Great Storage Solution For a Small Space.

Living in the city definitely has its perks, but one of the drawbacks is definitely a lack of storage space.  In our home, we have plenty of space for us, but for all our stuff?  Well, that can sometimes be a different story.  As much as I try to limit what we buy, and purge often, I still sometimes find myself overrun by our possessions, and there is no where more in need of storage than in our kitchen.  Our kitchen is an open concept, and it's small.  Really what that means is that we have just about as many cabinets as you possibly can have, and what we have is no where near enough for food, dishes, glasses, and all the "kid stuff."  (Those of you with kids know exactly what I'm talking about.) A few years ago, we purchased sideboard, and that was a game changer... finally our stemware, my grandmother's china and silver, and the kids board games had a home (lucky on opposite sides) and that worked great until the new kitchen countertops were put in.  In short, there is just no way I'm storing anything on them.  No cookbooks, no bowls, no toasters, no crap.  I keep my Nespresso machine out and a sweet little woven bowl I picked up in Costa Rica and that is it!  I know, I know, what great idea to get countertops that you actually want to see, when you are already lacking storage, but c'est la vie, I love them and I want to see them.  After cleaning out as much as I could from the existing cabinets, I realized what was left over really wasn't that much,  and I had a great little space by the kitchen that would be perfect for some shelves.  Originally, I wanted wood but I figured with all the butcher block and the wood sideboard, that would be too much.  I didn't want to spend bucks on this after just re-doing the kitchen so when I stumbled upon these inexpensive little shelves from CB2, I knew I was in business.  

Yes, that is faux brass and marble and yes, they are awesome.  I picked these guys up during some Christmas sale, and I pretty much squealed with delight after they were installed yesterday.  (They may be faux, but they sure are heavy as real marble so I had them professionally installed.)

 Now, all my favorite cookbooks and bowls have a place of their own, leaving the countertop clear and clutter free.  This is the first time EVER that has happened and let me tell you, I won't be turning back anytime soon.  I absolutely adore these shelves and think they would be perfect in a kitchen, home office, bathroom, or side by side in a living room, with leaning photos on top.  They look like the real deal, and even my husband didn't believe me when I told him they were only $50 dollars each.  If you are looking for a simple storage solution, this is it! 

Kitchen down, now if I could only get the clutter out from under the bathroom cabinets (just say no to free samples!!!) 

... to be continued.