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.
love it, looks like a display in anthropologie!
LOL….thank you :)
LOL my hoause is always organized, clean and neat too, I can’t sleep or function otherwise! Love your cabinet, your kitchen and all the beautiful dishes!
thanks and glad you understand about clutter, too…can’t handle it!
Oh I’m so jealous of your cabinet!!
Loooove this! I need to expand my storage area and eyed that along with a few other pieces at Ikea as options should I not be able to find one at a yard sale over the summer.
LMK what you come up with!
Averie, the storage unit looks fabulous! You have such beautiful dishware and SUCH a clean house OMG. I wish Kevin complimented my baking props and dishware. Scott has a good eye!
I think I like your wood collection the best. Weird, because I love color so much. But there is nothing like a beautiful piece of food on a wooden dish/tray/what not. I’m thinking about asking/making Kevin build me a wooden tableop/backdrop for my photos. I’ve seen DIY how-to’s on some blogs. He loves to build things sooo maybe if I ask nicely he can make me one because I clearly wouldn’t know what I was doing… even with a DIY how-to.
All in all, a successful purchase for you @ Ikea! Woo!
Scott is not handy, at all. He makes no bones about his dad taught him great carpentry skills: call a handyman. The ironic thing is most of my woods were CHEAP. Like 50 cents or a buck at the thrift store. They dont come along all that often but when they do, el cheapo! If Kevin can build something, let him! And there are a million tutorials on how to make DIY “old” surfaces. Recipegirl/Lori, Gina/Runningtothekitchen, Lindsay/Loveandoliveoil all have tutorials on their sites for faux-ing and distressing wood.
Isn’t it great having everything together where you can actually see it and get inspired by it? Our new house has lots of built in shelving, so I have more of my blogging ‘supplies’ out than ever before, I just love it! Your cabinet looks fantastic! I want to go to that sale, btw!
the one here started a few weeks ago and it’s pretty picked over now but a couple weeks ago I found a few hot little numbers :) nice going with the built-in’s. That’s awesome!
I love the cabinet, Averie! You have quite the collection of props too. I was just thinking a few days ago that I need a prop shopping trip!
I have to restrain myself. Shop and post about it; I can live vicariously that way!
Look at all your pretty plates!! Swoon. Major major swoon.
We just started getting our new place together, but it feels like it’s taking a life time!! One day at a time it’s beginning to feel a little bit more like “home”.
Moving in and getting settled is such a chore but the BEST when it’s all done!
Eugh I hate clutter too! So glad you got it sorted out for your own sanity – we have had quite a few HEMNES items and I love the look of them ad they hold up really well!
My daughter has lots of Ikea in her bedroom and although it’s not Hemnes, it’s similar and we’ve been so happy with how well it’s lasted.
Ooooooh, I LOVE it. And I totally need a cabinet like this one– my dishes are FLOWING out of our kitchen cabinets.
Yes – I know (knew) the feeling all too well!
Nice! Looks great. I recently moved and I’m trying to figure out a storage solution for all of my props. Unfortunately, I don’t have the space to accommodate the cabinet above. I’m thinking open shelving!
We were thinking about open shelving, too…but being a rental, didn’t want to invest in shelving that’s left behind when/if we move out and also we’d have to get approval for massive amounts of built-in’s or shelving installation and didn’t want to deal so this was the hot ticket…can’t wait to see what you end up doing!
Oh perfect! Kind of jealous of all of your fun dishes ;-) We really need to figure out how to build a banquet in our kitchen for added storage and dining seating. Maybe one of these days….
that sounds like a massive project girl!
My next to-do list project is to find the store in the last photo and shop the heck out of it. I’M SO JEALOUS.
And I adore your kitchen and your living room and your cabinet and all of your fabulous dishes. Would you mind if I just went ahead and moved in with you?
Move in any time. Can I borrow a few of your lenses too? That’s my next project is to organize those so I don’t have them just..umm…rolling around.
Anthro, Neimans, Nordstorm, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, it’s all just 1 mile from my house. And a billion other stores. I try to stay away as best I can :)
They had one of those sale tables out at Anthro this weekend! I resisted thou because in my tiny ass studio kitchen I literally can not fit anything else. My vita mix takes up half a cabinet on its own! I am trying to negotiate a way i can fit a kitchen aid machine but I don’t think it will even fit on my counter without hitting the cabinets! Oh urban living :)
I know what you mean about a Vita and KitchenAid pretty much maxing out your entire countertop space…I hear you! Good luck finding a place for a maybe? K.A. in your future!
I hope so! The Kitchen aid was a childhood fixture in my home (it is appropriately greenish yellow and straight from the 70’s), My mom actually nicknamed it the monster machine and I really can’t call them anything else. LOL! It still works like a champ, along with their vita mix purchased at a home show 15 or so years ago.
i try not to get into all the photo prep stuff because it can be such an expensive habit for sure.
and yes, there is always more shopping to be had
but it’s a fun habit :)
All of your dishes look so gorgeous!