May 28, 20225 min read

Decor Diary: Spring/Summer Organization & Refresh - Kitchen

When I moved into this apartment it was a matter of needing to find a space of my own where I could create content. This apartment was it...or at least it seemed to be at first glance. It's not until you actually move into a space do all the flaws truly show themselves and that was the case here. Although there is great natural light is certain areas, it's not the greatest in others, which limits where I can set up shots for the most ideal photos. The one thing I knew would be an adjustment, beforehand, was the kitchen. It was dated and in a wood grain I despise; pine. And it wasn't just the cabinets, but the countertops, too. Good Lord! It must have shown on my face because the leasing agent immediately began to temper things with talk about one being "creative" to make it work. Since I consider myself a creative person, I decided I was up for the challenge. Everything else seemed great, so why let a little thing like the pine kitchen from hell ruin it for me. Also, I was kinda in a hurry to move in, so I signed on the dotted lines.

When I got the keys, the first thing I did was come to clean the kitchen and bathroom. Regardless of how clean it was when I moved in, it always feels good to give it my own special brand of cleaning just to make sure. I stood in the kitchen and surveyed HOW I could possibly take this golden woody wonder and make it somewhat wonderful.

*complete video of organization process is at the end of this blog post*

November 2018

I knew whatever I did it had to be something to brighten the space as the wood-on-wood situation was too dark and drab for my liking (funny enough, this wood grain style would begin making a comeback some time in 2020, but with more modern handle finishes and countertops.) I needed to break up this cabin from the 1970's vibe and the best way I could imagine doing that is by covering the countertops. Covering counters with wallpaper was something I grew up watching my Mom do in our home. It was a great way to change the decor without spending money on an actual renovation. And my Mom liked to move furniture around and decorate every 3-4 months, so inexpensive ways to refresh a space was always top of mine and something I picked up on very early. A room could be instantly transformed by a new pair of curtains or moving the sofa from one wall to another. A new throw rug here and new pillow covers there and it was like walking into a whole new home. So, that was my solution. Cover the counter with something light and modern, but also complimentary to the wood.

This proved to be a hard task. Everything was too dark or too busy or too "something". At one point, I decided to just go with basic white, but it was horrible next to all the off-white appliances. I purchased a sample of white subway tiles as my backsplash, but once the white countertops didn't work, I tucked the tiles away. Then, I decided to play up the gold tones of the pine and incorporate some of the gray tones around the remainder of my apartment. This idea resulted in the following:

The gray marble on the countertops and the inspirational wallpaper for the backsplash seemed to work for a while. It brightened things up a little and added a touch of interest. And, like my Mom, after a while I craved change. But WHAT could I possibly do that I hadn't tried before? I went back to an idea I originally abandoned because - at the time- marble printed wallpaper with gold streaks were too ostentatious and gaudy looking. But more recently, I came across a less "busy" and bodacious pattern that also contained streaks of gray for a beautiful contrast. And then my idea about the white subway tile came back into play. I'd taken the tiles out every now an then over the years to see how to make them work, but nothing ever came of it. This year, when I brought them out, I discovered they had turned a creamy shade of white, almost yellowish. Ugh! FINALLY, I think I can make them work and they're unusable. So, I purchased another set, which was more affordable than the yellowed batch purchased some time in 2019.

In 2020, while we were all squirreled away indoors because of the pandemic, I wanted to better organize my cabinets, which fell into disarray, due to poor configuration on my part. I'd always thought it was more ideal to have the dishes stored in cabinets over the sink, so when I was done washing them they could easily go up above. Unfortunately, that meant all my perishable items were relegated to the cabinets over the stove, which weren't built to hold taller items. I purchased a few storage containers with the purpose of using more vertical space, but it still didn't fix the problem of how to store boxes that were too tall. So, in 2021, I decided to swap cabinets and reorganize. Below is the state of my cabinets as I began that 2nd kitchen organization project.

Summer 2021

Also, my counter top had become too cluttered with items like blenders and my crock pot. The goal was to have minimal items on my counters to give me more counterspace for prepping meals. Reconfiguring the cabinets meant nothing could get pushed to the back out of sight. So much food went to waste because I never knew it was up on that top shelf or I ended up with multiples because I was buying items I already had. I filmed the transformation, but my computer couldn't handle the editing process. What you see in the photo below is the progress made Spring/Summer 2021.

Dishes now over the stove:

Perishable food items stored in containers and placed in cabinets over the sink.

2021

2022

Under my kitchen sink also underwent several transformations. From adding a few portable shelves to create more vertical use of space in 2021, to adding a larger shelving unit that solved the issue of using vertical space around the pipes in 2022.

2020

2022

And this is the current look and state of my kitchen after its 2022 Reorganization and Refresh! In the past 3 years of being here, I'd have to say this is the best this kitchen has ever looked. My woody wonder isn't exactly WOW, but it's definitely more wonderful than it has ever been. Adding the touches of green to fit with the green decor theme in all of my apartment really seems to bring everything together. The one thing I miss having in my kitchen is a rug in to warm things up more, but since the pandemic I try to keep my kitchen floor easy to quickly clean at all times. A rug makes that difficult. Maybe I'll find a cute plastic runner as a substitute. What do you think?