apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

organized? yes
clean? yes
cluttered looking? uh, yes.

being more cohesive w/colors and design of all items: priceless.


open shelving isn't _always_ the answer...

I actually think is a great example of doing what you can with a budget that seems similar to mine. We can't all afford to change cabinetry in a rental, but I think your narrow shelf is a great find: it fits your space perfectly, and the paint does a lot to liven up a rental kitchen.

And I think your open shelving is really tidy: your pots match and are lined up in a row, etc. If I had open shelving... I can't even finish the thought.

Anyway, I say congratulations on finding some good solutions for your limited space. I've mentioned it before, but I think there should be a subcategory--or different contest, even--for people who are renters (esp those on very restricted budgets). There's no way most of us could compete with people who are lucky enough to be able to renovate--even simply paint--but that's not to say we don't have great ideas.

I do wish you had supplied a picture that gave an overall sense of the space. But this looks like a really hard-working kitchen, intelligently organized.

I didn't mean to sound harsh - which with hindsight i DID, sorry!

I did a lot of work on a 250 sq ft studio while living off a dinky unemployment check (had been working at $23k/yr for a non-profit, so you KNOW it was a dinky monthly allowance) ----- anyhow, where there's a will, there's a way.

I think there should be resources on that on here -- I don't own or even desire an Eames chair, and frankly, a lot of the entries on here look either too IKEA or too DWR, I would like more innovative individual takes on 'modern' and what have you. The world does not revolve around mid-century.....i digress.

I had hideous cabinets, I painted everything a solid color, did the backsplash wall another color, put a design element of plastic cut outs (not as bad as it sounds!) on the cupboard doors to detract from other rough areas and did you suspended shelving/vegtgie rack thing ---- i did land a stellar job after 6 months!

paint stores and hardware stores have random leftovers, as do friends who renovated years ago and somehow the paint is still work-able. (free or dirt cheap) work with the colors, you can afford to wait until a color you like comes up, even if it's just enough to paint a lamp.

Get a cheap sheet from the Wal-Mart clearance pile and cut that up, use that iron-on fusible hemming tape and find a way to rig it up to cover your tall open floor shelf.

etc.

it is possible folks, been there, done that. just think outside the box and keep receiving the DWR and IKEA catalogs for inspiration.

Hmmmm. Maybe I have a different definition of clutter, but it looks like Sarah uses every piece of equipment in the kitchen. I like it because it's neat, clean and looks like actual meals are prepared here.

I like this a lot - good organization in a very small space. Open shelves rule.

Re: "Get a cheap sheet from the Wal-Mart clearance pile and cut that up, use that iron-on fusible hemming tape and find a way to rig it up to cover your tall open floor shelf."

Please don't do this. It will hinder your access to the shelves; become a fire hazard; and look cheesy.

Thanks all, for your positive comments and constructive suggestions.

Renata - the picture of the fridge is from the doorway, the prep table is on the wall on the left, and the sink/stove/ shelves are on the wall on the right.

I have to say, these pictures are terrible. I don't have a digital camera and took them on the weekend of the big noreaster (much rain). When I look at them, it's actually funny to me to see what looks like a gloomy grey miasma seeping across them. And the big disadvantage to not having a digital camera is that you can't see your shots immediately and then take new, better ones. So I tried to take pictures from many angles, and then chose the best from what I had, but even the best was very uninspiring. So then the question was, why submit these bad photographs, which wouldn't even give a good impression for someone who might like my kitchen? In the end, just for the fun of it, knowing that most votes would be negative.

Not to worry, there's no chance that I'll cover the tall shelves with a sheet. There are relatively inexpensive white pdf pantry units from Target or Ikea that are roughly that shape, which I could see would be appealing to someone who doesn't like open cabinets. But for me, the main purpose of those shelves is to have someplace to put appliances like the toaster oven and espresso machine, so a closed cupboard wouldn't work.

The other advantage of submitting photographs, even bad ones, is being able to see the space more objectively. The suggestions that I would give myself are:

1) better cord management!

2) move the wok and the watering can from the top of the fridge

3) get a more cheerful, brightly colored poster (e.g., an old advertisement for fruit) to replace the picture above the prep table, which doesn't really add anything

4) move the spices from their store-bought containers to plain glass bottles, to give the cupboard to the right of the stove a slightly more unified, less cluttered appearance (ok, so nobody could see this from the website picture, but it's still a good idea).

The open wooden cabinets are an eyesore. Previous tenants took the doors off - they're still in the basement, so I could ask my landlady to put them back on, but I can't imagine that the doors would look much better than the cabinets do. There is the option of staining or painting them, but I'm not sure that the minimal improvement would be worth the effort...

There are a couple of rental, non-rehabbed kitchens that will likely make it into the finals, and I imagine that the judges will then take the contestant's constraints into account. Voters seem to be rewarding the rental kitchens that make a strong visual statement, which makes sense, and which this kitchen certainly doesn't do, especially in these pictures.

Hello, I would love to know where your working kitchen table is from. Its what i need for my small kitchen with limited counterspace. thanks.