maximize the space above the fridge

I hate that awkward space above the fridge. It either has a cabinet that seems to obtrude into the room and is too deep to find anything in, or there is a small useless gap between the top of the refrigerator and the ceiling trim or base of that useless cabinet. Either way, it's an annoying waste of good space and pretty darn ugly.

Here are some stylish ways to better use that area to get organized and fit with the rest of the kitchen design. Most seem pretty easy to DIY using either new boards for a "custom" look, or by removing the doors on existing cabinets and making use of baskets or bins.

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mid-winter office refresh

If you're a regular reader, you know that I re-arrange my furniture often. What can I say, I like change and I'm a nerd when it comes to cleaning and organizing.  This past weekend I set up a new desk space in my small condo living room so that I can have all of my bills, work, and electronics in one spot- right where I use them.

The slim IKEA desk had been holding my TV previously, but I switched it back to a desk because it's long enough to be used for a workstation and also hold an electronics charging tray, yet narrow enough not to protrude into living space. In my small condo, the living room is used for watching TV, doing yoga, dining and working. So everything needs to be properly proportioned and work well together. (Yep, the TV is too large for my liking in this space, but it's the only one I have so it stays for now!)

I like a clean white palette mixed with natural colours and materials, so I contrasted the sleek contemporary white desk, storage box and tray with vintage jars and plants. I made the mouse pad out of a coffee can lid - details for this and a matching hanging lamp can be found here.

The charging station keeps everything neat and tidy in it's place.

A vintage jar holds scissors, pens and paint brushes, while the wooden box holds business cards, USB sticks, and other little work tidbits.

I put this old board shelf up a little while back (as I showed in this post). Don't you just love the old rusted brackets found at an antiques market?

Are you refreshing a little corner in your home this winter?

get your entryway ready for winter

Yep, I did it. I said the W word again. Sorry about that. It turned a bit chilly here this weekend and I had to dig around to find some gloves to wear on a walk around the neighborhood. Which then led me to searching for a pretty way to store scarves and gloves  where they are easily accessible in my small entryway.

My solution is a large antique wooden butter bowl. Adds some interest and an organic vibe, don't you think? I also had to bring in the patio herbs, and this rosemary greets me with a subtle and lovely fragrance every time I come home.

Check out this previous post for more inspriation and tips on winterizing your entryway.

Have you started winterizing your home yet?

organizing and styling a tiny laundry closet

I downsized last year into a small condo that I love. The problem is that I have only one storage closet, and it's one of those tiny laundry and storage closets that holds a stackable washer and dryer and pretty much nothing else. I really needed to make the most of this small space for storage capability and better functionality. And of course, to bring in some style!

There are 12 inches of space between the wall and the laundry machines, which is exactly what's needed for the IKEA LACK wall shelf.  It fit perfectly and tightly so I didn't even need to anchor it to the wall. It's tall so takes advantage of that awkward space and provides shelving for laundry soap, cleaners, an iron and lots of other stuff.

I wanted to make this room not only functional but pretty ( possibly even making laundry fun?) so I wallpapered some foam core board from the Dollar Store and cut it to size to go behind the shelf unit. This hides the mess of pipes behind it, and adds some interest. I then papered one matching strip on the opposite wall (it's removable wallpaper so great for renters) over which I hung pegs for air-drying clothes and keeping a small ironing board off the floor.

I continued adding style by using glass jars for laundry soap and mason jars for homemade cleaning solutions. Now I have them on hand quickly when I need them and can identify them by their handwritten labels.  I painted the lids black and put waashi tape around the cover edges.

I also took old cleaning spray bottles and covered them with scrapbook paper and filled them with natural homemade solutions (check out my pinboard for homemade cleaner recipes).

Baskets keep sewing supplies, shoe cleaning items, lightbulbs and candles tidy and easy to find. A matching large basket on top of the dryer allows for blanket and linen storage.

This easy organization not only takes the pressure off of finding storage space, it also makes cleaning and doing laundry fun! OK, maybe I'm going a little overboard there...

Hope this inspires you to get organized too.

small condo refresh

I spent the weekend refreshing my condo by changing around furniture and creating wall galleries and groupings - all instigated by recieving wonderful free artwork in a draw I won over at Decor Happy. I was thrilled to order lovely prints from Siiso, Images of This and That, and Koshi at Minted. Such amazing artists!

So naturally I had to make room on the walls and that meant a total refreshing. The two yellow watercolours with natural elements are my own creation, paired with the artwork from Siiso.

I'm liking the light look for summer. I moved out the sofa in favour of the two club chairs I love from IKEA. This is a combo of my own photography and art along with two geometric prints from Koshi.

Rearanging things on the wall continued to the kitchen, entryway and bedroom as well.

The barn photo in the entry is by Tania from Images of This and That. I mounted it in an existing frame but didn't have a mat so simply used burlap as a backing. The bedroom is a combo of garage sale botanical prints and my own art, along with hanging lightbulb terrariums (tutorial here).

Do you rearrange and refresh your home for the seasons?

home of the week - modern natural apartment

I wanted to share with you the renovation project by NYC Interior Design of a small apartment on the Upper East Side. This was a complete renovation and redesign, and what is interesting is that it is very sleek, modern and minimalist but with a natural and relaxing feel. The existing hardwood floors were refinished and other natural elements were introduced, like a rustic wood shelf in the entry, wood stools in the living room, leather stools in the kitchen, layered natural textiles and flowers. This small space is organized and serene, which makes it live large. Fantastic.

All images by NYC Interior Design.

room of the week: small space bathroom

This bathroom in the renovated Austrailian home of architects Kate Fitzpatrick and Ben Stibbard is contemporary with natural elements and great functionality. The floating vanity doesn't take up a lot of visual space, yet provides lots of closed storage. I love that they created a double vanity but used only one sink, thereby creating more counter space and also not purchasing two sinks! The wooden counter, which carries all the way around the exterior of the cabinet is very modern with a natural touch. Oversized slate tiles add the feeling of space, and all white walls, including a tiled shower surround from ceiling to floor, cuts down on visual clutter. Brilliant. 

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small space hacks

When I moved into my small condo (see more here) I knew I would need to get creative with what stayed, what went, and how I used the things I kept. Jenna Mahoney's book Small Apartment Hacks provided some good advice to keep me on track. Among her many tips was "use baskets and trays for collecting, organizing and displaying like items." I've always loved baskets, trays, bowls and other vessels for storage, and I've used plenty in my new space. 

If you haven't checked out the book its worth a read. Happy small space hacking! 

the nothing-new-move experiment

Yep, that's right. I moved last weekend to a new 700 sqft. rental condo and purchased absolutely nothing new. Not a lamp. Not a rug. Not a hook. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. And I'm here to say that decorating and organizing a new home can be done very successfully with no budget. 

The purpose of my move was to downsize, save money and simplify my life. So I made a pact with myself that nothing new would be purchased when setting up my new home. Oh it was tempting. IKEA called. But I held out. In fact, in addition to not consuming new products, I even increased the amount of money in my bank account and the goodwill in my karma account. I held a yard sale and made $500 from furniture and decorations I really didn't need. I also donated two carloads full of clothes, bags and household items to local causes. I gotta tell you it feels really good to simplify and only bring things into my new home that are useful and that I truly love. 

So here's how it turned out. 

I started with a beautiful blank slate of white walls and high ceilings. Insert some black, gray and more white, my mid-century modern vintage pieces, some natural wood, greenery and rustic pieces from 'home' in the Maritimes, and I've created a comfy home that reflects my desire for modern serenity. 

How-to's for the reclaimed and diy projects throughout my home are here. Hope you are inspired to live a simple life without consuming quite so much! 

UPDATE: I've since made some simple furniture moves and art gallery walls to refresh the space. Check it out here.