"The Inspired Room" Book and a Kitchen Re-Organization

I was so delighted to receive a copy of Melissa Michael's book, "The Inspired Room" as a birthday gift. As the title suggests, the book really was an inspiration for re-thinking how we use our home and has helped me to feel motivated to re-arrange and tweak things to work better and feel more cozy.

In her book she writes, "A kitchen nourishes your family in many tangible and intangible ways, so improving the physical space to make it more inviting is worth considering as your budget allows." On reflection, I realized our kitchen was not functioning well. I had found myself avoiding going in there because it felt cramped and dark and a bit disorganized. It was time for a re-assessment of what worked and what didn't. With the help of my husband, we did some re-arranging and now it is functioning so much better!

We did the following "baker's dozen" changes:

• Moved the microwave to an unused corner next to the kettle to better make use of the "dead space" there.
• Moved the bread bin and toaster to the counter space where the microwave used to sit so the space next to the stove is now free and can be used as an extension of the prep area.
• Replaced the toaster that didn't match the rest of the appliances.
• Removed the tray and tea-set that was not used daily but took up a lot of space.
• Moved the dish washing liquid, hand soap and cleaning sponge to the counter top in a old pie plate so the windowsill is clear (and my daughter can reach them). I need to put these in more attractive packaging at a later stage.
• Consolidated the various bowls of fruit onto one single large platter that can be easily cleaned and fits the corner of the kitchen. I may also add a pot plant next to the fruit platter.
• Moved the scale and weights from a high shelf onto the counter top where they are easy to use.
• Introduced a recipe stand that I had been previously unable to use so now I can have a recipe book open for inspiration.
• Introduced a small chalkboard with a fun cooking-related quote.
• Replaced the mismatched recycling basket with a collection of matching baskets on a high shelf so recycling does not sit on the counter top. Thanks to my mom for the shopping trip to find and buy these lovely new baskets!
• Put away medicines/vitamins as well as the spices. The different packaging and colours of these things were visually distracting.
• Replaced the small clock on the windowsill with a new wall clock. (Another birthday gift!)
• Space is now available for my new bread machine (also a delightful birthday present!) and a food processor that I have ordered with a birthday gift voucher from a dear friend.

So with a bit of  inspiration and some thought (as well as a whole lot of kitchen-related birthday gifts!) I really love spending time in our kitchen now. And all this took only about two hours!

You can follow Melissa Michael's blog, also called The Inspired Room, if you too need some home inspiration!

Dreaming and Gratitude

On her blog The Inspired Room, Melissa Michaels wrote a lovely post entitled “5 Little Ways to Fall in Love with your Home”.  This blog post was an inspiration to me and started off a train of thought about whether in fact I was truly appreciating our home.

I love browsing photos of homes in magazines and on Pinterest! It is easy to dream of a “picture perfect” home. But sometimes I find that I am so busy dreaming that I lose out on the joy of loving the home I am in.  That is when being grateful and finding joy in routine is also necessary. I occasionally need to remind myself to focus on the everyday beauties of being at home and to find joy, creativity and fun in home making rather than putting it all on hold until the day my home is more photo-worthy!

In her first book, “Love the Home you Have”, Melissa Michaels concludes with a “31-Day Love Your Home Challenge” which is a month worth of activities to help homemakers to find joy in their homes. She has so many great ideas, and a few of them I am really making use of regularly! Here are my top three:

1. We are blessed to have a small garden, and so I have been picking greenery to put on the table and also blue Hydrangeas as they are in flower in our summer garden here in South Africa. It is lovely to have seasonal flowers in the house.
2. We recently got rid of the desk and exercise bike that were in our bedroom and replaced them with a chair and small table for sitting and reading or drinking tea. This has given our bedroom a more restful atmosphere.
3. I am still working on the wording, but remembering that the purpose of our home is to be a sanctuary for relaxation and a place for creative expression rather than a perfectly picturesque space is a good reminder. I would like to put up our purpose statement on a chalkboard or canvas when I have finalized the wording.

What are some of the things you enjoy most about your home? What projects are you dreaming of doing in 2016?