I think we can all agree, moving is the worst. However, the reward of moving in and decorating makes up for all of the initial stress and nuisance. When I first saw this apartment in Chicago’s Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood, I was instantly drawn to the skylights and knew I wanted to place plants everywhere.

The previous kitchen cabinets were clunky and claustrophobic (a “before” pic posted at the end). I decided to replace them with open shelves, using natural live-edge wood instead. This lets me see my dishware, glasses, and wooden bowls all at once, and combines both aesthetic and function to this space. The extra bonus is setting my propagation station right on this shelf, a prime spot below the skylights.

This open shelf also adds to the quirkiness of the kitchen appliances, like the 1920’s antique porcelain drainboard sink.

Overall, the kitchen is small with not a lot of counter space. We made it work by using a small island between the sink and oven and placed a cutting board on the right side of the stove top for extra surface space.

And lastly, here is the before photo with the clunky cabinets. Good riddance!

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