Kitchen Shopping Ideas

Anthropologie crushes it around the holidays. Year after year, the brand comes up with the cutest, most giftable items. There are always super-adorable ornaments (many of which are food-themed), a new version of the store’s iconic monogrammed mugs, various cheese boards, and more. In fact, it’s totally possible to shop for everyone on your list in one fell swoop. (We know what you’re thinking and, yes, there are plenty of gifts for your dad!

As they’ve done in the past, throughout the month of December Target is featuring weekend-only sales in a variety of departments. So of course we’re especially excited that this weekend (that’s right — today and tomorrow only) they’re offering an additional 25 percent off kitchen appliances and cookware. We sorted through hundreds of items to bring you our top four picks so you can take advantage of these generous savings.

You know that feeling that overcomes you when someone tells you that they like your dress—and you get to tell them that you got it for just $20 at T.J.Maxx? It’s pretty great, right? We want to help you get that feeling more often—especially in your kitchen. That’s why we’ve rounded up these 10 fun Amazon finds. They each look like something you would have paid an arm and a leg for in a cute boutique shop, but really they’re all just $25 or less.

Every once in a while I come across an organizer that seriously makes my heart skip a beat. It’s rare, so when it happens I have to take a minute to tell you guys about it. Earlier this year, I waxed poetic about this $10 flatware organizer for narrow drawers, which I’ll still talk about to anyone who will listen. And just a few weeks ago I came across this wire under-shelf basket … in copper! Yes, I’ve seen under-shelf baskets before.

If you’re anything like me, then you live for fun and affordable home decor hacks. And after a little poking around on Pinterest, we discovered a cheap, everyday kitchen staple that can be repurposed into all sorts of stylish decor around your home. What is it, you ask? Colanders, my DIY-loving friends, colanders!

Amazon has re-done their daily deals section to prep for Black Friday. While that means we’ll likely have to wait for the actual day (as well as Cyber Monday) for the standout deals, there are still lots of great deals going up every day. In case you don’t have time to sift through the 1,000 deals currently on offer, here are three deals you need to know about for Monday, November 12. One of Amazon’s timed daily deals, this price is good until 12 p.m. PT.

There’s a reason I’ve been living in the same apartment for nearly five years. My studio apartment is in a great location, has plenty of storage for all my stuff (read: two closets!), and even boasts a cute outdoor space, which I admittedly don’t use as much as I should. I love my apartment, but of course, no home is perfect. My space has a bulky, built-in media center and a mini fridge instead of a full-sized one (really).

You can spend hours and hours just looking at the cards and invitations on Minted. In fact, I’m willing to bet you have. Many times. (I know it was my go-to for my wedding and has never let me down for any stationery need since then.) The site has hundreds of options from independent artists, and a quality and aesthetic that seems unrivaled by its competitors.

I stand at about five feet and three inches, and I’ve yet to live in a house with a kitchen designed for not-so-tall people. While I appreciate maximizing wall space with cabinets that reach the ceiling, over the years it has become incredibly annoying to drag a chair away from my kitchen table or climb onto the counter to get something down from the top shelf.

It finally happened—I am obsessed with my Instant Pot. In the past four days I’ve made six dishes in it, and I can’t stop. I’m about to pressure cook everything in the house that isn’t nailed down. I admit that I was a late adopter to the Instant Pot. I got one a few months ago and made rice and lentil soup. Honestly, it just wasn’t super exciting (dear reader, is lentil soup ever that exciting?).

When it comes to buying furniture, some pieces stay with you for a year or two, and some for a lifetime. But when it comes to buying furniture on a budget, more can fall into the former camp. And while some inexpensive options might be required to get started while you save up for more investment pieces, it’s also nice when those inexpensive pieces can grow with you.

I love garlic, and I’m a big fan of Anthony Bourdain, but when I read that he called my beloved garlic press an abomination, my heart shattered into a million pieces. In his book Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain calls the misuse of garlic a crime. “Old garlic, burnt garlic, garlic cut too long ago, and garlic that has been tragically smashed through one of those abominations, the garlic press, are all disgusting,” he says. After reading this, first I felt embarrassment.

Last spring when my mother was in town, she offered to help me make an epic month-long supply of freezer meals. While preparing for the task, I came across a recommendation for a kitchen tool that I’d never seen or heard of before. Now they make me happy every time I have an occasion to use them. They’re so delightfully handy, I’ve even given them as gifts.

Cooking tools for each Hogwarts house.

Though we can totally see the appeal of mass-produced goods (easy to come by, usually pretty affordable), no space is really complete without a dash of the handmade. The character that an artisanal product lends to an interior far and beyond outdoes anything you can find at a big box store. Hence, why we love Etsy and all its indie makers, particularly those making goods for the kitchen.

The mere mention of marble conjures up the honed surfaces of luxury hotels, iconic landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, and lavish dream kitchens and bathrooms, yet the longstanding stone favorite is making a grand entrance into our homes these days in more affordable ways than just via floor or counter surfaces. Whether splurging for the natural stone itself or opting for the faux look, the trend has never been more attainable to get. Peruse our roundup of marble-ous (see what we did there?

You don’t have to remodel to add a lot of extra counter space and storage space to your kitchen — all it takes is a kitchen cart. These little workhorses are a great way to make a small kitchen more workable, or just help you get the most of your space no matter what size it is. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite kitchen carts (and islands), in a range of prices to suit pretty much any budget. This hardworking IKEA cart is perfect for smaller kitchens.

IKEA’s new kitchen cabinet system hits the stores on February 2nd. To help you plan your dream kitchen, as promised in our earlier inside scoop post, we’ve got need-to-know details ahead of time. Here’s inside info on everything from price to measurements, features to finishes, along with plenty of photos. Let the new kitchen designing and dreaming begin!