I am having such a hard time getting used to this kitchen! We’ve been in this house for 3 weeks and I just can’t seem to figure out how where the best place would be for stuff or a work flow. I did realize that I couldn’t dedicate a whole drawer to pot holders/oven mitts like at my old house. So I had to find another way to store them and decided that hanging them would be the best storage solution.
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I also hung up my two favorite aprons! I had a cute wire basket with hooks that I got either at TJMaxx or Target and I had a picture ledge from Ikea. So I combined the two and now have some vertical storage and a little place to display stuff in the kitchen.
If you’ve ever seen a picture ledge you know it’s really narrow since you’re supposed to just prop pictures on it. So there’s not a lot of display space. Which was my intention in using it.
I just wanted a little space to easily display a few fun things. Something easy to change without a lot of hoopla! The “Together We Have It All” is a free printable from Entirely Eventful Day. She has lots of really pretty ones so go check them out. I can’t remember where I got “Home Is Where Your Heart Is” – etsy I believe. “God Bless Our Home” I’ve had for many years so I have no idea where I got that.
I treated myself to some new holders since they’re out where everyone can see them 🙂 from Target. The cute polka dot pot holder and the patchwork one were gifts from a reader.
I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with the cubbies – I already have a place for incoming mail. Maybe a place for outgoing mail, coupons to retail stores (not grocery coupons). Maybe I’ll just use them to display cute printables.
What would you use those cubbies for?
Very cute, Manuela! I would use them for folded tea towels and vintage tablecloths. They’re bulky and take up too much drawer space.
Brenda
That a good idea Brenda! As soon as I unbox them I’ll give the tea towel idea a try. The cubbies aren’t big enough for tablecloths unfortunately.
I too had to become a bit creative when we replaced our old fridge with a French door unit (no more place for my pot holders either). I love what you came up with in your new kitchen, Manuela!
Thanks! The fridge here is stainless steel so nothing sticks to it and only a sliver of the side shows and that’s where I put my grocery list.
This is a really cute display you’ve put together for aesthetic function. In our rental (#20), I hung those 3M sticky hooks inside a cabinet door next to the oven. Two hooks hold six potholders grandly.
I like how you’ll be able to add seasonal touches to this set-up, Manuela. You always do that with class!
Hugs and happy weekend,
Kelley~
This is a great idea. I would use the cubbies to hold my dishtowels and dishrags. I need to find a cute furniture piece to put in my kitchen to hold all the dry food and treats for my dog. At my apt. I had a cupboard to put them in, but at my new house I have to put them on my baker’s rack right now
Great idea! Dishcloths would fit perfectly in the cubbies of that kitchen shelf. I have some really nice crochet ones that I like to use.
Thought about your comment. There are so many cute dog treat containers that would look great on a baker’s rack or even a cookie jar would work (I may do that with our dog treats). The dog food I would just put the bag in a cute basket and leave it on the baker’s rack if that’s working for you (if you don’t have space for an extra piece of furniture).
Manuela, that spot is so sweet and so you!! I love the colors and the storage cubby is practical and cute. I hate to say it because I know you want to use it for something “real” but it looks awfully cute like it is. I’d be tempted to leave it that way for awhile. 😉
Thank you Stacey! LOL – I know….I’m so tempted to use it for decoration 🙂 But I do have some super cute handmade dishcloths that I think would be cute in on of the cubbies.
So cute! I’m always looking for thrifty,creative storage and display for my tiny kitchen and this is really great!
Nice solution, Manuela. I agree with some of the other commenters to put your folded dishtowels there, although something decorative would be nice, too.
I really like the display – cute and functional. Leave as is until you run across something you would rather have at your fingertips, than digging in a drawer or cabinet when you need it.
I had a really hard time when we moved into our present home, even the townhouse we lived in for awhile had more storage space than this one. But we have made it work. I put those peel and stick hooks on the side of my small (moveable) kitchen “island” to hold two oven mitts!
Of course, you know, I LOVE your decorating! I find it very amusing how many times I’ve seen something on Pinterest I fell in love with immediately, only to find you pinned it!
Awww…you are so sweet! I’m truly blessed to have you for a bloggy friend! Yes, I’ll have to see if I can put one or two of those hooks in the cabinets next to the oven (which throws off an amazing amount of heat – it’s gas). I have one of those over the door thingies to use for the dish towel that’s currently in use. I didn’t want to do too many over the door hooks (which I have on all the closet doors) since you can see the hooky part. I just need to get rid of things. I never thought my other house was large but we did have lots of storage.
What a great idea! I love your aprons.
I love aprons! Wish I’d always remember to actually wear them! 🙂
I love your spot you made. I love aprons too.
Thanks Betty! I love aprons, I just need to work on actually WEARING them!
Your beautiful pictures make me want to say ‘leave it as is’ because it looks so pretty, but I know that’s not practical. It may be three weeks and that might feel like enough time for you to figure this out, but it’s not. As you really get some time under your belt, you will know what to do, but if you don’t think keeping it decorative is the way to go then I agree that you might want to consider bulky items be placed there. They’re deep enough for that, and I’m sure your dish towels are pretty too!
3 weeks isn’t a lot of time, but since we only have a 1 year lease I feel I need to find a way to may it work sooner than later 🙂 Well I think the consensus is to keep it decorative – so I might keep my vintage pot holders and crochet dishcloths in 2 of the cubbies and keep one to just change out seasonally. The hooks alone are a big help since I was able to empty a drawer that held my pot holders.
Manuela that is a cute display and functional too. I love the cheeriness of it!
I chuckled when you said you’d been there three weeks and hadn’t caught the flow of the work in that kitchen yet. I tell you sincerely that we’ve been here 18 years next month and I was ten years into before I started taking the kitchen apart and rearranging where everything was. My last go at it was when Katie moved out of the house four years ago and I think I finally have a good working kitchen…for ME. I can tell anyone exactly where something is and know it’s there. But honestly it took forever to get this kitchen to work with me, lol.
Well I don’t have that long to make it work for me since we have a 1 year lease 🙂
Love your idea….it has me thinking about a white shelf I haven’t found a spot for yet. I collect vintage aprons and tea towels also. Some of the tea towels would be adorable and I have hand crafted dish cloths – both would fit perfect. Do you have any of the vintage crocheted pot holders? Those would be cute there also. One thing I’ve done w/ some of my vintage aprons is to hang them on hooks on the side of my vintage hutch – very cute! I’ve also hung some on hooks in a similar manner to what you’ve done, plus added some hooks @ the end of my kitchen counter for a few (don’t know if you could do that). I have a metal rod w/ hooks by my stove where I’ve hung some of the vintage crocheted pot holders (IKEA has all sorts of these) and I also have some of my vintage ladles, etc. hanging on that.
Yes, I have quite a few vintage crochet pot holder (love them!). Those would be cute on the shelf too. I love vintage aprons. So many things to collect – so little space 🙂 The aprons hanging on the side of your vintage hutch sounds pretty!
I think they are perfect just he way they are! I can’t imagine trying to get used to another kitchen, although ours isn’t the most efficient and if I could get a bigger kitchen I would certainly be willing to try ;>)
I also have little space in my kitchen and have to display things that I would not normally have out. I would store my tea towels in one of the baskets- in fact you just gave me an idea. We go through a ton of cloth towels each week because we try not to use paper towels. Now I just have to find the basket to hang.
Very nice idea and good looking. I would use the cubbies for napkins or hand knit dish cloths.