these pegboards a test run before I go completely wild and plaster the walls and ceilings with hanging pots and pans!
Reclaiming My Workspace
Another major shift was playing musical chairs with my refrigerator. It’s admittedly a bit too large for the space right now, but moving it out of the main prep zone has freed up massive amounts of counter space.
Because I practice mise en place—measuring out all my flour, sugar, and ingredients before I begin—I don’t need to constantly run to the fridge once I’m in the zone.
The Grand Plan: Eventually, I aim to upgrade to a more streamlined fridge and add a dedicated deep freezer right in the kitchen to store doughs, seasonal ingredients, and backstocks.
Creative Storage Solutions
Finally, I tackled ingredient storage. I put together some sturdy wire shelving and created a makeshift pantry using a room divider from Amazon and a Home Depot heavy-duty painter’s drop cloth as a curtain (Gracias Mami for sewing the hems!) . It keeps the bulk ingredients tucked away neatly and provides a backdrop.
Next up on the DIY list? Fixing up my crafting station and media area so I can take better product pictures and create more video content for social media.
What does your dream baking space look like? Are you team hidden cabinets or team open pegboard? Let me know in the comments below!