Let’s face it: everyone could use a little more counter space. Foodie blog Chow recently asked its readers to submit their best DIY fixes for cramped kitchens, and some of them are definitely worth trying—especially if remodeling isn’t an option. Here are some of the highlights:

• standing, instead of stacking, your bakeware
• installing roller racks inside your cabinets
• using pegboard to hang pots and pans on the wall
• get rid of the stuff you don’t use:

1. Tag every item in your kitchen with a dated piece of masking tape and remove the tape as you use each one. After six months, pack up everything that’s still sporting a tag and donate, donate, donate. Or:
2. Box up your rarely used kitchen stuff, date the boxes, and move them to a different spot in the apartment. Then decide whether how long to leave them (either six months or a year). Take items back to the kitchen only as you need them; once you use something, it earns the right to stay. At the end of their exile, the items that didn’t merit re-entry will already be boxed and ready to go.

Jen : DIY Projects, Ideas We Wish We'd Thought Of, Reinventing X
May 8th, 2007