Whether you like making or just eating baked goods, everyone can appreciate a tasty dessert! This year I graduated from the occasional cookie maker to the extensive weekend baker. As my baking evolved, I realized that I needed my ingredients, supplies, and tools all in one place. That way, when baking, I’m not wasting time looking for things all over my kitchen. Let me tell you! Creating my own baking station with everything I needed within an arm’s reach revolutionized my baking. If you are a baker like me, or just enjoy a beautifully organized space, then let’s explore the basic steps needed to set up a baking station in your Camden apartment kitchen.

Step 1: Finding the Space

Let’s start off with the location - the perfect baking station space must include a countertop for rolling, mixing, and decorating and a storage space for well…storage. So whether it is granite or quartz, your Camden kitchen has got you covered with PLENTY of countertop space. And if you live at a Camden apartment community, like Camden Gallery in Charlotte, then your 42” upper and lower cabinets are begging you to fill them with all your baking supplies.

When picking your baking spot, you get bonus points if your station is located steps away from the stainless steel Whirlpool refrigerator and oven in your Camden kitchen. When looking at an apartment at Camden Gallery and scouting out a baking station, your space might look like the below. This baking station is ideally equipped with upper and lower cabinets, quartz countertops with plenty of space, and close proximity to the Whirlpool stainless steel oven, refrigerator, microwave, and an under-mount stainless steel sink with Moen fixtures.

Photo courtesy of Camden Gallery apartments in Charlotte, NC

Step 2: The Middle

Now onto filling the space - your station will evolve over time, but I have found it is a good rule of thumb to start with the countertop and then work your way out. Since your counter is where all the mixing and decorating happens, you want it to have the items you will need most often. For me, my countertop has my KitchenAid mixer, a container with my utensils – spreaders, whisks, off-set spatula, etc. – and my rolling pin. In all honesty, my beautiful marble (and very heavy) rolling pin was not originally supposed to be on my countertop. Still, with nowhere else to put it, I finally relented and let it live on my countertop. With this addition to the countertop in my baking station, I needed to find an easily accessible space for my measuring cups and spoons. I eventually decided the best place for them was hanging above the countertop via adhesive hooks I ordered online. And while they aren’t technically still “on the counter,” they are easily within reach whenever I need them.

Building out the countertop of our baking station in an apartment kitchen, we start with a stand mixer on the left. Add a cute ceramic utensil holder on the right, and (if you are like me) place your rolling pin along the backsplash. Finally, we hung the measuring cups under the cabinets.

Photo courtesy of Camden Gallery, kitchen with baking station elements

Step 3. Up and Down

Now, depending on your space, you will either fill your upper or lower storage space. I vote you should always start with the upper cabinets; your back will thank me later. We can all agree you can’t bake without ingredients, so let’s do those next. To keep your ingredients fresh, I recommend investing in a baking ingredients storage set. This will allow you to keep all your essential ingredients: flour, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and cocoa powder, organized and within easy reach. The storage containers for your ingredients go on the bottom-most shelf of the upper cabinet/shelves. Depending on the length of your shelf, you may need to add some of your dry ingredients to the second shelf.

Photo courtesy of Camden Lincoln Station and Camden Victory Park

Once you arrange your dry ingredients, you need your add-ins: vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, spices, coloring, and sprinkles. There are various ways you can arrange the next shelf, depending on what ingredients you use most when baking and your own organizing style. Organizational pieces that work great for baking are a lazy susan, a spice rack, or a cute storage bin if you have open shelving.

Step 4. Finish it Off

Once you have your overhead shelving situated, you can store additional baking supplies in the lower shelving. Since I love baking cakes, my underneath shelving has my cake decorating supplies: turntable, cake boards, food coloring, piping bags, etc. Then on the very bottom, I add the backstock of my ingredients. As I have escalated the frequency of my baking, I now buy my baking ingredients in bulk at Costco. I then use the big bags of ingredients to replenish my baking storage containers. Finally, finish organizing the rest of your baking ingredients in your remaining space. When you are done, if you are working with open shelving, your baking station will be both functional and beautiful!

My baking station has evolved many times over the past year. Still, these simple steps outline the space and items needed to create a beautiful baking station to make baking your favorite treats easy! Remember, everyone’s baking station will look different, but when you put it all together, it looks something like this:

Read more on SimplyCamden for ideas on how to maximize your apartment spaces for different hobbies, decor or hosting get-togethers!