When I am rich and famous, I will have a shoe closet like this :))
for Wordless Wednesday
Showing posts with label Decorating adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Decorating adventures. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
The KISS Kitchen - Keep It Simple, Sexy!
I love looking at "Dream House" magazines and torturing myself over their gorgeous glossy pages, dreaming of what I could do if I too had $75,000 to spend on a swanky kitchen. I love their sleek lines, I love their glassy surfaces, I love how it looks as if nobody lives there except an army of self cleaning robots.
One thing I have noticed about these dream kitchens is that the benchtops are always free of clutter. There are no grimy canisters, no bills lying about (well of course not, with a $75,000 kitchen they probably have someone to take care of that), no tacky good luck elephant ornaments (don't ask, my MIL has a penchant for these) or other assorted ephemera cluttering up their kitchens.
And if you have ever sat through one of those real estate/make over shows on TV, one of the first things suggested is to de-clutter the kitchen and bathroom, because basically other people don't want to see your sh*t lying about. They want to believe that just by buying your house, their kitchen benches will always be squeaky clean and clutter free.
This is even more apparent when you have a kitchen the size of a matchbox, much like myself. As far as kitchens go, its probably ideal for a young professional couple with a nice little maltese terrier. But for a family of six, my kitchen is woefully inadequate. So, as I am going through a lengthy de-cluttering process in my home at the moment (you can read about my wardrobe war right here), I decided it was time for me to K.I.S.S. my kitchen.
Keep It Simple, Sexy (yes, I know its supposed to be "Keep It Simple Stupid" but I prefer the flattery!)
Taking a leaf out of the "Dream House" magazines I took everything off my benches and kept the bare necessities out which ended up being a kettle, a fruit bowl, and my whiteboard calendar. These items were put together in one spot so that the rest of the kitchen remained clutter free.
It took barely any time at all and it is truly one of the best things I have ever done. My kitchen feels bigger, my benches are spick and span and it's so easy to wipe them down without having to swerve my way around bits and pieces. Kitchens, by their very nature, are an oily, sticky place and after a while canisters and ornaments can end up looking pretty grotty and gross which just means more things to clean.
But what about all my little bits and pieces I hear you say? What about my collection of porcelain pigs? Won't my kitchen look soul-less and empty?
Well, I love collecting antique china and have way too many pretty tea cups and saucers for my own good. In my dining area (which is right next to my kitchen) I have all my pretty things on display in a kitchen dresser. Everything is one place and its a great way to show off your collectibles. A buffet or shelves would work just as well.
Kitchen Decluttering Tips
Luckily for me my kitchen has a dishwasher which is great for hiding the dirty dishes (although it is currently broken, yes Im talking to you Ms Snotty Landlord Lady if you would hurry up and fix the bl**dy thing) but I did read an excellent tip on the Fly Lady's website. She suggested clearing a space under your sink and putting a dish drainer with a tray under there to put your dirty dishes on until you wash them. Technically, its like having a dishwasher drawer but without the automatic washing part. Its a small consolation, I know! However, as I am having to wash my own dishes at the moment - oh the sacrifices - I find that because the kitchen is so clutter free, it still looks tidy even with dishes drying on the sink.
Why Not Take the KISS Kitchen Challenge?
One thing I have noticed about these dream kitchens is that the benchtops are always free of clutter. There are no grimy canisters, no bills lying about (well of course not, with a $75,000 kitchen they probably have someone to take care of that), no tacky good luck elephant ornaments (don't ask, my MIL has a penchant for these) or other assorted ephemera cluttering up their kitchens.
And if you have ever sat through one of those real estate/make over shows on TV, one of the first things suggested is to de-clutter the kitchen and bathroom, because basically other people don't want to see your sh*t lying about. They want to believe that just by buying your house, their kitchen benches will always be squeaky clean and clutter free.
This is even more apparent when you have a kitchen the size of a matchbox, much like myself. As far as kitchens go, its probably ideal for a young professional couple with a nice little maltese terrier. But for a family of six, my kitchen is woefully inadequate. So, as I am going through a lengthy de-cluttering process in my home at the moment (you can read about my wardrobe war right here), I decided it was time for me to K.I.S.S. my kitchen.
Taking a leaf out of the "Dream House" magazines I took everything off my benches and kept the bare necessities out which ended up being a kettle, a fruit bowl, and my whiteboard calendar. These items were put together in one spot so that the rest of the kitchen remained clutter free.
It took barely any time at all and it is truly one of the best things I have ever done. My kitchen feels bigger, my benches are spick and span and it's so easy to wipe them down without having to swerve my way around bits and pieces. Kitchens, by their very nature, are an oily, sticky place and after a while canisters and ornaments can end up looking pretty grotty and gross which just means more things to clean.
But what about all my little bits and pieces I hear you say? What about my collection of porcelain pigs? Won't my kitchen look soul-less and empty?
Well, I love collecting antique china and have way too many pretty tea cups and saucers for my own good. In my dining area (which is right next to my kitchen) I have all my pretty things on display in a kitchen dresser. Everything is one place and its a great way to show off your collectibles. A buffet or shelves would work just as well.
Kitchen Decluttering Tips
Here are a few tips I have for keeping my kitchen clutter free and efficient.
One of the biggest kitchen clutter culprits is your toaster. Toasters are used for about 10 minutes at breakfast time. So why do they live on our benches taking up precious real estate 24 hours a day? I keep my toaster in a cupboard below the power point and in the morning I whip it out and after breakfast I put it away. Oila! Easy peasy.
Then there is the fridge door. Yes, it is a convenient place to display the kid's kindy artwork, school certificates, bills that need paying, invites for xyz's birthday but it is amazing how clutter free your kitchen looks with a squeaky clean fridge door. It's easy, just treat your fridge door as if it was not magnetic!
My kid's artwork goes into my office (the extra special ones I keep, the others I display for a week or so and then bin). Details from birthday invites, etc. get written down into my diary and/or written on my whiteboard then they get binned. Bills go in the draw/office and eventually get paid :)
One of my other tips is to put all the breakfast stuff in a plastic basket. I have 4 boys who never want to eat the same thing on their toast so instead of rummaging around in my pantry looking for the vegemite/jam/peanut butter I pull out my breakfast basket and when breakfast is finished I shove it back in the pantry. I am in the process of "basketising" my pantry to make it neater. As you can see, its still a work in progress.
Why Not Take the KISS Kitchen Challenge?
- Take everything off your benches apart from your absolute necessities (really it should only be 2 or 3 things)
- Banish your toaster to a cupboard
- Clean off your fridge door
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
My Life as a Couch - 1 Couch, 4 Covers, 8 Years
I have always been deeply attached to my couch - probably because I spend so much time sitting, lying (and occasionally snoring) on my super comfy cushiony couch. In my opinion, a comfortable couch is one of life's great pleasures!
I think my obsession with couches started when I moved out of home at 18 and my mother gifted me with her old leather chesterfield couch. I loved that couch because it was the only thing I had from my childhood prior to my parent's divorce. Can a couch be sentimental? Well, the couch is now over 30 years old and its still sitting in my family room. The cushions are beyond repair, there are some holes in the leather and it no longer has any feet but I can't bear to part with it and have dragged it across the country more times than I can remember.
Here is a photo of my trusty leather chesterfield in 2003 just before the birth of my first child. My couch had served me well for 14 years by this time (and lasted longer than my first husband). Did I ever live like this? I can hardly believe it. Look how clean it is, how neat, how - dare I say it - elegant. There are no crumbs on the floor, no finger prints on the furniture, no books with torn off covers, no toys cluttering up the space....oh yes, this was couch life B.K. (Before Kids).
After the arrival of my first born, I was somewhat shocked to realise that for the foreseeable future I would be spending about 50% of my day breast feeding this child on my couch and the other 50% sitting in a dazed stupor wondering if I would ever sleep again. And as attached as I was to my leather couch, it just wasn't that comfy to breast feed on.
So hubby and I decided it was time to buy our first couch together. Budget restraints were in place as we were living on 1 and a bit wages so Ikea seemed a practical and inexpensive choice. With the money we had we could either buy one leather couch or two fabric ones. We definitely planned to have more kids (although having 4 never came into my mind back then) so we opted for two fabric couches instead.
In the end we went for a pair of Ikea's Ektorp 3 seater sofas. I liked the classic shape with rolled arms, I liked the feather cushions (still feathery after 8 years) I liked that it was long enough for me to lie down fully stretched out, I liked the price (around $499 depending on the cover) but best of all I liked the fact you could wash and change the covers. And change the covers I have!
Originally we started off with "Red". It was winter when we bought the couches and Red seemed like a nice cosy colour. It also matched my favourite painting in the house perfectly. Here is my couch in Red - I am actually sitting on the other end of the couch breastfeeding in this photo haha.
Red lasted us a long time. We were happy with Red and I think Red was pretty happy with us. It seemed to put up with the baby vomit, mushed in biscuit, slight wee accidents (not just from the kids!) and spilt milk bottles with good graces.
But then we bought a house to renovate, it was the middle of summer, and I think the heat must have gone to my head because - against all popular advice - I decided "White" was the way to go. Here is my couch in White - I believe this photo was taken 5 minutes after we bought the new covers which coincidentally enough was about 5 minutes before they got their first stain.
I really don't know what I was thinking - other than that I wasn't thinking. Yes, they looked lovely and fresh against our bright lime green walls and hardwood floors (we were living in Perth then and lime green walls were very hip and tropical, oh why am I trying to justify myself haha) but with 3 boys in the house under the age of 4 they stayed lovely and fresh for about 2.1 nanoseconds.
Within 6 months, even with washing and bleaching, I couldn't stand looking at our now "non-white" White covers anymore withoutleaving the house and going shopping getting depressed. Out they went and in came "Floral". I really liked Floral. It was pretty but relaxed and had an English cottage feel to it. The floral pattern was not too in your face and did quite a good job at hiding marks and stains. Here is my couch in all its florally glory. Pretty, isn't it.
Floral was a part of our lives for about the same length of time as Red. They both hold special memories for me but after taking the brute force of 4 little boys and another interstate move, Floral was looking a little worn.
What to get this time? The first thing that came into my mind was ANYTHING THAT HIDES THE GRIME. So "Black" it was. Black might sound pretty ominous but I am loving the whole black and white decorating theme right now. Plus, Black matches the favourite thing in my house (not counting the kids) - my pair of antique black lacquered hall chairs. Here is a photo of Black, you have to admit he's quite suave with his matching black ottoman (also from Ikea).
Yep, I'm feeling quite happy with Black at the moment. I think Black and I will be best buddies for a while. Maybe not as long as Red and Floral, but definitely longer than White. Who knows, maybe after Black I might go nautical - blue and white stripe....ohhhhh, I like the sound of that.....
Got any furniture addictions? Something you just can't get rid of even though its seen better days? Ever bought a couch and now you hate the sight of it? I'd love to hear all about it!
I think my obsession with couches started when I moved out of home at 18 and my mother gifted me with her old leather chesterfield couch. I loved that couch because it was the only thing I had from my childhood prior to my parent's divorce. Can a couch be sentimental? Well, the couch is now over 30 years old and its still sitting in my family room. The cushions are beyond repair, there are some holes in the leather and it no longer has any feet but I can't bear to part with it and have dragged it across the country more times than I can remember.
Here is a photo of my trusty leather chesterfield in 2003 just before the birth of my first child. My couch had served me well for 14 years by this time (and lasted longer than my first husband). Did I ever live like this? I can hardly believe it. Look how clean it is, how neat, how - dare I say it - elegant. There are no crumbs on the floor, no finger prints on the furniture, no books with torn off covers, no toys cluttering up the space....oh yes, this was couch life B.K. (Before Kids).
So hubby and I decided it was time to buy our first couch together. Budget restraints were in place as we were living on 1 and a bit wages so Ikea seemed a practical and inexpensive choice. With the money we had we could either buy one leather couch or two fabric ones. We definitely planned to have more kids (although having 4 never came into my mind back then) so we opted for two fabric couches instead.
In the end we went for a pair of Ikea's Ektorp 3 seater sofas. I liked the classic shape with rolled arms, I liked the feather cushions (still feathery after 8 years) I liked that it was long enough for me to lie down fully stretched out, I liked the price (around $499 depending on the cover) but best of all I liked the fact you could wash and change the covers. And change the covers I have!
Originally we started off with "Red". It was winter when we bought the couches and Red seemed like a nice cosy colour. It also matched my favourite painting in the house perfectly. Here is my couch in Red - I am actually sitting on the other end of the couch breastfeeding in this photo haha.
But then we bought a house to renovate, it was the middle of summer, and I think the heat must have gone to my head because - against all popular advice - I decided "White" was the way to go. Here is my couch in White - I believe this photo was taken 5 minutes after we bought the new covers which coincidentally enough was about 5 minutes before they got their first stain.
I really don't know what I was thinking - other than that I wasn't thinking. Yes, they looked lovely and fresh against our bright lime green walls and hardwood floors (we were living in Perth then and lime green walls were very hip and tropical, oh why am I trying to justify myself haha) but with 3 boys in the house under the age of 4 they stayed lovely and fresh for about 2.1 nanoseconds.
Within 6 months, even with washing and bleaching, I couldn't stand looking at our now "non-white" White covers anymore without
What to get this time? The first thing that came into my mind was ANYTHING THAT HIDES THE GRIME. So "Black" it was. Black might sound pretty ominous but I am loving the whole black and white decorating theme right now. Plus, Black matches the favourite thing in my house (not counting the kids) - my pair of antique black lacquered hall chairs. Here is a photo of Black, you have to admit he's quite suave with his matching black ottoman (also from Ikea).
Got any furniture addictions? Something you just can't get rid of even though its seen better days? Ever bought a couch and now you hate the sight of it? I'd love to hear all about it!
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