Creating and curating the perfect home isn't about following a design book. It's all about making sure your space works for your family's life and style. So why not step outside of the box — or room, rather — and try out some of your existing small appliances in unexpected places?
Just like you might change the layout of your furniture, you can change up the layout of your small appliances. It's all about convenience, and paying attention to the way you and your family members use the devices in your home.
For instance, consider that most people keep their coffee machines in the kitchen. It's usually the most convenient spot for setting up a pot to brew; it's close to the water, filters and coffee grinds. But now, many java fiends are getting their fix with clean and easy single-serve machines. So if you're always craving coffee in bed, you can feel free to change it up and leave the Keurig on a bedroom dresser or even a nightstand. Whatever works!
A coffee maker isn't the only thing that you might want to find a new home for. We have a few suggestions for creative relocations of some common home devices. Most of these are inspired by recent stays at hotels — resorts and inns are champions of convenience!
• Move the coffee maker to the bedroom for an instant morning caffeine fix.
• Move a TV to the bathroom. If your morning shower is the only free time you have to watch the tube, why not multi-task?
• Move a fridge to the family room. A mini-fridge is great in family rooms or dens to keep chilled drinks nearby for yourself and for guests.
• Move a blender outside. If your infrequently-used blender is taking up valuable space in the kitchen cabinets, give it a permanent (but dry!) home outside where it gets used the most for summer cocktails.
• Move an alarm clock to the living room. If you're a fan of afternoon naps, keep an alarm clock in the living room to keep your night on schedule.
Do you have any other suggestions for small home appliances that can work in more than one room? Tell us in the comments!
(Images: Lowes, Studio One Thirteen)
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I like having a room for things that belong there. If we go in this direction, we then should just live in one teeny room where everything is in arm's reach.
If you live in a very large home with several floors, then the option of having a coffee pot or even a smaller washing machine on a different floor would make sense.
I knew of a couple that has a very small refrigerator in their bedroom and loved it. Again, not for me but I live in 1100 sq. ft where everything is in walking distance. :o).
After living in dorms, I like the idea of being able to spread out. That said, I live a life where I really don't get to spend all that much time at home, and I did end up putting computers and alarms in pretty much every room. I don't know if I'd have ever considered it weird without seeing this post.
Not sure moving a tv to a room with 100% humidity is the best advice ..
I've definitely considered moving my espresso machine upstairs. it'd be so much easier to wake up! But I love serving my friends drinks too much to take it out of our public space.
When I was single and living in my own apartment, I kept the coffee maker in the bathroom. I would set it to brew automatically in the morning, which did a great job getting me out of bed, because it was close enough that I could get my mitts on a hot cup asap, but far enough away that I was already closer to the shower ... at that point, it made sense just to turn on the water and get in. didn't have to share counter space with anybody, so it made perfect sense for me!
I live in 125 square feet. What keeps me sane is having rooms with specific purposes. I won't even keep clothes in the study where I have free cabinet space because they belong in the dressing room.
That said, I have to climb a ladder to bed, so the idea of a single serve coffee machine at arm's reach up there is very tempting, albeit not practical. :)
Brings back spine tingling memories of the studio of student days where the coffeemaker ends up between the bed and clothesline. Now the bedroom houses the bed, the kitchen the appliances, the basement is for laundry. I'll keep it that way.
And if you never use your stove, why not store shoes in it?
I just moved the coffee maker closer to the sink, because it was annoying to take the carafe across the room every time I made coffee. It would be a royal pain to take it to another room to fill up! Or, are you fancy people only making coffee with bottled water?
I have a tiny kitchen (http://annabelvita.com/2012/04/29/teensy-kitchen/) in an otherwise spacious bedroom - so right now the slow cooker lives in the bedroom closet! I thought that was what the article was about....
I don't really understand how you would watch TV while taking a shower. Would you just leave the curtain open? Plus you have your eyes closed a good portion of the time you're in there.
We've got an electric kettle in our bedroom. It's not like the kitchen is so far away, but it's nice to be able to make a morning cuppa without waking the kids.
Also, the almost-never-used microwave is in the garage.
Where am I going to keep the half and half in my bedroom?
For a while, I had my coffee maker in the bedroom. It had one of those timers on it and it would wake me up every morning with the smell of coffee. For various reasons, including that I don't have to get up at a regular time anymore, it's back in the kitchen at the moment.
like the idea.
I have never in my life wanted coffee so badly first thing in the morning to have a coffee maker near the bed... I find the concept a little weird. I like my appliances near the cleanup facilities, so sink and dishwasher.
@LYONSTILL We have a mini fridge as a nightstand in our tiny apartment. We work from home and didn't have a printer until last week - we had everything done at a local print shop. That got too expensive so we had to buy a printer. The ONLY place it will go is on top of the mini fridge and I hate it.
Having a fridge beside the bed is one thing but not the printer ...
We ended up putting the mini fridge from my kids college days in my dining room. We love having cold sparkling water at arms length during dining, We also can keep beer and white wines that I like cooler than the wine fridge will go. I love it, function over looks. Its an appliance and it works for us (it is tucked under a parsons table server though).
@TRAVELINGRAE -- I'm having a hard time imagining how 125 square feet could be configured to have a "study" and a "dressing room". I don't think even the cleverly designed 120 sq foot Tumbleweed houses have that (heck, I don't have either of those, and we live in a full 800 square feet!). Unless the "125" is a typo, I'm very curious to know how your space is laid out.
@Binks hilarious, fancy indeed
WTF? Now we're all too lazy to walk around our apartment for things.....this website is called APARTMENT therapy for a reason. If you find yourself tired out from walking from your living room to the kitchen for a drink, get a smaller place!
GREENWOODGAL Exactly! We had a small trash can in our teeny teeny teeny bathroom. I took it away. It's ten paces from the kitchen trash can. Put the bathroom trash in the main can in the kitchen!
We're lazy enough as it is. I remember the days when, if you wanted to turn up the volume on the TV, you got off your a$$ and walked to the TV and turned a knob - there weren't remotes.
Now, people pay money to go to a gym and at the same time they pay someone to clean their home. Cleaning your house is a great workout and costs nothing!
@Amaranta -- I do keep a small trash can for our bathroom but it is the furthest room from the kitchen - plus being a lady don't exactly want to wander through which my used products from my menstrual cycle. I do agree with you on all other points - it sickening to see someone spend 20 mins looking for a remote than get up and just change the damn channel by hand.
@GREENWOODGAL I found out how ridiculous that is when I found myself doing it myself once. I needed to turn off the bedroom TV and had rummaged in the bed for ages before I realized that I could just press the button!
Great ideas! I've always been a bit unconventional, and think that comfort and convenience is most important, particularly when it comes to reducing stress!
My dad has had a small, dorm-sized fridge in his bedroom for a number of years now. He's diabetic so this is where he keeps his insulin and fruit juice (in case his blood sugar drops during the night). Hats off to being unconventional!
In our current space, we have almost no counter space. We didn't want to buy an island or microwave cart for a temporary space, so we put my husband's Keurig in the office, which is where he usually is when he uses it! I guess you could call us "fancy"...we filter our hard water through a Brita pitcher. He only goes through a cup or two a day, so we really don't find it that big of a hassle to walk across the apartment with the Brita pitcher.
We originally had our toaster oven on the counter, but we were cramped (we have to hand-wash all our dishes, so the drying rack is almost always up). We didn't want to give it up (we already go microwave-less for space reasons), so we moved it to the kitchen table for a trial. We set it on the floor when more than three people are eating, but now we also use it as a warming oven within arm's reach!
Creative thinking is part of making every apartment work. Another part is knowing your boundaries -- I don't think I'll be moving my TV to the bathroom anytime soon.
We have a dorm fridge on the back porch. That's where the beer goes.