We love how the kitchen tends to be the center of action in a majority of homes. Whether it be a "command center" or just a place to hang out and unwind with friends over a glass of wine, the kitchen is where it's at. Hilda's ideas help maximize the performance of her small space--so it functions like a kitchen twice its size!
1. A fun light fixture. Not only is it one of the first things we noticed, you can also DIY your own using a wire basket. We like the fact that the overhead light looks airy and lightweight--which carries over into the entire space.
2. Hooks! One of the first things we installed in our new home office was hooks. Hooks displayed out in the open help make tea towels, aprons and bags accessible and super easy to put away.
3. Open shelving. Bright and colorful vintage tins add color to the small space--while again, allowing easy access to often used items.
4. Utilizing Vertical Space. When there's little wall space left to hang artwork, Hilda gets crafty and uses the vertical space of her kitchen door. Decorating it with pages from a children's book, the vibe is kept fun and playful.
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Comments (13)
West Coast posts keep saying "small" while East Coasters look and think "large."
"Cheap and cheerful" is usually a euphemism for rubbish.
But here... it's cheap, but genuinely cheerful. Good show!
The woman whose blog that is form is called Hilda, not Heidi.
Wow...these are so not tips for a small kitchen. If you want to see small you should see the kitchen in my parent's house, that i grew up in, or in my studio, that i currently live in. A table in a kitchen??? In my wildest dreams...
I wish they had tips for real small kitchens.
I have a house and a kitchen in it with exactly 2 by 3 foot wall space available. Now that's small.
what a lovely place.
Yeah, my galley kitchen is about a third of that size. I wish for a window.
We still make it cheerful, cook and bake super-ambitiously, and have sorted it out fabulously, though.
You're so very right, @lili09, that the definition of "apartment" keeps stretching... nearly to the point where the AT site is completely useless to anyone who doesn't outright own a 5-figure-sq.ft. standalone house.
Granted, there are smaller kitchens, but this IS a small room, and the ideas are still fun & useful.
SOME of the NYers in the room need to get their heads out of the sand.
The name of this website is "Apartment Therapy", NOT "Apartment Therapy NEW YORK CITY"
Just because this space isn't small to YOU, it may still be small to MANY.
SURPRISE!!!....... The whole world doesn't revolve around NYC and NYC standards of "small". The majority of apartments in the world are not in NY and the majority of them aren't as small as yours may be.
Regardless of whether this space is small or not, it still offers up ideas that can be applied to any space, however miniscule or gargantuan. So, those of you with a "NYC is the only place that exists in the world", get your heads out of the sand and realize that design ideas in a space that may not exactly match what you're living in CAN still be applied to your space.
Funny enough Hilda has a photo book she sells through her blog. It's of... NYC.
My kitchen is about the same size as the one pictured, but I do not have the luxury of those lovely windows. I like the idea of a fun light fixture. Right now I just have a light in the ceiling, but a fun hanging light like that would look great. It would be great if AT had a post about replacing a ceiling light and install a hanging light fixture.
I love your idea to clip images on to the door, I have a series of illustrations hiding my boiler! - I'll take some photos - it's a cheap way to brighten up a small space! http://beaudotgoose.wordpress.com/
hooks are my saving grace in every room! :)
(i LONG for that window...)