Small-Space Solution
Small Kitchens: Solutions for Renters & Homeowners
Note from Jane: Welcome back to Julia, who’s going to be blogging here at The Borrowed Abode more regularly! Take it away . . .
Kitchens are a blight to many a renter. Scroll past the first picture for lots of useful eye candy.
Behold.
Before you look, 1) Have mercy for this is an old photo and I had a young infant (clearly) with me. That is also not my light fixture. I put it up there to be silly and see how it would look. But the cabinets are orangey-pink, my table was too big (we have a new one now) and the baby stuff has for the moment been removed. Oh and the mess has been picked up. 2) Please don’t pin this. That would be…embarrassing.
Now that I’ve stated and shown the obvious reasons rental kitchens can suck, let me go over a few more reasons why they frequently do:
- Too small
- Not enough storage OR
- Lots of cabinet storage that isn’t useful/makes no sense
- Dead wall space
- Narrow walking space (oven and fridge can’t be open at the same time, etc.)
Feel free to add more gripes and solutions in the comments.
That being said, I’d love to point out the number one way to fix a rental kitchen: just learn to live with it. While we may dream of granite counter tops and non-linoleum flooring I always find it best to focus on what I can do.
#1 I can COOK in my kitchen despite the fact that ___________. (Fill in the blank with your preferred reason)
The most amazing example I can think of regarding utility in small kitchens is Deb @ Smitten Kitchen. She is my go to for delicious recipes and gorgeous photography. Her kitchen happens to be just 42 sq. ft. (if you can believe it once you check out her site.) She has a great post with small kitchen maximizing tips that’s worth a read.
#2 I can maximize storage in my wee kitchen.
The nice thing about ugly old kitchens is that they are often already jacked up enough for me to continue the tradition of jacking them up. Behold, great kitchen ideas:
- Hooks under cabinets
- Use cabinet fronts for additional storage
- New uses of space and items: Tension rods as cabinet dividers, cake stands as counter storage, and tiny shelves wherever there’s room for them
- When in doubt, go vertical and use up your wall space – I add this point out of love. Between a huge window and a galley kitchen with cabinets in every inch of it, I have no room to go vertical.
Yeah, that last kitchen is pretty and the microwave is unrealistically small. And it has marble. But it has vertical storage that is likely affordable, so we can forgive the pretty I hope.
So, any amazing kitchen ideas that ya’ll have implemented in your rentals and homes? My kitchen needs help for sure (as we have witnessed), but with so much web inspiration out there I’m sure I can figure something out.
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How-To: Wine Crate Nightstand
Remember those modern wooden nightstands that Ryan and I built 1.5 years ago? Well, they’ve been gone since October, when I sold them in a yard sale.
After living with them for a year, I realized that we had no need for large nightstands, and they were just another piece of furniture that we had to dust and keep clutter-free. Oh, and having the open bottoms? The pet hair that collected was ridiculous. I don’t know what on earth most people use enormous nightstands for, unless they are living in a small apartment and need to maximize space. Read the rest of this entry »
Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm: A perfect romantic mountain getaway
From the number of comments and emails I’ve received, I’m pretty sure every blog reader I’ve ever had now knows that Ryan whisked me away last weekend to pop the question. And you all keep telling me you’re waiting to hear the story.
Well keep on waiting, ladies (and gents?), because I’m posting things in the order in which they occurred. :)
Kicking off this celebratory week of awesome is a tour of our borrowed vacation abode. Why are we starting with a cabin tour, and not the proposal story? Because before he could pop that big Q, I had to take photos for the blog, of course! :)
Ryan rented a sweet little cabin for two at the Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm. It was more luxurious than any cabin I’ve ever stayed in before. Located on the side of a mountain about 30 minutes outside of Charlottesville, VA, the 4 cottages are scattered amongst a farm property, each placed far enough apart that you totally feel like you’re on your own private vacation property. And they’re set up so wonderfully inside, with cozy towels and bedding and sweet-smelling soap, it’s much like a bed & breakfast.
Ryan had booked the Creek house, which was on the hillside overlooking woods and a creek.
Though the cabin was small by most people’s standards, it was the perfect size. Heck, it was about the size of apartments I’ve had, only much nicer. I could easily live in a space like this.
The cabin was essentially divided into two halves – the living room / dining room / kitchen half, and the bedroom/bathroom half. Read the rest of this entry »
Beyond White Paint, Episode 1: Curtained Walls
So here’s the deal. You’re renting your apartment, and it’s got those horribly cold white walls that glare at you. You asked your landlord if you could paint, and the answer was a resounding “NO!”
Why not? Does he really think that a little paint on their walls will wreck the place?
I guess so – because regardless of whether or not you agree with his logic, you’re living in a white cell until you find a way to jazz up those walls without hitting up the paint aisle at your local hardware store.
Fear not, fellow renter – because I’ve been there, done that. I (sadly) don’t have the pics to prove it, but I’ve got a few tried and true tricks up my sleeve.
And that’s where my new Beyond White Paint series comes in. Over the next few weeks I’m going to discuss several alternatives to painted walls.
Beyond White Paint, Episode 1: Curtained Walls
Curtains can be used in so many ways around the house – from dressing up a bedroom to hiding the cat litter. But they can do so much more than the basics – like covering up the antiseptic-white walls that too many renters get stuck with. Behold, the curtain wall:
VIA Kara Paslay Designs
Using Curtains to Create an Accent Wall Read the rest of this entry »
Melissa’s Tiny Kitchen {Semi Before & After}
Today’s post is one I’ve been procrastinating on for way too long.
Why?
Because I totally freaked out! I loved the enthusiasm in your comments about the “befores” of Melissa’s 350-sq-ft studio apartment, but then I totally got stage fright. The pressure was on – when everyone started saying “I can’t wait to see what you did with the place!” Though I can most certainly transform spaces completely, we just didn’t have enough time to completely flip the place during my all-t0o-short visit. The bulk of the time was spent simply wrangling her piles of stuff into place so that she could actually move around the apartment. :) But silly me for holding out on you simply because I worried I wouldn’t live up to your expectations!
The place may not be mag-worthy yet, but we did make progress. The better news is, I’m actually headed back for another visit between now and September, so I’ll be able to help Melissa pimp the pad out then!
So please, consider this a “before and during” post – not necessarily a real “after.” More like a “what can realistically be accomplished in 4 days when you help your friend move into a tiny studio.”
Hat Storage: Repurposed Take-Out Containers
This weekend I used some Command Adhesive strips to stick round plastic Chinese food take-out containers to the wall.
It worked perfectly.
You’re thinking I’ve really lost it now. And maybe I have . . . My studio was starting to look pretty good, but then I had to go and stick trash on the wall.
Here’s another peek: can you guess where I’m going with this?
Why, I was creating hat storage, of course!
Please allow me to explain the thinking that got me to this point.
In the past I hung my hats on little hooks, but was never pleased with that solution. The hats always fell off the hooks. Upon closer examination of the problem, I determined that a hat really needed a larger round object to sit upon. Something that they wouldn’t slip off of. So on Saturday I took a birthday trip to Home Depot, where I found some great round wooden thingies in the section where they sell wooden corners and finials and other bits to finish off stair rails and moldings. However, the round wooden thingies were about $8 each.
At that point I thought of what I had at home . . . and realized that those round [un-recyclable] containers that my Hot and Sour soup comes in would be perfect. And FREE! And they came with the bonus of saying to Ryan “See, I told you I’d find a use for my stockpile of plastic!”
Sure enough, it worked like a charm. I cut each Command strip in half, length-wise, and stuck each half on the bottom of a container, then pressed the container to the wall.
Total cost? about $5 in Command strips. I don’t think hat displays get any cheaper than that!
PS: For this, like any other project, a glass of wine is optional, but recommended. Especially if it’s a Saturday that happens to be your birthday!
No mantel for stockings? Branch out!
Ryan is currently composing several “what-the-hell” entries in his head, apparently – and all because of holiday decorating!
One reason – one BIG reason – is the fact that there is now a branch on our living room wall. A branch from which stockings are hanging.
I wanted to hang a pair of my handmade Christmas stockings, but had no mantle from which to do so. And I wanted to hang them on that back wall of the living room, as it was horribly blank. (In January I really need to make some artwork for that wall.)
Hanging stockings straight on the wall (using Command Adhesive hooks to keep the walls clean) would have been too easy, right? I wanted a creative solution – and a branch was the first thing that popped into my mind. I love the organic and rustic look of branches, and wish I could incorporate them into my home more often. But Ryan likes them outside, where they “belong.”
Sidenote: We entered into living together with an agreement: either we both agree on a decorating idea, or it doesn’t happen. I think it’s a good approach, even though it means I can’t upholster the living room couch in blue velvet, the whole point was to create a home that we both love. But when it came to the Christmas branch, I begged him to let me try it – and he agreed, but only because it’s temporary, like the rest of the holiday decor. (Thank you, Ryan!)
Back to the branch. I adhered it to the wall using two Command Cord Bundlers - they’re made for cord wrangling, but worked perfectly for branch hanging.
I tried a few different branches, some of which had gorgeous shapes and lots of tinier branches, but I had to settle on the octopus tentatcle one. The less curvy and more branch-y branches stuck out every which way, threatening to poke our eyes out as we stumbled blindly by in the dark of night.
Once our stockings were hung it still looked a bit bare, so I added a bit of bling in the form of small silver Christmas balls suspended from fresh green ribbon.
And as we receive our Christmas cards (if we get any!) I think I’ll find a way to clip them to the branches to finish off the look.
So there you have it -my rental-friendly solution to hanging stockings without a fireplace. I suppose a shelf could’ve accomplished the same thing, but that would have required much more work, not to mention drilling holes in the wall.
Now it’s your turn: tell me what you think! Are you with Ryan, preferring to keep branches outside the home? Or do you dig the natural look?
Tomorrow we’ll continue the fun Christmas decorating-themed-week when I return and tell you why we had to use a hair dryer to set up our Christmas Tree. Fingers crossed that Ryan will be inspired to chime in with his side of the story. Anyone want to guess on what this is all about? :)
PS: Iif you’d like some free help with a decorating challenge in your rented home, (with our without the use of branches), drop me a line!
{Kitchen Storage} How to hide a dish rack
I can’t stand having clutter on kitchen counters. Maybe it’s because I make a mess when I cook, or maybe it’s because I grew up in a home where the counters cluttered. I think kitchen tools and utensils should be stored away, which is why even my wooden spoons and spatulas are stashed in a drawer by the stove – not in a counter-top caddy. The clearer the counters, the easier to clean up after cooking.
Before Ryan, I never had a dish drainer. In my first DC condo money was tight – why waste it on that! I’d hand-wash my dishes and set them on a towel to dry. My kitchen was so small that I had to put them away ASAP, or I’d be out of counter space. I quickly realized that I really didn’t need one, no matter the size of my kitchen. Fast-forward to this year. Ryan wanted a dish drainer. I compromised, buying a very tiny one. It holds the little things – like my reusable glass straw, icing bag tips, knives, etc – that we hand wash.
With that in mind, I told Ryan that I absolutely could not stand to have it on the counter. Even if we had a double sink, I wouldn’t want it in there. It just invites clutter and grime. So we made a space for it under the kitchen sink. That way things are tucked out of sight. And when we have large dishes to dry, we just use the old towel-on-counter trick. Once done, we just hang the towel to dry. Much more space-efficient than a huge dish drainer.
Oh – and to protect the bottom of the undersink cabinet from water damage, I use a little plastic tray under the dish rack.
Behind the dish rack we have some recycling and cleaner storage. An old glass jar holds used batteries, and a plastic take-out container collects wine corks (for recycling at Whole Foods). (Did you know that cork is quickly becoming a depleted resource?) Next to that I have my granite countertop polish and the ceramic stovetop cleaner. You can see that I’m using the end of a Pepsi can box to store them. I told you organizing doesn’t have to cost, if you use trash! Oh, and by pulling from my stash of old jars and containers, I was able to customize the solution to fit perfectly. That rarely happens with fancy containers from the store!
On the other side of the cabinet I installed a plastic-bag holder. It was a bit tricky to insert it up high behind the sink basin, but I wanted to make use of that upper space. It’s not the easiest to insert the bags in the top, so we just shove them in the bottom. It works. This is one organizing item I heartily recommend buying. Below it you see we have a fire extinguisher. Which we haven’t needed yet – but with the frequency that I manage to set off smoke alarms when cooking, it’s a miracle it hasn’t had to be used. Please, if you don’t have one in your kitchen, get one. Now. And read up on how to use it. Even if you’re a less-smoky cook than me.
We keep the tiny trash can on an old placemat, along with our semi-eco-friendly dishwasher detergent. (Am I the only one having trouble finding a truly eco-friendly detergent that really works?) This trashcan is another holdover from my first condo – it’s made specifically to hold plastic grocery bags, with notches in the sides that you loop the handles over. Even though we try to use reusable bags for groceries, we inevitably end up with the plastic baggies now and then. The small size works (usually) because we recycle almost everything – our town collects plastics of all numbers (1-7), all metals, papers, etc. And you can never end up with a huge heavy bag of old stinky garbage, because the small size has you emptying it more frequently.
Finally, I just added a little Command hook (you know I love them!) on the inside of the cabinet door to hold some fun rubber gloves. I’m hoping that using them will help keep my hands from getting all dry and worn out like they do every winter. How do the gloves hang from the hook? Easy – I clip a little binder clip to them, which has a convenient metal loop on the end.
So that’s a very-in-depth look at what’s going on under our sink. Am I the only one who can’t stand having a dish drainer out? And please, if you have found a great eco-friendly dishwasher detergent, let me know!
PS: Thanks to Jen at IHeart Organizing for inspiring this close-up of some of my kitchen storage tricks. I totally blog stalk her for constant organizing inspiration. I’ve never seen someone so addicted to organizing – it’s fabulous! Be sure to check out her kitchen details, from the way she organized her fridge, to her perfectly organized drawers, and everything else.
Shared at Organize Your Stuff Now!
PS: If you’d like some free help with a decorating challenge posed by your rented home, please hop over here!
