Operation Declutter: Organization Ideas for the Kitchen

I'm generally a pretty organized person.  I like to have a place for everything, and everything in its place.  I try to sort through junk mail right away and deal with the rest as needed.  

With that said, I have my moments where things start to get a little out of control.  Our current kitchen renovation being one of them.  For some reason, it's less motivating to stay organized when everything around you is just a mess.  But once we get the kitchen all put back together and it looks amazing (hopefully), I'm going make a conscious effort to get-and stay--organized again. 

It irks me when papers, junk mail, and other random things accumulate on the counter.  Counter space is valuable real estate in our small kitchen, so I'd prefer to keep it as uncluttered as possible.  I've been brainstorming a few ideas for a mail station/organizer to hang on the wall behind our door in the kitchen.  Aside from mail, it needs to be a drop zone for keys, dog leashes, sunglasses/wallet/cell phone, etc.  A low profile is also important since it's right behind the door.

I'll probably have to make something for myself to get it just the size and style I want, but there's some good inspiration out there! These are some that I especially like:

Pallet-style key rack 

Mail slot with chalkboard & hooks

Key & mail organizer on reclaimed wood

Wooden mail sorter

Rustic Dark Brown Wood Wall Mounted Mail Sorter Key Hook Organizer Rack w/ Memo Bulletin Chalkboard Sign (via Amazon)

Two-file wall organizer

Ideally, I'll be able to combine wood and wire/metal to create the beautiful and functional organizer of my dreams! So how do you keep your kitchen organized?  

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