First Post and A Minimalist Kitchen Makeover

I love when I can find people who inspire me creatively. Sometimes there is just a spark that goes off in you when you see how someone dresses, or how they decorate their home. A #foodie post on instagram may make you want to try a new dish, and other times it is simply the way people live their lives that make you want to live yours better. I've felt so much of this inspiration lately, and I am about to explode with it. So instead, I made a blog.

This is the first post on my new blog, but I'm keeping the story about me to the 'About me' page. Instead, I want to share with you one of the first steps I've made towards a more minimalist lifestyle. First up was my kitchen. P and I love to cook, and this people know. Gifts we get are usually kitchen supplies, and along with all the equipment we buy on our own - the kitchen has begun to overflow. So in a moment of inspiration, I dropped spending my day studying the way it was planned and instead started cleaning and minimalizing my kitchen.

 

To do this, I started by removing EVERYTHING from the counters and tops. After wiping down counters, making a little effort to wash the backsplash and the top of the fan, I started slowly putting a few things back. The knife stand is good to have on hand, as well as hot pads for when you're working quickly with hot pots and pans. The pasta was not a necessity, nor was the messy bouquet of kitchen utensils. They found a practical place in the drawer right by the oven, while the container they were in made a perfect pot for my (sad) orchid. 

Cleaning off the top of my cabinets may have been the best part of this. It's too easy to just stow away things on top of it that are too large to fit anywhere else. Now, however, the top is white, bright and it looks cleaner. Post-cleaning, I have a billion little random collected-over-the-years nick-nacks that either have to be thrown away, given away or sold. But honestly, did I really need that halloween themed pumpkin carving set? 

The kitchen was one of the first things that sold me on this apartment. The exposed log wall from when the house was built (1886) is like a signature piece that makes it so unique. Now, thanks to a little spontaneous cleaning session, the kitchen has much more space for what it is for; cooking. Come back to the blog later for some killer recipes, I promise I'll make you hungry!