SMALL STUDIO KITCHEN AND DINING AREA

Here is my kitchen and dining area in my tiny southern California studio apartment. My apartment is a little over 400 square feet, and I sure maximized every inch of this space with lovely furniture and decor on a super small budget! Check out the shocking before pics and the full video after tour here!

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Small Studio Rental Kitchen and Dining Area Upgrades on a Budget

As noted in my previous post showcasing my MCM living room and office area, I share a before and after tour of my studio apartment here. The original kitchen counters in this small studio kitchen and dining area were absolutely hideous. I mean, it looked as if the previous renters used it as a cutting board. To remedy the damage and the outdated formica faux granite, I covered the counters in marble contact paper which I purchased from Walmart here. It is holding up surprisingly well! The marble completely transformed the look of this kitchen from old and dingy to fresh and modern. The cabinet handles were a white plastic which I coated in brass spray paint which I purchased from Amazon here. And, viola! My kitchen was completely transformed for less than $20.00!

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To “clean up” the stove, I replaced the burnt and encrusted burner pans with these here. After almost nine months of use, they still look new. I wash them whenever I get them dirty.

My absolute favorite organizing product in my kitchen is the sink organizer which you can find here. It perfectly holds everything I need including my soap dispenser which is from Target (check the bathroom section), my dish brush, bottle brush, straw cleaning brush, and walnut sponge. I usually like to customize my organizing systems but it is always nice to find a gem that has every organizing solution that you could possibly need in one piece.

Now, this is where things get weird. Are you wondering where the refrigerator is? Well, here it is.

Yes, the refrigerator is around the corner from the kitchen and faces the living room. What made the placement of the refrigerator less awkward was the cabinet I built around the refrigerator. It filled the void of having the refrigerator tucked into the corner looking quite randomly placed.

You may be thinking, why didn’t I just turn the refrigerator? The first thing my daughter and I said to each other after we saw the place was that we needed to turn that awkwardly placed refrigerator. Upon the arrival of moving day, we noticed the floor just in front of the refrigerator slanted downward. Unless we wanted the refrigerator rolled into the couch, it could not be turned. Not only that, the fridge is much wider than it is deep. So, it would be jutting out into the living room even without the slant in the floor.

So, to reduce the awkwardness of this corner, and to create much needed storage for my cleaning tools and products, I purchased a cleaning closet here. Because the closet was much taller than the refrigerator, I then purchased some wood and corner brackets from the Home Depot to box in the area above the refrigerator and make it look more purposeful and built in. I will share a tour of my ultimate cleaning closet here after my studio tour.

Before I forget, my favorite deal in my kitchen and dining area are the rattan bar stools. I purchased both through Offerup for $25.00 for both together total. I just love a good bargain! The fruit basket was also purchased through Offerup. I purchased a bundle of baskets I used throughout my studio but a similar version of this basket can be found here (thank you @misb26 for sharing on Instagram!) In the video, you may have noticed my humifier. It’s not bad looking, right? Don’t get it. It’s so hard to clean! Instead, get this one here. It is so sleek and much easier to clean. I will share it in my kitchen decor and organization tour. Another item not pictured which I will share soon is my drinking water system with this fantastic water pump here. Oh! Oh! Oh! And I can’t wait to show you our new tea organizer here. SO CUTE! If you have any questions about where I purchased any of the items pictured here, feel free to leave a comment below.

In my next post, I share all about my tiny bathroom and laundry room on a budget. Yes, my laundry room is in my bathroom. And, yes, I actually have a laundry room in our tiny studio after some thoughtful use of space. If you have been inspired by my clutter-free tiny living room, office, kitchen, and dining area on a budget so far, be sure to gain access to my freebie library here so that you can get your spaces in order and take control of your financial future!

Happy Organizing!