Even as a kid, I could spot an organizing product from a mile away…
I have a clear memory from my childhood of walking into a Chinese restaurant and noticing in the back corner–a sizable round table with a small, round piece of wood on top of it. While my family ate, a large group of people were seated at that table and what happened next made my ten-year-old eyes go wide.
The patrons ordered. The waiters brought out platters of food and placed them all on the round piece of wood. Then, that round piece of wood started moving. And people started serving themselves from it. Holy-moly–it spins!
I went home after dinner and wrote in my diary:
Dear Diary, Tonight at dinner I got a really disappointing fortune cookie BUT, I saw the coolest thing at the Chinese restaurant. I MUST someday sit at one of those tables with the spinny-thing on it. It was too cool for school. But I’m going to have to find nine other people to join me at the table because they won’t seat me there by myself…
As an adult, I eventually found nine other people who enjoyed Chinese food and were equally intrigued with the spinning table top. And, yes–it was a fun time. Childhood life goal fulfilled!
When it comes to writing about cool organizing products, I often focus on a singular item. This time, I’ve chosen to declare a category of organizing products as today’s ‘Cool Product.’ If you haven’t guessed already, I’m talking about the Lazy Susan.
I know–you have the same question I do. Why is it called a Lazy Susan?
I went looking for a definitive answer and came up with a bunch of educated guesses from educated people…
In my research and reading, I found that no one really knows for sure where the term ‘Lazy Susan’ comes from. There are more myths and conflicting reports than fact.
Here are a few facts and a few theories about the Lazy Susan:
• It dates back to 13th century China and 18th century England and was probably created to replace household help.
• Some historians say that Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Edison both had daughters named Susan and both had a hand in it’s invention (not at the same time in history, of course). There is no credible proof of that theory.
• In 1891, Elizabeth Howell was granted a patent for improvements to the ‘self-waiting table’ that included making the moveable portion less noisy and preventing crumbs from getting between the table and the revolving part.
• The Lazy Susan first appeared in an advertisement in Vanity Fair magazine in 1917.
• The phrase ‘Lazy Susan’ was added to the Webster’s Dictionary in 1933.
• It found it’s way into Chinese restaurants in the 1960’s–referred to as a ‘hygienic dining tray.’
• It found it’s way into Lechter’s (who remembers the former kitchen-supply store?), The Container Store, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, HomeGoods, and other stores many years later!
The Lazy Susan has evolved over time and has recently become a staple organizing product in many homes–and not just for use on the dining room table.
Benefits to using a Lazy Susan and why it’s such a ‘cool product.’
• A Lazy Susan offers easy access to hard-to-reach spaces
• A Lazy Susan creates storage space in awkward spaces
• A Lazy Susan easily bring items from the back of a space to the front
They come in plastic with rubber grip material, clear plastic (oh, so popular now), metal, wood, marble–so many styles, colors, and sizes. They’re flat, they have raised edges, high-sides, they have compartments. Something for everyone!
And let’s be real. Objects that spin have novelty (who doesn’t love to spin around in a chair???). And in the case of the Lazy Susan, novelty = fun. We’re more likely to use an organizing product if it does something fun–like SPIN! Just another reason why I’m declaring it a ‘Cool Product.’
Where to use a Lazy Susan?
Refrigerator
A Lazy Susan works well in a refrigerator that is deep so items don’t disappear and die in the back of your fridge. Stick your hand in, spin it, and easily retrieve what you need. Less wasted food = less wasted money and less time spent running to the supermarket.
Upper and Lower Cabinets
If you’ve ever searched for a can of soup or a box of macaroni and cheese on the top shelf of an upper cabinet, you know the struggle is real. You can’t install a pull-out drawer in most upper cabinets so how do you easily reach what you need? Install–you guessed it–a Lazy Susan. This will provide an easy-to-access rotating storage system that will allow you to access anything that would otherwise cling to the back wall of the cabinet. Similarly, install one in a lower cabinet in a kitchen or bathroom in lieu of a pull-out drawer or basket.
Corners
Corners can be difficult to access but there’s no reason why we can’t use this awkward space more efficiently. Make the most of a corner where two shelves meet or a blind corner in a lower L-shaped corner cabinet by adding a Lazy Susan. And if you have the height, consider using one with multiple tiers. I always say, “If you have run out of room to organize outward, then organize upward!”
Homework/Art Station
The ladies of The Home Edit really know how to make a Lazy Susan look fab. But don’t despair if the contents of your Lazy Susan are not arranged in rainbow order (thank you Mr. ROY G. BIV). Make homework and art-time more fun with a Lazy Susan filled with pencils, crayons, scissors, glue sticks, etc. Yes, a ‘spinny thing’ can motivate your kids to do their homework and channel their inner Picasso. Whatever works–right, parents?
I use a few Lazy Susans in my own home. I currently have one in a corner of my pantry closet for small items such as extra spices, cans of ginger ale, and small bottles of infrequently used condiments (it’s the one in the photo above). I also use two in a narrow upper kitchen cabinet to group all of my family’s vitamins in one location.
In thinking about it, the memory in the Chinese restaurant was not my first encounter with a Lazy Susan. It was one in my mother’s kitchen. It was a lovely 1970’s gold (who remembers THAT?). It lived in a cabinet close to the cooktop and held a variety of spices. It’s probably the first Lazy Susan I ever saw but did not pay much attention to it until I was old enough to start cooking.
That Lazy Susan worked in our kitchen for close to FORTY YEARS! I recently asked my mother about it and she told me it unfortunately broke some time ago and had to be replaced by a newer 2-tiered version–NOT in gold.
So, if you’re having trouble reaching items in your closets, cabinets, or pantry OR the thought of using an organizing product that *spins* makes you giddy, give the Lazy Susan a try.
If you are the proud owner of at least one Lazy Susan in your home, share in the comments how you’re using it and how it makes your life easier. I’d love to know!
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Stacey is a Professional Organizer, Virtual Organizer, and Author in Bergen County, New Jersey specializing in home organizing, time, and paper management. She is the author of The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook: Let Systems and 101 Modern Sample Thank You Notes Take You From Overwhelmed to Organized.
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I am blown away that you found your diary entry from age 10, and your first “experience” with a Lazy Susan. That’s precious! Your story reminded me of a really fun Lazy Susan experience, and not related to organizing.
Many years ago, we were invited to stay at our friends house on Martha’s Vineyard. On top of their round dining room table was an enormous Lazy Susan. It was almost the circumference of the table, but not quite. Yes, they used it for serving food (like the one you saw in the Chinese restaurant as a kid.) But they had a special tradition.
Any new guest visiting their house had to sit on top of the giant Lazy Susan and take a spin. So guess what? I did! And it was so much fun. I’ll never forget that.
Thanks for sharing that story. I love that tradition–so much fun! 🙂
Do you remember the kid toy–the Sit-n-Spin? My husband and I found one at a garage sale years ago and had to buy it. There’s just something about objects that spin that create immeasurable amounts of joy whether they be a lazy Susan, an office chair, or a pretty pinwheel.
I didn’t know the history of lazy susans. Thanks for sharing.
I love my lazy susan! I don’t use it for organizing, though; I use it for my round table in the sunroom. It’s a great place to place food for parties gatherings so everyone can reach the items on it.
I didn’t know the history of lazy Susans, either until I started doing research for this blog post. I’m sure your guests love your lazy Susan as much as you do!
I absolutely love them! I have a VERY old one in my pantry that I think I must have gotten when I was in college. It is a faded beige color, with two tiers, but I love it and it fits well in my space.
The newer ones, with the dividers and the walls, are so sexy. Plus, they come in multiple sizes. They work so well, for so many purposes. Love that you mentioned for school supplies:)
Super interesting to read about the background of this nifty tool!
I thought the history was fascinating, too. Whoever thought of adding dividers and high sides to lazy susans was a genius! I hope your very old one keeps spinning for many years…
I’ve always found Lazy Susans interesting (and I like the name much better than “turntable,” which really should just apply to a record player), but my mom took the concept one better. When we built our house, she demanded two separate cabinets house oversized Lazy Susan-style shelving.
As you enter the kitchen, there’s a cabinet about the size and height of a phone booth, and within it, there’s a central pole and they are tiered copper shelves that turn. The cabinet is deep, but nothing is ever out of reach. There’s also a smaller, matching Lazy Susan set-up in the far corner of the kitchen, by the stove, in that dead space where two walls of cabinets come together, making great use of the space.
I love the use of a Lazy Suzan in the fridge, though it works better in those that have solid shelves rather than old-school rack shelving. And one area you didn’t mention is the bathroom, on the counter for cosmetics, brushes, and fiddly little bottles and tubes.
So cool focusing on this stellar organizing solution. Let’s get eight others and have some Chinese food from the spinny thing!
Your mom had a keen eye for organizing (and probably still does!)!
When my kitchen was remodeled, my contractor couldn’t believe how many lower cabinet pull-out drawers I asked for. He knew I was a PO so it wasn’t a far-fetched request. Whether it’s a lazy Susan or a pull-out drawer the goal is the same–be able to reach the items that are stored toward the back of the cabinet!
I don’t think it would be difficult to round up eight other organizers who want to eat lo mein and egg rolls from a giant lazy Susan!
I love a Lazy Susan for art projects! Art tables can get cluttered quickly, and there’s nothing worse than having to dig through piles to find what you need.
I agree–lazy Susans are the perfect organizer for art supplies. And great for sharing art supplies with others working at the same space. And it spins! As if making art couldn’t get more fun?!?
I have a two-tiered Lazy Susan where I keep my loose leaf tea: 5 tins of “daytime teas” (green, black, or anything else with caffeine) on the bottom shelf and 5 “nighttime teas” (herbal, or anything else without caffeine) on the top shelf. Always easy to see what I have and to choose what I feel like!
I love how you used a lazy susan to organize your teas–you made it very easy for yourself to enjoy a cup at any time of day or night!
I can’t believe you found your diary from when you were 10 wow. I have used a lazy Susan in my fridge for years now. I love it. Interesting post.
I kept a lot of writings from my childhood! And even as an adult, I still find the Lazy Susan in that Chinese restaurant fascinating…