Making Room for Kitchen Appliances

Better Homes and Gardens

Finding space for kitchen appliances within a small kitchen can be a real trick.  But with some handy dandy inventions you can easily turn an area that was once an eye sore into a clean and organized space.  

The best way to keep your appliances out of view, but within reach, is to install built in sliders or various other pop-up or fold away mechanisms.  

 Southern Living

Better Homes and Gardens

If built-ins aren't an option, try to make their presence intentional with open shelving that mixes kitchen necessities with appliances for one cohesive and functional look.

Apartment Therapy

Oh La La!  I'm sucker for a white kitchen!

Domino Magazine

Clearing Out Your Home and Mind..A Look at Books that Will Help.

I find that getting a little guidance now and then on ways of simplifying my life helps a great deal when you get stuck in a rut. Books can inspire, help you remember, and guide you in the right direction. Below are a few great reads that will help you organize your shelves and your everyday life as well.

Organizing Plain and Simple by Donna Smallin is an all inclusive reference guide to get you through your clutter and find out why, and how, it accumulates in your life. It covers everything from cleaning to managing your time and family life. With professional resources and step by step guides, you won't be able to find a reason not to organize.

Organize Now by Jennifer Ford Berry is a great book for those of you who need a structured schedule in order to get things done. Conveniently, this book tackles the mountain of organizing a lot of us have to do and breaks it down into manageable weekly assignments. This book covers every nook and cranny where stuff can accumulate. An extra bonus is a chapter dedicated to helping you get it together for special events like holidays, a trip, or even when having a baby.

Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Rooney Doland is a good book to establish a starting point within a brief period of time (one week). As reference, this might do the trick for some, but in my opinion the tasks the author creates for one days work could take some of us weeks to do properly. That being said, this book covers more than just the home. It delves into your work environment and even tips for getting out the door in the morning.

Living the Simple Life by Elaine St. James is a wonderful book about becoming clear about what is important to you. With chapters like "Things that Complicate Our Lives, Never Touch a Piece of Mail More Than Once, and Come Up With a Creative Solution Rather Than Buying a Solution" you are forced to start thinking about what you have in your lives and how to avoid the trappings of over complicating. This book deals with altering behaviors and your attitude to become a more fulfilled, time-saving, and organized individual.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin focuses on striving for both the physical and psychological ways of making yourself feel happier in a variety of areas in your life.

Although there is only a small section committed to cleaning up your space, there is an important message of overall wellbeing that is derived from organizing and shaping of your own direction. It is filled with personal stories of the author's struggles while maintaining an overall optimistic perspective about achieving a happier state.

Stylishly Creating Space in Your Bedroom

When it comes to your bedroom there may be a few areas that could provide you with a little extra space. Whether you want to add more things to your collection, or if you want to just have some room to breath, these quick tips can help you achieve your goal.

Organize your drawers and go through your clothes. Remove items you don't want / need anymore. Stow seasonal items (ex. sweaters, heavy coats) away for the season so that you can find the items you use everyday easily and without digging.

real simple magazine

Storage chests give you extra space for those sweaters and blankets while providing you with a place to sit and tie your shoes, or prop books and other often used items.

livingetc.com

Here is a great example of transforming an unused space into usable storage. Not only did they hide their radiator with a practical window seat, but they built two large cabinets to either side for larger storage and used the header above the window to store smaller items.

houzz.com

Another example of the same idea over a bed.

housetohome.co.uk

Not all beds need to have the full pullout cabinetry underneath, or the slide and hide tupperware containers. This bed has lovely woven baskets to hold their extra items. The warmth and texture of the baskets compliment the warm earth tones throughout the room and give it an added natural feel.

home-zine.co.za

Not that many of us have this option, but I thought it would be cool to take a look at an innovative solution for storing extra clothes. Very interesting, but not sure how practical.

dwell magazine

Using a dresser as a side table next to your bed can be a smart way of combining the elements you need. It is a functional side table where your light, clock, and books are located, but is also providing you with much more storage than a typical bed side table.

elle decor magazine

myhomeideas.com

Another way to save space is use a desk as your bed side table. By combining two functional areas, you are able to save space in another area of your home.

domino magazine

decorpad.com

Divide and Concur Kitchen Clutter

"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." -- Albert Einstein, scientist

One of the biggest places people need extra space is in the kitchen. There never seems to be enough counter space or enough storage for all of the contraptions that we buy. The mixers, the blenders, and the whirling thingamajigs. It might be a good idea to go through some of that stuff to make room for the things that you will use all the time.

Just recently I was trying to make room for a couple of cookbooks inside of my cabinets and came across a large serving bowl I never knew I had. It made me think...how many other things are going unused and unnoticed until they have joined the "I don't remember buying this!" list. So I proceeded to go cabinet by cabinet, shelf by shelf, and clear things out. I ended up with a bag full of stuff that included an old George Forman grill I haven't used in years and some coffee mugs that I'd been holding on to for sentimental reasons. Whatever was hiding I put in a place where I know I would see it and use it. If I don't use them now, then I will know that its because I have no use for them, not because I didn't know they were there. My new rule...I want to use everything I own, otherwise why have it.

Here are a few ideas to create extra space around the kitchen as well as some interesting food storage options to keep everything organized:

1. $9.99 Wall Mount Grocery Bag Holder by Simple Human 2. $99.00 Roll-Out Under Cabinet Lid Holder at Bed Bath and Beyond 3. $29.99 Asker Dish Drainer at Ikea 4. $7.99 Silver-3 Tier Mesh Cabinet Organizer at The Container Store 5. $17.99 Pull Out Waste Sorting Tray at Ikea 6. $84.95 Rev-A-Shelf Heavy Duty Mixer at Amazon.com 7. $29.95-36.95 Modular Drawer Organizer at William Sonoma 8. $6.99-$8.99 Undershelf Basket at The Container Store

1. $40-$60 each Le Creuset Enameled Stoneware Canisters at William Sonoma 2. $5.00-21.00 each Weck Modern Jar Set at Heath Ceramics 3. $19.95 Herb Keeper at Crate and Barrel 4. $6.99-$9.99 Handled Food Storage Containers at The Container Store 5. $7.00-$19.00 each Oxo Pop Containers from Amazon.com 6. $14.99 Magnetic Spice Rack at The Container Store 7.$4.00 Onion Saver at Sur La Table

Ideas!!!!!!!

Ikea

Pottery Barn

Ikea

Pottery Barn

Indecorati.com

meandalice.blogspot.com

Idealhomemagazine.co.uk

Sunset Magazine