When we finally decided to leave the ‘burbs for the city, one of my biggest hang-ups was the space of my new kitchen. The new place we chose has a wonderful floor to ceiling windows, wood floors, tons of natural lighting, and a kitchen that’s more open and made for entertaining. The downside? We didn’t have the cabinet space we had in our previous home.
I was pretty concerned how we were going to be able to fit all of the glassware in particular that we have accumulated or just kept for sentimental reasons. Storage definitely wasn’t an option, but living like a hoarder is never a good look. After some thorough research and my eye for space and bright ideas, I used my Lean Black Belt skills and decided to utilize the empty wall space, with an upward range, to showcase our dishes and glassware on a vacant wall nearby. Keeping everything visually appealing and balanced, of course.
Here’s what I used:
· 6 IKEA shelves & 12 brackets
· Measuring tape to measure length of wall and shelves
· A husband who’s tall & handy to install heavy things
To really pull this off, you have be conscience of the spacing between your dishes. This is not time to clutter the shelf with every dish. Make sure there is ample room between each piece so they are all neatly together, but seen.
Most dish sets come in fours: four plates, four saucers, & four bowls. If you’ve broken dishes over the years, not to worry. Just create balance with the items you already have. Since plates are larger, stack those first, then saucers on top. Stack four bowls next to plates and not on top.
For glasses, group these by height and place higher ones on left and place shorter items to the right.
Make things visually appealing. Keep the same patterned and color dishes together. Keep all the same designed champagne flutes, wine glasses, and pilsner glasses grouped together.
Let’s not forget functional. Don’t decorate to the point where no one can actually use anything. If you’re unable to reach items, use a mini step ladder to avoid climbing on chairs.
Make it unique to your personality and of course, enjoy!
