Kitschy Kitchen

A wind chime in the kitchen
The kitchen in my previous house was rather tiny and if someone happened to be standing in the passage between the counters, the other person would literally have to walk sideways to get through. So when I moved to this house, I was rather relieved that at least now people would stop rubbing against each other in my kitchen! Don't get me wrong, it's by no means massive but it's double the size of the previous one, nevertheless.
The weird part is that even though the kitchen was larger, the storage space had gotten smaller. The built-in cabinets did not even have a bottom shelf, one could see right through to the floor! I wonder how the previous occupants were managing...or did they just walk off with all the bottom shelves?? You never know.
The good part is that I was forced to give away tons of random things that I had been stowing away in overhead cabinets without having used them even once in the last ten years! So feeling lighter and brighter, I set about the task of giving the poor cabinets a bottom shelf and creating some extra storage. However there were quite  a few constraints when it came to building new storage:
1. It had to be wall mounted, there was not an inch of floor space left
2. The only wall space available was over the sink, but it had a window right next to it
3. Making a cabinet would mean closing in the space and cutting off the natural light 
4. It had to accommodate my numerous mugs and jars

Thus was born the idea of the floating shelves. They were perfect as they met all of the above criteria. I even built some into the window without compromising on the light, in fact the glass objects placed on the window shelves looked even prettier with the light passing through. And I am still able to open and shut the window with ease...
I like my mugs to hang from hooks coz they add so much colour to the space, it'd be such a pity to hide them in cupboards. Besides it's not even practical...each one is a different size and shape, making it impossible to stack and would only eat up precious shelf space. 
Isn't it wonderful when practicality meets aesthetic?

Another corner that I love in my kitchen is the crockery shelf. This nook was probably meant for a refrigerator or a washing machine but it was not large enough for my fridge, so I decided to put my wooden shelf in there...
Here's a closer look...

Another part of the kitchen is covered with a wall-mounted Ikea unit that serves well to hold all the daily knick-knacks...

On the whole it's quite a compact space and everything seems to have found a place for itself. 
For anything new that comes in now, something else will have to go out. Maybe that's best for someone like me, it keeps my life clutter-free!

Hope you guys enjoyed this coz I had a great time putting it together for you!

Comments

  1. WOW!!! I am in love with that window shelf and the wind chime and those hanging cups on the bangle stand and the way you have done it all up. Simply loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. BTW you should link this to Patty's shelf series on coloursdekor :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. very creative use of space.. cant wait to see the rest of the house now.. is it coming up soon? :)
    Cheers
    Tara

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I loved it. I like kitchens with all the pots, pans, mugs & stuff on display & not hiding inside some cabinets. Yours is just that. And those colored bottles against the light look lovely !

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks guys!
    Tara, the house is WIP so I'm gonna be posting bit by bit...do stick around! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Abs gorgeous Sahana..So warm and cosy..gorgeous colours and verrrry you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautifully done up kitchen, very pretty, even I love to hang cups, and I have been thinking of putting some hooks to hang them, but still haven't got around doing that. I am sure Patty would love it, and all others too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. its a gorgeous makeover... i wish you could turn your magic wand around my kitchen too... loads of inspiration and i love that you are displaying all your pretty crockery and bottles and stuff

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awesome n Fun! Love every bit of it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sahana.... superlike superlike superlike... from cups to re-used wine bottles to veseels to bowls.. everything superlike...! This is truly defined as Home, where art is..!

    Regards,
    Amtrips

    ReplyDelete
  11. Absolutely brilliant use of space! I love the refraction of light. I love to display everything I have. If I keep them inside cupboards, I totally forget what I have and when I need something, I usually don't have access readily and so never bother using it. This way, everything is at hand and also tastefully displayed. Wonderful. Keep it coming. Loved the yellow blinds in your bedroom, too.

    My3

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh wow!! what a lovely blog!! I wanted to call the home tour series on CD 'home is where the art is'... I totally love that..

    Love your shelves.. yes!! Yes! please.. please.. link in to http://coloursdekor.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-spotlight-shelf-stories.html

    I'll be waiting.. Totally loved your gorgeous.. stunning.. *sigh*.. pretty.. colourful.. collection.. WOW!! WOW!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. wow.. you have added so much character to your kitchen, wind chime idea is so cool and love those colored bottles and your showstoppers are absolutely gorgeous...wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love how you have transformed your kitchen into such a cozy nook.I believe a kitchen is a spot where we first reach every morning after we wake up to make that cup of fuel called TEA and hence it is a room which should be warm and inviting and colorful and cheeful too...yours is exactly that.I am signing up to follow you :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am so delighted to be following you...even though I wish you would post everyday...absolute delight to go through every post of yours... LOU em all. If anybody can make Mumbai chicken coops pretty-functional-aesthetic, then I am maha impressed. And you have done such a good job. Splendid I say! If I am gushing like a teenager with a huge crush on you, so be it, I am totally wowed.

    *sits down with a cuppa chai and prepare to stare at the 'louly' pics* and follow it with a *heavy sigh*...
    Cheers
    harshika
    dubaaaaai

    ReplyDelete
  16. Gosh! Thank you guys for all the love you're sending my way! Truly made my day :))

    ReplyDelete
  17. LOVELY! No other words...just lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Visiting via shelf stories..great blog, love your pics and your shelves are functional and decorative, very colorful..love the mix of patterns, too..new follower. Do visit my blog ..
    http://www.lminteriorsllc.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. love, love, love what you are doing to the new home! look forward to more posts :) :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. That's such an adorable space, loved it to the T, right from the windchime :) Compact and colorful!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm a huge fan of refracting light too- as my kitchen space is tinier, so I've hung coloured lanterns and lamps by the window instead of a curtain blocking out all the light. Oh and loved all the anthropologie stuff ;)

    ReplyDelete
  22. what a wonderful kitchen and the arrangements...im flattered...be ur follower now

    ReplyDelete
  23. and yes kitchen wind chime looks total fun!

    ReplyDelete
  24. ur hanging mugs look lovely and the kitchen nicely done! - squeakycorner

    ReplyDelete
  25. hey!just stumbled here as i was looking thru one of my ex class/school mate- kanak's Facebook pictures!

    I am just so addicted to your blog since i discovered it last night! u've got an absolutely adorable collection and looking fwd to the pics of the rest of ur house:-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Absolutely gorgeous stuff! Just bought a house and going mad with decorations. This will surely give me some tips. But any idea where in Bangalore can I find such pretty terracota and ceramic stuff?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Sahana,I just stumbled across your blog.It's lovely..Your step by step unfurling and designing of your space is just too good..enjoying every bit of it....love your bottle-exhibit!I now get an idea to do something with mine too...find it really hard to throw away all those pretty colourful bottles after the contents get over!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Breathtakingly beautiful arrangement. But the question which always comes up on my mind for every decor style is...how do you maintain? The wondow chime is very innovative by the way :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. hi sahana....love ur kitchen...u feel like cooking in the kitchen....btw i wud like to know how u made dat window chimes...wud luv to try it out in my kitchen.....

    ReplyDelete
  30. I also love terracotta ... and your colourful kitchen makes my mouth water ... the colours, the light and the arrangement!!! Simply WOW!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts