homemaking

This time, last year, I had just moved into a new apartment; a nice 2-bedroom, split-level, duplex. This seemed like a huge upgrade in space from my previous 1-bedroom apartment! I now have one bedroom set up just for my sewing/knitting/crafting materials. Plus, I have the entire basement for space - half is carpeted and set up for board-gaming, nephews' toys, guest space, etc. The other half is the 'work-side;' set up with a washer/dryer hook-up (if I ever decide to get a set...), a work bench and shelves, paints and scrap wood, my planting and gardening tools, and general storage. It is so nice to have space to do the things I enjoy!

As with any new living space, I had to make the rooms my own by crafting and building my ideas to make it feel like me. In the photo above, the shelves were built by my dad and me. I wish I had a picture of how they were first designed for my previous apartment! The kitchen of the 1-bedroom apartment was laid out like an L; well, an upside down L really. You walked into the doorway at the long end and had a hallway of space with the stove and fridge on one side and the single bay sink on the other. Across the fridge, on the short end of the L, was just a cubby-area with nothing in it... seemed like a waste of space and I needed more shelf space anyway so I designed the shelves to fit perfectly in the area, wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling. Imagine the two outside sections of the shelf, in the picture above, set one in front of the other to create a deeper cupboard area (it had a door on it before), and the center shelf  flipped upside down and on top of the other two. Space for the microwave and food!

Not the easiest to picture probably, and not something I needed for this apartment's kitchen. So, I sanded them down and put on a few coats of paint to get a nice long living room shelf, which is perfect for that long wall.

Voilà!


I had multiple project ideas for my new apartment that were a few months in the making - curtains, more shelves, pictures and frames...

Actually, my kitchen curtain was planned to be made for my old apartment, but I didn't actually make it until January of this year... I can be a bit of a procrastinator sometimes.
I was very happy with the way it came out after designing the pattern myself. These prints kind of became my "theme" for the kitchen - owls and apples; and I really like the 70's style/colors.

This is the only window in the kitchen and it happens to face the sun all day. I decided it was the perfect spot for some houseplants, but I'd have to create a shelf that was the same height as the tiny window ledge.

My Dad

I wanted something that kept the room feeling open, but still had some room for extra items. So I came up with a squared, A-frame style. I took all the measurements and drew a picture for my dad. He helped with the 'harder' stuff - picking out the perfect boards, sawing to size, screwing and nailing everything perfectly. Then I was ready to sand and stain it!

Staining a dark red to match the curtain.

And here's the finished look for my kitchen projects!