Remember when I was going to renovate my kitchen? That was FOREVER ago.
It’s not happening. It was a decision we were leaning towards in the summer when my husband’s health became an issue so it certainly wouldn’t have been a good time to rip apart the house.
I am not as disappointed as you may think. It just didn’t make sense in the end.
We aren’t sure how much longer we will be in this house, but it will be for a few more years I suspect. But at this point, it makes more sense for us to buy some storage solutions (pantry, organizers) and keep our options open to move within a couple of years. We’ll eventually out grow our townhome and will need a new place. This gives us that flexibility.
All is not lost. I’m starting the hunt to make things work better for us. For example, a free standing pantry, and some purging, will give us the much needed space.
The kitchen won’t have the fancy pull out drawers, pots and pans drawers that I so wanted etc. but now we give ourselves the freedom to keep our real estate options open, which is also very important to us.
This need to maximize our space is not just for the kitchen. We’re doing the same in the basement/playroom and will decorate each of the kids’ rooms into something special for them. It’s fun and exciting!
How do you cope with the need for space? Surely my kitchen isn’t the only one over-run with ‘stuff’. Any organizing tips?
I’m with you on this one! I really want a new kitchen, but I don’t think it will happen in this house. I find it hard getting rid of things that I use occasionally. They take up space, but what if I need them one day and I don’t have them? I think that’s a legitimate concern! I recently got some short three tiered wire shelves to go at the bottom of my pantry because there was wasted space I could utilize. It’s amazing the extra space you can find when you move things around!
We struggle with the same issues in our house in terms of stuff vs. Space, especially in the kitchen and kids rooms. The following has worked for us so far:
– Small bookcases (appx. 3 shelves) with bins for the kiddos toys, along with storage boxes (Jysk has some really cute ones with smiley faces on them) have gone a long way to organize the kids – our 4 year old loves that all of his things have their own special place, and not only is everything organized – but he even keeps his room tidier than ever!
– I had my special half install an extra shelf in the kitchen – it was an inexpensive way to provide additional space to store and display our cappuccino cups, and other coffee paraphernalia ( sugar, coffee tins,etc…).
– For food storage, anything that comes in a box with multiple pre-packaged foods (granola bars, etc…) we take them out of the box when we buy them, and they all get dumped into a large bowl in our cupboard – this saves us space, and makes it easier for grabbing a snack for the kiddos and for lunch packing, etc… – the same goes for refrigerated snacks like yogurt, apple sauce, etc … Everything is taken out of the cardboard/box, etc…
– For small appliances, only the ones that are used daily/frequently are kept counter-top. Everything else is stored away in a cupboard, free-standing pantry, or in our crawl-space.
Outside of that, we frequently purge – toys, food, clothes, etc… I’m very cognizant of what we tend to continuously look for a place for, move around the house a lot without ever using, leave in the cupboard that doesn’t get eaten, etc… My children understand the joys of donating things that aren’t needed as much around here anymore, but that someone else might surely enjoy.
Not sure if any of those things help, but I’m so glad I’m not the only one coping with the need for more space!
The kitchen is a huge issue for everyone!
We just moved into our house from a townhouse, and there is no budget for a new kitchen, so we are still looking for options for an awkward thin space between the cupboard and the window.
For kiddie storage we hit the jackpot on Kijiji for great units from Ikea. Got a few closet storage systems at garage sales this summer. I think the key to any of it is to be very aware of your use and what you are storing and plan, before spending any money.
We renovated a few years ago to make our ground floor, includng the kitchen, as efficient as possible. We have decided to stay in our small house indefinitely because we love the neighbourhood and bigger houses here have become unaffordable to us. It’s hard though, and buying bigger would have been nice if we could have. Sounds like a good decision for your family!
First and foremost, go through your pantry and cupboards and get rid of everything you don’t use. That can of pureed pumpkin with an expiry date of November 2009? Get rid of it. The serving platter you’ve saved because you know one day you’ll have the absolute perfect appetizer to serve on it and you will be forever known as the new Martha Stewart? It’s not gonna happen – both you and I know ten years from now we’ll still be buying President’s Choice appies. You’ll be amazed at how much room you have once you do a clean out. Be brutal.
Also? Don’t donate old canned goods to Goodwill. So not cool
To add to the great ideas in the other comments: Add an extra shelf where you can, I f your cupboards have three shelves, can you had a fourth? Roll out shelving is great, You can add extra space in that way, Create zones in your kitchen, Store once a year items with off season items. Take a good hard look at your food storage items. If all the containers were full, would you have space for them in fridge and pantry?