[D118]Decorating Tips For Small

One area of a kitchen that rarely gets used is the space between the cabinets and the ceiling. To create some visual interest and display lightweight items, you can make a little plate shelf from a piece of floor or ceiling molding. Paint it the same color as the walls so the items you put on top will really stand out. I chose a set of goblets and wine glasses in pewter. I added some plates in warm tones ? again all from the same pattern ? and clusters of grapes. That builds a pattern with certain types of things repeated around the kitchen in random groupings; it also keeps the plate shelf from looking too heavy and cluttered.

A small kitchen almost requires you to exhibit some things that you might normally keep in cupboards. One great way to do that is with a pot rack. You may have a hard time finding one that's not too big, so look in some non-traditional places. I adapted an old wrought-iron bench, attaching it to the ceiling with molly bolts in place of the original screws that held the seat in place. These old iron benches can be pretty ornate, which actually comes in handy. I ran two large copper pipes through the structure and fashioned some ?s? hooks out of smaller copper pipe to hang my cookware. You'll be surprised how good your everyday pots and pans will look hanging from the ceiling, and you'll save cabinet space too.

Unless you only stand about four feet tall, you're going to want something underneath the pot rack. Otherwise you'll be bumping your head ? a lot. I was able to find a small table. A chopping block would be nice, but any kind of small table will work. Put wheels on it if you want to move it around. My table has a few drawers for napkins and a shelf down beneath that's great for housing mixing bowls.

Another space saver is a shelf unit. Look for one that takes up as little floor space as possible. I found one that only covers six by eight inches of floor area, but it's nice and tall. You can dress a really plain one up by adding decorative molding to the front edges. Line it up along the edge and point the molding toward the center. Then paint it to match the walls. If you don't have a miter saw to make corners, some lumberyards will do it for a small fee.

Don't forget the space alongside your refrigerator. Just mount a simple hook or two and you have a great place to hang those serving trays that you only use occasionally.

Sometimes what you don't have out is every bit as important as what you do. When we were first married, my husband believed that everything he used regularly should be left out - the toaster and other smaller appliances. I disagreed, so to show my point, everything I used in the kitchen that day I left out. Of course, it didn't take long for my house to look completely trashed. Since then we've put our small appliances away between uses . . . most of them, anyway.

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