kate's storage ideas for a small kitchen

small spaces are always a challenge, especially in the kitchen. you have no place to store the 72pc dining set mom gave, let alone have room for a dining table. kate with some ikea hacking solved her small problem.

"i have a teeny tiny studio apartment with an even tinier kitchen, which has virtually no counter space or storage at all. i had no room for a full size table, and i needed something to do double duty. the only space available for all of this is the entrance to the kitchen area, less than 5' long, and i had to leave some space open to walk through!

the billsta square table top was the perfect shape - right width, right depth, and suitably kitchen-feeling. however, the base it was grouped with is a pedestal, which would mean losing all of the space underneath for storage. so i got 4 vika kaj legs instead. the table is pre-drilled for the pedestal base, but the wood is very soft and attaching the vika legs was easy. one caveat - the bolts that come with the legs are too long for the billsta table, you need to get shorter ones from a hardware store. the colors of the table and the legs are a perfect match for the franklin folding bar stool. i got a cheap andy rolling cart to put underneath, it's great for storing my utensils and my potatoes!

for a little more storage space, i put some jarpen shelves up on what seemed like an annoying small wall that juts out in the kitchen area. i had a magnetic spice rack set, which came with a square metal base that stands up on a counter, but to save space i used a magnetic strip from an ikea desk accessory that came with magnets for hanging notes in your workspace. i think the spices look even better this way than with the original holder.

my apartment is one of those "i live in an ikea catalog" type spaces; i'm particularly happy with the dignitet curtain system. It makes my little living space seem bigger, and less like i'm sleeping in my living room."