Last week I mentioned that I ordered this Hemnes Glass-Door Cabinet from Ikea.
It was delivered Friday and I had it assembled Saturday morning.
Then I started moving in.
All the blogging and photography dishes that were crammed into other cabinets in my kitchen, in random spaces and places, stacked dangerously high, and just wedged in anywhere I could find a spot are now all in one place.
And boy, does it feel good because I can see the forest from the trees.
Clutter makes me nervous, I hate it, I can’t function when things are cluttered or visually in a messy state. Yes, my kitchen and house are always clean and neat, not just staged for photos.
I made piles and stacks. I love piles and stacks and organization.
Enter a stack of blue plates.
Rather than wondering where exactly in my over-run mess of kitchen cabinets the small turquoise saucer with the ruffled edge is hiding, now I know exactly where to find it.
And the woods.
And underneath that is the antique silverware in a basket.
In addition to getting all the dishes in one place, my actual kitchen cabinet space freed up and I moved things around within my cupboards, which is a project I had been wanting to do since we moved in a mere 14 months ago.
Now flour, sugars, vanilla, and everyday baking items are all within arm’s reach of where I stand and cook, which will make life easier and more efficient. When I moved in, I tried to guess where I wanted to store things but until you really live in a house and use it, you’re only guessing at the “perfect” spot for a certain item.
Scott said he thought the cabinet was classy, looked great, and “enhances the room”.
Any man who tells me that my girlie blogging dishes enhance the primary portion of our living space is a man I will love forever.
The best part of the Hemnes cabinet is that I have not maxed it out and have room to grow.
The top and bottom shelves are empty and there are ways I can easily re-stack and re-order the existing items to make more room.
Because there’s always more shopping to do.
Have you done any home re-organization projects lately?
This one was on my list for the past 6 to 12 months but in the recent past it just became a necessity.
I was running out of places to put dry goods and sugar because there were blue plates in the way. The horrors.
Certain projects that seem small to others can feel great to the person who completed it and making things more organized and freeing up space in my kitchen and is just the best feeling.
Do you have any projects on your to-do list?
The next one that I should tackle but don’t have immediate plans to actually do it, is a bookshelf or bookshelf system.
I have a fairly sizable collection of cookbooks, not to mention old magazines (food, lifestyle, yoga) that I want to hang onto, and of course non-cookbook books. Right now the majority of books and magazines are in boxes in my closet. Books are so heavy and I don’t want to move them over and over within the house, up and down stairs, until I figure out exactly where I want them but it’s a bigger project than I want to tackle right now.
If you have any household projects you’ve completed, home organization pieces of furniture or items that have really helped you stay clutter-free and organized around your house, link it up.
Seriously just last week I told my mom I wanted to start a collection of random dishes because then I can use pretty and unique ones all the time. You have inspired me to start that collection asap! Love this.
Well when you’re cooking and taking pictures of things for a blog or for any one-time use, or limited time use, you don’t need a set of anything. You need variety because after it’s been photographed once, or a few times, it gets boring. So stash it away and pull it out in a year or so :)
The cabinet looks so good in itself and your wonderful arrangement has made things fabulous. Congrats dear!
This cabinet is fantastic … gotta get one :-)
Love this!! All of my dishes and props are currently on shelves in the garage because our town house is much too small – I can’t fit anything inside! Which means I have to wash everything when I bring it in, which is a big pain. Wish I had room for one of these -it’s gorgeous!
We live in an urban condo! It’s TIGHT! But you have 2.5 kids :) and I only have 1. So I know your space must be super tight, too. Worth it if you can make it happen!
I absolutely agree with you on the clutter Averie. I need to go through and reorganize my whole kitchen right now. I have a bunch of counter space and 75% is all covered up with clutter. It’s a waste and I hate looking at it.
SO IN LOVE with all your wooden bowls and boards!
and they were all 50 cents or a buck each at the thrift store…when the place gets wood items in, they price them so cheap & I snag them!
Oh my gosh, you weren’t kidding when you said your house is clutter free!!
Your kitchen looks great! and your new cabinet looks great with your unique & beautiful dishes!!
Looks like you buy was a good one :)
thanks, Jojo! I am so happy with it!
Ah the turquoise and wood! so beautiful, especially near each other…it’s like tiffany’s meets rustic, what more could you ask for :) glad you’re happy with your purchase. Ikea never disappoints!
like tiffany’s meets rustic <-- I'll go with that..thank you :)
The cabinet looks great, Averie! So glad it worked out for you…:)