the kitchen...

there has been a lot of talk about small spaces on the blogs i've been reading.  and i happen to live in one! it's just a small town home with no garage, but i love that there aren't too many walls to cover, and that every piece of space has it's own use.

our kitchen is one of those spaces.  we have a long, galley kitchen with a small dinette at the end of it--and the laundry is crammed in there too!  when i first moved in, i had a bar height table and two chairs, and that was all that fit.  the builder's grade chandelier wasn't great either.

a few years into that situation, and the space wasn't working.  unfortunately, i don't have any pictures from that era!

so, i threw a few things around in my head....a bench with a built in table....space too small for that.  shelving and a new table....couldn't fit all that....

we concluded that i would design a bar and a desk in one with overhead shelving.  and we LOVE it.  we use some part of this unit every day, and the best part is the floor space is open in the dinette, and we can actually move around in our kitchen.  now this won't work for a large family, but then again, our home wouldn't work!  we eat with little guy in the dining room, and we use the bar for occasional snacks and breakfast.

the sink with a hanging rack from hobby lobby.  it's our coffee station

the right half of the bar--the eating portion

so close to the laundry room door...notice where the stopper is

the barely there clearance, but it opens all the way

the desk side of the bar--i designed the openings in the shelving above to have slots for my papers

chair from world market....last one there, a bit damaged, so of course--asked for discount

button knob to hold my bulletin board

a look at the entire top unit.  my favorite feature is the 360 degree rotating hooks for the mugs

not a fancy stool, but it works

the floor is about to be replaced, since it's pulling away from the baseboards

bubbles in the linoleum

the dinette side of the kitchen

useful containers...that match the decor

little guy's markers live in here

new light--from lowes

other side of galley opposite sink

i'm looking for the perfect vintage art sign to put on the wall by the laundry doors.  something about vegetables, i think.

my towel basket

inspiration...

this exact look is going to be on a wall in my house sometime in march.  so excited i can't stand it.  i don't know if i'll find a clock to go with it, or just leave it plain and beautifully white.

from casablancatransformation.blogspot.com

mini mudroom finished...

we were able to screw the hooks into the wall (found them at hobby lobby--the last four there, so i snatched them up several weeks ago before i even knew when we would complete this project--yes, at 50% off)

i love the detail of each one and the fact that you can hang at least two things on each hook.

remember the numbers i posted about?  well, they are now happily over each hook.

a piece of canvas with burlap wrapped edges and a stenciled one

spray painted the three yellow and added a cloth tie

the only number we didn't alter besides paint, of course

this one had a hook underneath it, so hubby unscrewed it and made a makeshift hanger from a staple

here is the wall all finished and holding our winter goods.  in the summer, i'm sure there will be swim cover ups, and towels and who knows what else from our trips to the pool.

the numbers add that perfect touch of whimsy that we are going for now downstairs

i linked up with the inspired room for a small spaces party!

the bathroom is finished...

 i found the most darling mirror to add to the wall, as well as my shelf.  however, the shelf wound up over the towel rack because i decided to do some stenciling for the other big blank space of wall.
found some canvas for 3 dollars a piece at hobby lobby, along with two cute stencils.  paint that was on sale for 50 cents a bottle--and we now have a bird in the bathroom.  little guy loves to run in there, and say "bird, bird."  it was so easy to make, and i love how it ties the room together.  we are forever done in there.

now i can put on make-up while hubby uses the other mirror

the finished look

a mini mud room...

i have always wanted a mudroom....desperately.  but this little townhouse has no room for one.  so, we created one out of beadboard and mdf pieces.  i wanted it to look like board and batten, but put the beadboard in behind it to make it look more finished.  we had a friend come over to cut and install since hubby doesn't have any of the tools.  here it is with one coat of paint.....waiting for the final coat, the caulk, and the hooks to go in.

number goodness...

i love these mismatched numbers.  can't wait to show you where they'll be living.

the floor is in...

so, it is finally done.  the lowes guys came out and got the flooring and the baseboards in.  we have to go back and touch up paint, but it's so nice to have a floor to walk on after two weeks of looking at concrete and drop cloths!  we love it....it is so soft, warm, and generally just good looking.  i still need that floating shelf and a lantern to hang on the wall, but other than that, it's done.