Sunday, September 28, 2008

My {Ridiculously Small} Kitchen


PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS MY OLD KITCHEN


Welcome to my kitchen!
Now GET OUT! There's only room for one.


Notice there are no drawers {NO DRAWERS?!?!?} or lower cabinets except under the sink and either side of the oven {which only fit baking sheets}


...with the dishwasher open


...with the fridge door open
...I'm pinched between the oven and the sink ...awesome!


West Elm L shelves work perfectly for spices over the stove.

All upper cabinets are filled with food except one which holds glassware.


The coat closet in the hallway became storage for dishware, pots&pans, utensils, and everything in between. I bought a clear plastic shoe holder {20$ @ BedBath&Beyond} and used it for all the utensils. It has held up amazingly considering the weight of utensils. It's been up for almost four years now and I just noticed a tiny hole in the butter knife section the other day.



lower closet shelves


upper closet shelves



Instead of painting the wall around the bar, I bought a couple yards of rich dark chocolate upholstery fabric {almost suede feeling} and hammered it to the base of the counter with short upholstery nails and covered the nails with a strip of vintage green hem tape. I used the selvage side at the bottom so I didn't even have to sew a hem. #1. I hate painting. #2. It prevents shoes from marking up the wall when sitting at the bar. #3. It adds a lot of depth to the room.



When we first moved in I had no idea what I was going to do with this tiny excuse for a kitchen, but with a little creativity and an open mind, I made it our own. I'm actually quite efficient in there too.
Like Tim Gunn says ...MAKE IT WORK! ...and I did.





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29 comments:

Wep said...

The pup looks like they are saying

Hmm...anything in those bags for me?

Teal Chic said...

and you've made it work!!!!

Since you're one of my favorite bloggers, just wanted to invite you to check out my new blog, as I'm moving over to wordpress!

My new address is
http://dolcechic.wordpress.com

Hope your weekend is going well!

~alison said...

And it is extremely organized.

Becs said...

I love your blog! Nice job with your kitchen! Best, Becs

Maki said...

You're using the space so wisely!
I love West Elm - We have many stuff in our house from them:)

Very nice kitchen and I like it!!!

hautepocket said...

Your kitchen looks close to mine in terms of size, but yours is SO ADORABLE. I love what you did with it, especially the bar.

Vanessa said...

Such awesome ideas!!

Liv/e in Both Senses said...

I love what you've done with the suede. It gives the room a real depth and luxurious look :)
Love the improvisation...call it, Character x

KTDP said...

looks like my first apartment .... the memories ...

(indecently; no microwave? no blender ? how can one live ..... sell the cutlery and get yer self a microwave ......)

Rachel said...

Girl you rocked your kitchen...clever ideas...love the style and the closet...bravo!!!! You "make it work"! It has a cozy but chic feel!

Mama Dawg said...

That's awesome!

I did the same thing in my kitchen (the shoe holder for utensils).

Here's the link to check out mine if you want to....

http://twodogsrunningsouth.blogspot.com/2008/06/revamped-mama-dawg-and-kitchen.html

Steph Corwin said...

wow good job! I am so impressed. Man I thought my kitchen was tiny, but I think your's wins. No drawers?? that's crazy!

Arjewtino said...

My kitchen is even smaller than that, by about 88%.

Luckily, my girlfriend is the one who cooks so it doesn't faze me.

Megan said...

Firstly, HOLY cow on the amount of pictures on your fridge! :) Secondly, I think you totally made it work, I like the kitchen!

MomMega said...

Genius! You are so creative and clever! I shall never complain about my lack of cupboard space again!

Claire, said...

Oh my goodness, you are clever!

Jessica Sutton said...

such a smart idea with the utensils!!

great blog :)

Katie said...

this is a cute kitchen!! you did make is work. I do have to say your dog makes it even cuter! :)

Penny said...

LOL,I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one with a super small kitchen.Yours actually looks really cute,and I love all the pics on the fridge.

I don't have any drawers either,don't worry.

josephine said...

definitely made it work! good job with that closet shoe rack idea! so creative

JKreids said...

LMAO I'm not the only one who keeps pots and pans in a hall closet?! My tiny kitchen rivals this old one of yours by maybe a foot. I will surely be investing in a shoe organizer for extra storage space. So tired of opening a cabinet and it raining Tupperwear. :)

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Team Romey said...

i LOVE Tim Gunn!!!

tehstotehara said...

The kitchen in my last apartment (studio) was exactly the same size. It was crazy. But it's amazing what a little bit of organization and flexibility can do! I love the shelves sitting on the stove for the spices!

Anonymous said...

ha ha ha...and i thought my kitchen was small!! Although it is probably only about 2ft longer!!!
Like the door organiser...good idea that i might have to apply that to my kitchen! hmmm pardon the pun but food for thought hey!