apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a full-sized bookcase (about 6 ft. tall) in my kitchen. I use the shelves for display, as well as cookbooks (of which I own way more than I care to admit). My 1957 Mixmaster sits on one shelf. My salvaged TWA airline tumblers on another. Other cool old kitchen-related stuff that I collect interspersed with books as bookends. My kitchen is light hardwood floor with white cabinets, so a white bookshelf mimics the cabinets, while the books and my collected pieces provide cheery color for the room.

I have a built-in bookshelf in my "dining room" where I keep my more attractive bowls and glasses. I keep my small collection of cookbooks on the top shelf.

Keeping cookbooks on the kitchen counter would never work for me! Well, maybe if I had more counter space. But even then... you must be a cleaner cook than me. ;)

Also, I usually copy the recipe onto a piece of scratch paper and just bring that into the kitchen.

That's freaky!! I came to the site to do a search for Recipe book storage ideas! Thanks for making it easy!

There are only three cookbooks I use with any regularity (Claiborne, Hazan's Essentials, and my binder full of takeout menus), so those are on the counter next to the stove. The rest of my meager collection is on the almost-unreachable top shelf of one of the cupboards.

I bought one of those over-the-toilet etagerie's from Target and put it over the Simple Human garbage can in the kitchen. (It's a dark wood one over the stainless steel garbage can, and looks rather nice) It has two open shelves that are perfect for my cookbooks.

China cabinet next to kitchenette

KimberlyM, that is a fantastic idea. It won't work in my kitchen, but I really love it. I wish I'd thought of that for my old apartment.

I'm currently unpacking in my new place, but I plan to keep my most used cookbooks and my binder of collected internet/magazine-clippings/scribbled-down-by-friends-recipes on my kitchen counter and the larger, lesser used books in the dining room bookcase.

We just recently re-organized our small condo kitchen. We bought a microwave stand which has two shelves under and it is now home to my cookbooks, and binders with all my recipes. Previously, our cookbooks were in the living room with other books. It is so nice to have them closer to the kitchen now, and I find myself using them more.

Fortunately, I have a long shelf beneath my cabinets and over my sink that works perfectly to store cookbooks. Even if I didn't have it, I'd probably try to install a shelf or something--cookbooks should be where the action's at!

Red toaster! What where how? Must know?

Can anyone identify that shelf in the first picture? (Is it Ikea?)

How do you make/buy those "flowers" in the main picture?
The ones in the coke bottles? I love them!

I have this weird old freestanding kitchen cabinet that mine are stacked on top of, well the pretty ones anyway. Uglier ones are lined up on a kitchen shelf.

Sadly my cookbooks are stored on the built in bookcase on one side of my desk. At least it's in the living room and with the open floor plan, it doesn't seem that far to get one when it's needed.

I keep most in a cabinet above the stove that I can reach on tippy toes. My faves go in the built-in microwave below. I decided not to ever use it again, so until it is removed completely, it might as well be good for something!

Is that a toaster slash toaster oven???

I have a few cookbooks on shelf in my breakfast nook, but I stopped buying new ones when I discovered this site:

http://www.recipezaar.com/

I keep my laptop in the kitchen anyway, so it's free and easy to search for recipes online.

Until recently, here's what I used, though I got mine on sale at Cost Plus for $20ish:

http://tinyurl.com/d4lv7e

Some levels held cookbooks, some held bee bottom bowls filled with fresh produce, I loved it but the kitchen is really too small for it and I kept bumping into it (now the stand's in my art studio).

Currently renovating the kitchen, a zero budget reno (seriously!), so all my precious books are boxed up... still not sure where I'm going to store them but thinking I'll divide a bedroom closet in two. The bedroom side will hold an office alcove and have a pull-out keyboard/desk tray; the hallway side will be a shallow but very wide pantry (books, wine, platters, etc).

Then again, if I were a braver chef I probably wouldn't need all this cookbook clutter!

I'm curious about that toaster/toaster oven too - details please!!

Hi, I'm girlzone41, owner of the first picture above. To answer your questions:

1 - the shelves were purchased at Ikea.
2 - the very cool and retro red toaster/toaster oven came from none other than Target.
3 - the lovely tin flowers were purchased at Nomad in Cambridge, MA...an awesome store with ethnic goods.

:)
Melissa

BrandyJane - Absolutely! I'll never buy another cookbook again. Isn't a laptop the easiest, most space-savvy option? (Mine's 7 yrs old and was free!)