Kitchen Revamping & Oh Yeah, Hello Again!

I've been pretty absent lately, I know. But I was finally--finally--getting my two summer's worth (because I realized I didn't go to the beach once last summer!) of out-of-state beach and pool time. And somehow I just couldn't drag myself out of the sun long enough to sit at the computer. But now I'm back in NY (still hoping to see some more sun) and ready to blog again! So here we go.

I'm in the market for a new kitchen. A completely new kitchen to replace the mismatching one that's currently in my apartment. Now, if only that were possible. Seeing as it's probably not (sigh), I'm finding myself daydreaming about and planning ways to spruce up the narrow, outdated kitchen/dining room space in my apartment.

While there's not a lot of free wall space in my kitchen (there is, instead, an absurd amount of mismatched wall cabinetry), I would love to have an open shelf for spices as organized as this.

Photo by Pottery Barn

I've also always always been in love with the idea of a bookshelf in the kitchen. I'd like to say for cookbooks, but I have only a handful of those. So it would obviously also contain cocktail books (I have a lot of those) and my overflowing novel collection.

Image via One Rare Bird

However, what I was able to do so far was thanks to Ikea (alas) and my awesome furniture building skills (haha). It's a mere start but it's already livened up the place immensely. First, since we obviously have limited counter space in New York, I got rid of our old dish rack and installed a hanging one, with a side bucket for utensils that I just thought was cuter than your typical utensil holder. My roommate and I didn't like the look of the steel wall rail, but we also didn't like the black dishrack. So we combined the two.

Then, because I hate visible trashcans and was evidently on an installing things kick (I just bought a new drill and boy was I excited to use it!), I installed this pull out trash can/recycle bin under the sink. And I am in love with it. Also, I'll do almost anything to get people to recycle more.

And finally, I put together this kitchen island (with only a few assembly mistakes, but hey, you can't see them) and now feel like we have actual kitchen counter space instead of an awkward empty wall!

Like I said, it's a mere start (changing the floors will be our in-the-future big project), but I'm excited for the much needed changes!

Image credits: 1) The perfectly organized spice rack by Pottery Barn; 2) Kitchen with a bookshelf found on One Rare Bird; 3)-5) Photos by Natalie