Regina Yunghans

Regina is an architect who lives with her husband and children in Lawrence, KS. As a LEED Accredited Professional and longtime contributor to Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, her focus is on healthy, sustainable living through design.
    How to Clean a Wood Table So It Maintains Its Finish
    Dust it at least once a week!
    Regina Yunghans
    Oct 6, 2023
    The 10 Best Stools for Little Kitchen Helpers
    Shopping
    The ol' kitchen-chair-turned-backward setup worked just fine in the '70s, but today's helpful platforms are definitely safer!
    Regina Yunghans
    Aug 23, 2023
    Mind the Gap: Fresh Ideas For Decorating the Kitchen Soffit
    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).
    Regina Yunghans
    Jan 25, 2023
    The 10 Best Sweet and Savory Recipes to Make with Plums
    Put your stone-fruit haul to good use.
    Regina Yunghans
    Jul 20, 2021
    10 Recipes That Use Dandelion Greens
    Like a heartier version of arugula, they are not only edible but actually delicious.
    Regina Yunghans
    Mar 30, 2021
    My Travel Snack: Avocados
    When I’m traveling, it seems the easiest snacks to come by are sweet ones. What with baked-on-board cookies, go-to trail mix, and sweet fruits galore, it’s easy to start feeling a little dizzy with all of that sugar and so little substance. I’ve found that the snack I want to keep at hand when I’m traveling is easy, filling, and savory. It’s an avocado!
    Regina Yunghans
    Mar 19, 2021
    The Right Height for Your Counters — And 5 Other Key Kitchen Measurements
    Tips from The Kitchn
    Get out the tape measure, stand up straight, and bend your elbows!
    Regina Yunghans
    Sep 9, 2020
    On the Grid: Grids in the Kitchen
    Whether it’s for storage or aesthetics, there are a few places that a good ol’ grid may pop up in the kitchen. The grid is an organizational tool and a strong visual pattern that we found all over these kitchens:• 1 Functional Green Decor: Gridwall Panels in the Kitchen • 2 Eco Wood Grid Shelf • 3 Square white tiles at Chez Larsson • 4 Check floor tiles may be one of the most common kitchen grids.
    Regina Yunghans
    Jul 17, 2020
    5 Ways to Find More Counter Space
    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.
    Regina Yunghans
    Jun 5, 2019
    No Window Over the Kitchen Sink? Hang a Mirror!
    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!
    Regina Yunghans
    May 30, 2019
    Beadboard on Kitchen Cabinets, Walls, and Ceilings
    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.
    Regina Yunghans
    May 2, 2019
    Rhubarb for Dinner: Savory Rhubarb Recipes
    Mmmmm! We love rhubarb. And don’t get us wrong, we love rhubarb in summertime desserts. But sometimes all of that sugar that it takes to even out its tartness isn’t needed at all. That’s when you bring rhubarb to the dinner table.
    Regina Yunghans
    May 2, 2019
    Cupboard Before & After: The Wood Rack That Fixed My Baking Sheet Problem
    There’s this vertical base cabinet in my kitchen that I initially thought would be perfect for storing baking sheets, trays, and cutting boards, but as the skinny cabinet got crowded, it became increasingly difficult to find what I needed. Then, once I did find what I needed, removing said item from the cabinet inevitably created an avalanche. What the cabinet needed was something that would prevent a domino effect when one item was removed.
    Regina Yunghans
    Mar 25, 2015
    Appliance Cabinet Before & After: I Discovered the Best Way to Store Food Processor Blades
    In our small kitchen, we like to keep everything up and off the countertops. That’s where this little cabinet comes into play. We don’t have many small appliances, yet their storage cabinet had somehow managed to fall into a state of chaos. I set out to straighten things up in a way that made the appliances and their accessories easy to access and easy to put away: Before, the cabinet simply “caught” whatever we “threw” at it.
    Regina Yunghans
    Mar 10, 2015
    Pantry Before & After: The Amazing Power of Bins and a Snack Basket
    Lacking an actual pantry closet, we use a couple of upper kitchen cabinets for the task. It’s a pantry in as much as it’s a place where we store nonperishable foods. But it’s never really been organized. Here, I take a look at helping these cabinets along when it comes to performing as a pantry. I hadn’t used organizing bins or trays in the cabinet before because I simply wasn’t convinced that they would provide better, more efficient storage. Boy, was I wrong.
    Regina Yunghans
    Mar 3, 2015
    Before & After: A Dish Cupboard Makeover
    I have a large dish cabinet that has taken on piles of prep bowls, odds-and-ends (like vitamins and water bottles!), and nice serving dishes that don’t see much use because they’re buried. This is just one of the cabinets in my kitchen that needs help. I’ve set out to pare down, categorize, shift to underused cabinets, and provide easy access to everything. Erratic piles, be gone!
    Regina Yunghans
    Feb 17, 2015
    10 Simple Christmas Centerpieces
    If you’re like me, you’re going to need most of your holiday prep time in the kitchen. No time to fuss over complicated centerpieces for the table! But there are lots of ways to make the holiday table beautiful without sinking all of your time into it. Here are a few simple ideas. Make mason jar luminaries like these from Cattales on Etsy. Find a pretty glass container and fill it with bulb ornaments. Cut a pine branch and put it in water. Voila!
    Regina Yunghans
    Dec 24, 2014
    10 Quirky Food-Themed Christmas Ornaments
    The pickle has long had a special place on the Christmas tree. Take the cool cuke’s lead and check out these other food-themed ornaments for your tree! Fig Ornament, Sur la Table, $4.86 Grilled Cheese Sandwich Glass Ornament, Bronner’s, $8.99 Onion Purple Glass Ornament, Bronner’s, $14.99 Short Stack of Pancakes, ChristmasOrnaments.com, $13.99 Mostaccioli Christmas Ornament, OrnamentShop.com, $13.
    Regina Yunghans
    Dec 22, 2014
    10 Flush-Mount Fixtures for Your Low-Ceilinged Kitchen
    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.
    Regina Yunghans
    Dec 8, 2014
    How a Long Window Can Make a Good Kitchen View Even Better
    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.
    Regina Yunghans
    Nov 17, 2014
    Galactagogue Foods That Have Helped Me Breastfeed Better
    “Galacta-what?” you may have thought when you read the title above. Or maybe you didn’t. In which case, this post’s for you! Galactagogues are substances that naturally promote breast milk production. I’m currently breastfeeding, and I’ve been eating a few foods that have seemed to help. Here they are, in case you’re breastfeeding too or know someone who is.
    Regina Yunghans
    Oct 30, 2014
    Bring Summer Inside with Wicker Chairs at the Dining Table
    At summer’s end, I often find myself desperate to hold onto some of its treasures. You’ll find me preserving extra garden tomatoes in the freezer, making pesto… and dreaming of setting up the dining area with a touch of the outdoors: Wicker! Here are a few examples of wicker chairs in the dining area, bringing breezy, natural style into your space year-round.
    Regina Yunghans
    Oct 3, 2014
    9 Kitchen Disposables That You Can Replace with Reusable Versions
    There are lots of expendables in the kitchen that lead to waste and expense. And it doesn’t have to be so! Here’s a rundown of kitchen throw-aways that are easily replaced by reusable counterparts. The initial expense of most of these items is higher than that of disposables (though not always!), but you’ll save in the end while doing a little to save the environment, too! Napkins: Use cloth instead. Here are several recommended by our readers and here is a roundup in linen.
    Regina Yunghans
    Oct 1, 2014
    Who (or What!) Is Destroying My Green Tomatoes?
    I’ve been growing tomatoes this summer, and it’s been a fruitful and delicious endeavor but not without a little garden drama. Just a few days into harvesting the ripening tomatoes, we ran into trouble. I went to the garden one morning to find tomatoes strewn around the yard. Seemingly untouched, the still-green fruits (and a few ripe ones) sat in the grass with no sign of tooth marks. What (or who) had done this!?
    Regina Yunghans
    Aug 13, 2014
    10 One-Handed Snacks for New Moms
    Know a new mom? Or are you a new mom yourself? One-handed snacks in the first few weeks can really save the day. When nursing around the clock, new moms expend the calories of a bricklayer. Treat a new mom you know (or treat yourself) with any of these simple-to-eat snacks. One-handed snacks make it easy for mom to get some nourishment while giving baby some too. Nursing generally takes one hand and leaves another free for one-handed typing, snacking, or reading.
    Regina Yunghans
    Jul 31, 2014
    What’s Happening in Regina’s Garden in July: It’s Getting Wild Over Here!
    When I looked back at May’s garden from June, I was taken by how our little raised bed had grown so full. Now, looking back at June from July, I’m taken by how that growth has become so unruly! The zucchini spills out over the side of the bed, which is really a welcome growth, as it makes room in the bed for new plantings. We simply harvest the squash from the gravel bed next to the garden.
    Regina Yunghans
    Jul 30, 2014
    Why You Should Braid Your Onions Like a Pioneer Woman
    Have you heard of braiding onions? It’s sort of like French braiding hair: take a dozen or so onions that still have their stalks attached, and, starting with three, gradually work more in as you go. The result is a beautiful, natural chain of onions that can be hung in your kitchen and taken from as needed. Braided onions aren’t just aesthetically pleasing; the technique of braiding and hanging them provides better air circulation around the onions than storing in a bin.
    Regina Yunghans
    Jul 8, 2014
    10 Kitchen-Living Room Combos That Actually Work
    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.
    Regina Yunghans
    Jul 7, 2014
    10 Ways to Disguise a Kitchen Soffit
    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.
    Regina Yunghans
    Jun 24, 2014
    Regina’s Garden Update: May
    Well, hello there! It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve updated you on my garden. One big recent change is the addition of trellises and stakes, which I’m sharing with you today. We recently trimmed trees in the yard, which left us with lots of firewood, but also spindly, twiggy pieces. We took the longest of those and constructed pea trellises for the two squares of thriving snow pea plants (see pic up top).
    Regina Yunghans
    May 20, 2014
    Start a Garden Week 5: Moving On Up
    “I made a rookie mistake last year —- I started from seed,” a friend quipped as I asked about her square-foot gardening experience. Oops! That’s what I opted to do this year, also my first at-home gardening project.
    Regina Yunghans
    Apr 30, 2014
    Start a Garden Week 3: Outdoor Seed Planting
    This week is not very picture-heavy, as all of the action is taking place below the soil. So, I thought I’d take the chance to share a cute pic of my gardening assistant helping me out, following up the seed planting with a little water. (For the record, he was watering the already-sprouting pea plants here. I was weary of him washing away the new seeds with that watering can!) Plant seeds in the ground on April 10. Plant plants in the ground on May 10.
    Regina Yunghans
    Apr 15, 2014
    Glass, Ceramic, Wood, and Stainless Steel: Options for Non-Plastic Kitchen Storage
    If you’re trying to sidestep plastics in kitchen storage, there are lots of material choices out there. Depending on what you want to store, think glass, ceramic, wood, or stainless steel. From high to low, mass-produced to handmade, here are some beautiful options: Glasslock Snapware containers, $42 at Amazon (Read Faith’s review here.
    Regina Yunghans
    Apr 14, 2014
    The Finishing Touch for Open Cabinets: Tile the Cabinet Back To Match the Backsplash
    Removing the doors from a few choice upper cabinets is a simple way to introduce open shelving to your kitchen. The beautiful kitchen pictured above inspired to integrate the look by tiling open cabinet backs. While the cabinets shown above appear to be actual open shelves hanging on a tiled wall, tiling the back of an open cabinet could achieve similar results. Over at 320 Sycamore, the backs of glass-doored cabinets were tiled with penny tile (pictured above).
    Regina Yunghans
    Apr 8, 2014
    Start a Garden Week 2: Building the Raised Bed and Adding the Soil Mix
    Last week I showed you my plans for a raised-bed garden. This week, let’s talk about how we built the beds. When we demolished a rotting deck off of the rear of our home two years ago, there were two cedar beams used as railings. Even then, we knew we wanted to use the 4x8x12-foot-long beams to build a raised bed planter, so we stored them away and saved them for a season when we had time to finally get around to planting a garden: This is the year!
    Regina Yunghans
    Apr 8, 2014
    My Spring Project: Start a Garden, Week 1: Kitchen Garden Layout & Seed-Starting
    I grew up in a family with a huge garden, which might have something to do with why I haven’t gardened on my own until now. I’m so excited to get back to it, though, with this small kitchen garden of only 4×7-ish feet. The garden will be steps from the back kitchen door and near a small herb bed I started last year with chives, tarragon, sage, thyme and mint. Here’s the plan.
    Regina Yunghans
    Apr 4, 2014