Regina Yunghans

The ol' kitchen-chair-turned-backward setup worked just fine in the '70s, but today's helpful platforms are definitely safer!

Dust it at least once a week!

You know that awkward gap of wall surface left between the tops of most kitchen cabinets and the ceiling? It’s generally about twelve inches in depth and has long puzzled renters and homeowners alike when it comes to decorating, leading to such ideas as hanging rows of plates waaaaaay up high or squeezing in a few silk philodendrons (in the case of the ledge instead of the soffit).

Get out the tape measure, stand up straight, and bend your elbows!

It’s always nice to have a little bit of green around the house. At the center of the dining table, though, a live plant needs watering and limits your centerpiece to a pot with a tray to catch extra moisture. Break away from the pot with a green centerpiece made up of air plants: they need a soak from time to time, but they don’t need to be potted in soil. This leaves the door wide open for getting creative.

Soffits can be tricky things to deal with in a kitchen. You often can’t remove them, so the question becomes how do you best cover them up or help them blend into the rest of the kitchen? Here, we’ve rounded up 10 ways to disguise a soffit. A kitchen soffit is usually a boxy structure built to hide wiring, pipes, or other mechanicals, or to fill the space between the top of your cabinets and the ceiling.

I loved the tiny studio apartment I had with a separate kitchen. After moving to a one-bedroom that exchanged a separate kitchen for a bedroom (this kitchen was a galley along one side of the living room), I came to realize exactly just how much I appreciated a kitchen separate from the living room. But these examples of kitchens in living rooms make it look quite doable, even in less than 200 square feet.

Summer travel for many of us means hitting the open road. Can you imagine doing so with a fully functional kitchen in tow? These folks can:Here, we’ve rounded up five wonderful and portable kitchens that have been featured over at Apartment Therapy. From a fully renovated Airstream to a humble teardrop camper, these homes on wheels let you bring the creature comfort of the kitchen along for the ride.Have you traveled with a kitchen in tow before? How’d it go?

Yesterday’s high kitchen storage post led us to the inevitable: shopping around for step stools. But once you have a step stool for reaching those high cabinets, you probably aren’t going to have it out all the time. So, where do you store it in between uses?These are four ways to store a kitchen step stool that are convenient and keep the stool out of the way when not in use. Plus, a few are so hidden that the owner is probably the only one privy to their whereabouts!

Last week, I revisited some of our Kitchen Tours to look at extra counter space added by way of islands, carts, and tables. But, some of you asked, what about adding counter space to super small kitchens without room for the smallest of stands or carts? So let’s take a look at ways to make additional counter space in really small kitchens: 1. Cutting Boards: Get a large cutting board that fits over your sink or cook top. IKEA makes one that’s inexpensive and roomy.

We’ve all heard of Corian, and we might even be guilty of using the brand name for all solid surface countertop materials, much like “Kleenex” is often used for all facial tissues. So, what exactly is Corian, and what are some comparable, alternative countertop materials that are out there? The best generic name we’ve heard for Corian and its competitors is “solid surface” countertops. Of course, concrete, natural stone, and wood are solid surfaces too.

We know that interior styles can follow the more nimble fashion world. So, following the return of colorblocking being cool for clothing, it’s no wonder we’re also seeing the trend in kitchens! Kitchens actually lend themselves quite well to the look. Cabinets are modular by nature, providing a natural grid on which to colorblock. We like the look best with a clean, white backdrop and a few touches of color here and there.

If you should find yourself in the fortunate position of adding on a kitchen or building a new house, I want to put an idea out there: horizontal windows. Out of all the spaces in your home, a long, low strip of horizontal windows is perfect for the kitchen. Here’s why. When you’re in the kitchen, you’re often bustling about. From refrigerator to counter to stove and back, the kitchen is the one room that’s mainly about moving instead of remaining in one place.

I’ve always loved a window over the kitchen sink. My grandparents’ house had one; my parents’ house does, too. It’s a wonderful detail that provides a pastime while doing the dishes. So, what to do when you find yourself (somehow!) in a home without a window above the sink? Try a mirror!

I’m a fool for a kitchen with marble countertops, glass tile, and oversized pendant lighting. But when I look at my own typical, eight-foot-ceilinged kitchen, I sigh. There will never be room for oversized pendants in a kitchen with eight-foot ceilings, but that doesn’t mean resorting to ugly, domed surface-mounts (sometimes referred to as “boob lights“). Here are 10 fixtures that will have you asking, “Pendants? What pendants?” in no time.

This is one way to bring a little turkey decor to the Thanksgiving tabletop. Start saving up on wishbones!These classy-looking napkin rings are actually made from real wishbones. They’re cleaned then painted with a silver spraypaint, giving a jewelry-like touch to each place setting.One problem: It may not be easy to collect a wishbone for every single guest you’re expecting at Thanksgiving dinner. Anyone have suggestions for collecting several wishbones before the big day?

The kitchen work triangle is a design concept that can help create efficient use of kitchen work spaces. The idea is that a line drawn to the refrigerator, sink, and range should create a relatively even-sided triangle within which the major kitchen activities take place. The triangle layout can reduce unnecessary movement in the kitchen, making your use of the space more efficient. The first image in the gallery above gives you the idea in a diagrammatic way.

The shape of your countertop’s edge can have a huge effect on function, impacting everything from cleaning to safety. It’s the surface you’ll come into contact with most as you move through and use your kitchen, so its shape matters. Here are a couple of examples of some drastically different countertop edge profiles. It’s a common complaint that a bull-nosed edge profile like the one above can make it difficult to wipe crumbs from the countertop.

In our previous apartment, our tiny kitchen had no drawers. Drawers seem essential for items like flatware, cooking utensils, and kitchen linens. But there are ways to get along without drawers, too. Here are a few storage solutions for those with drawer-less (or too-few-drawered) kitchens. Get decorative. Shelves can hold pretty urns that in turn contain kitchen utensils and dish cloths. Under-shelf brackets like these from The Container Store let you store more than your shelves can hold.

We visited an island-only kitchen over the weekend. And let’s just say, it blew that whole kitchen work triangle thing out of the water:We had never really considered an island-only kitchen before. That is, until we briefly experienced one this weekend. It wasn’t something we thought we’d like, but we warmed up to it. We didn’t get a pic, but it’s large (say 12′ x 5′) and floats in an open living/kitchen/dining space.

Kitchen shelves are a way to get organized, save counter space, and create a stylish look.

When we spy a kitchen way up in the rafters of a building, we’re carried away with romantic notions of the view, the old building it’s probably located in, and dinners on the roof. It’s no wonder given these beautiful examples:But what are some practical concerns that might bring an attic kitchen back down out of the clouds? It seems they could be hotter than a typical kitchen given that they’re located high in buildings.

Beadboard is a traditional material that was once installed as separate boards. Today, the availability of beadboard-look sheeting products makes this look easier (and more inexpensive!) than ever to achieve for a cottage-y look in the kitchen.

The long line of beautiful, heavy-timber-bestowed kitchens that have us salivating could go on and on. Here, we’ve narrowed it down to ten to share with you:The materiality and solidity of heavy timber construction make a kitchen feel so warm. It adds age to an industrial modern aesthetic and a rough edge to the strictly traditional. Some of these kitchens are simply accented with exposed beams.