An Ode to Kitchen Shelves

(And, welcome to my tidying & organizing blog!)

Walking into our kitchen has recently become a new joy-sparking experience for me. You see, my husband and I live on the top floor of an early 1900s 2 flat we own in Chicago, and being in an old building leaves a tad to be desired as far as modern and spacious kitchens go. However, what we lack in square footage and cabinetry, our kitchen makes up for in charm and functionality. Our large, walk-in pantry houses all our dry goods, glasses, and mugs, and our cute skylight windows provide a European feel to our cooking; opening them is an excellent (read: necessary) option for venting when using our stovetop.

While I’ve grown to appreciate our unique, if not a bit awkward, kitchen, my husband and I felt we could use a bit more storage and decided to look up for an answer - vertically, that is. One day last spring, he said, “I think I’m going to build us some floating kitchen shelves”. I blinked a couple times to make sure I heard correctly and remarked, “Well okay then!”. My husband, Kristopher, is the kind of man that can do anything he sets his mind to, and while he appreciates his college degree, he’s referenced “Youtube university” for everything from how to make the best scrambled eggs to, apparently, how to build kitchen shelves.

Over the next few weeks, he set off to create the shelves in his spare time, working with my cousin in his workshop to cut and shape the lumber, and then bringing the wood home to stain and finish in our basement. Then one day I arrived home from running some errands, and there they were, beautifully stained and hung perfectly on the wall, just waiting to be filled.

I got to work immediately, taking our colorful plate and bowl sets, and stacking them on the bottom shelf for easy access. On the top shelf went our Le Creuset Dutch oven, a two-tier serving platter and a beautiful cake stand. Not only do each of these items spark joy for me, they were all gifted from our wedding registry a year prior. So, in a matter of hours, the back wall of our kitchen went from bare and empty to full, functional, and reminiscent of our generous family and friends.

We’ve been using these shelves and the items on them for a few months now, and what makes me love them so much is twofold: First, they were a labor of love from my husband, who is always working to enhance the lives of our little family (our 9-year-old frenchie, Olive, included). Second, the shelves provided an opportunity to exemplify my KonMari skills, creating and living in something beautiful, practical, and most importantly, joy-sparking.

As I set on my journey to use these skills for others, I invite you to take a look at your items and sift through them to find the things that make you happiest and that you are excited to use, wear, or simply look at. Displaying these items is lovely way to honor and enjoy them every day.

Feel free to post a comment about your own tidying journey, and if you’d like help identifying your own joy-sparking items, I’m here! Xo, M.E.