Don’t Cook? Use Your Kitchen as a Closet

I saw a great Citi ad today in the two front pages of a magazine…I scanned the ad in here so you can click this thumbnail for a larger version. This woman says she lives in a tiny apartment and she doesn’t cook, so instead she uses her kitchen as a walk-in closet. It shows her kitchen cupboards open and they are filled with shoes, handbags, sweaters, and the like. She talks about how great it was to use her credit card to stock up on wire baskets and other accessories to make this work for her. She also says that she did save some room for a few dishes and glasses and one drawer of take-out menus.

This is such a great example of doing what works for you! We talk all the time about A-B-C-D prioritization of your space and your things. She was not using the kitchen, so traditional kitchen items would have been "C" or "D" items for her housed in an "A" location in the tiny apartment. So she decided to put "A" items in it instead. Very good!

I have seen closets turned into office alcoves and dining rooms turned into playrooms. Make your living space fit you!  The only exception: Do carefully consider resale value before changing anything more permanent or costly. If for some reason you needed to sell your house, you want the most traditional use of the rooms to be apparent and easily utilized (i.e., don’t yank out the stove!).

Share your stories of unconventional use of space here in our comments!  (See also our post on "Family Closets")