I moved to Alberta about 2.5 years ago. When we were packing up our old house I told my husband that I was going to leave our old china cabinet behind because it wasn’t really my style and it was old and falling apart.
Old china cabinet
I thought I would quickly find a new one in my new town and all would be well. Except I couldn’t find a new one. Or a least one that wasn’t going to break my bank. I had no idea how expensive these things could be. So we’ve lived without one for all this time and as a result I had to find somewhere else to store my serving ware and fancy dishes. My kitchen is a nice size but I don’t have a pantry and the cabinets don’t hold a lot as they are very shallow (although I did store my wine glasses there). So I did what I had to do and stored my serving ware in my ensuite bathroom. Oh yes I did.
You see my ensuite bath has this large cabinet behind the door. There was a big space there and I’m happy whoever built this house thought to not just waste it. I certainly didn’t need all that space for bathroom stuff though, this cabinet is huge! So I used it to store my serving ware. It annoyed me of course every time I needed a platter or bowl to have to go all the way to the bathroom to get it but hey you do what you have to do.
In the meantime I’ve looked and looked for a new china cabinet of some sort to use for serving ware storage. We lived in a small town so that makes it difficult and shipping costs to our town are crazy expensive. We do have a Canadian Tire though (home hardware type store) so when I saw
these kitchen centers come on sale for $119.00 (regular $199) a light bulb went off for me. Why not buy two of them and put them together side by side to look like a china cabinet. So that’s what we did and they turned out great. I’m so happy we went with white as my cupboards and table are both oak and I wanted to stay away from any more heavy wood.
Dining room before:
Dining room after:
The best part? I got to bring my Crazy Daisy dishes out from hiding and can now show them off. They are so me and I simply adore the pieces I have. Now every day I can see them and they make me smile. So colorful and fun.
I moved my glassware out of the kitchen cupboard they were stored in and then was able to shuffle things around there, not to mention the bathroom cabinet got reorganized.
I moved my cookbooks to the bottom cupboard of the new cabinet along with my tablecloths and placemats. I’m still tweaking how I’m going to organize here though so this isn’t how it will probably stay.
I was able to move my small kitchen cart on wheels to right beside the back doors and added a basket (the green one you see) for the sandals that kicked off as we come in the door from the backyard. The wicker baskets hold our outdoor mosquito coils and things so they are right handy to grab. And as you can see we still have a designated spot there for our weekly newspaper and flyers that come in.
The small white bookshelf was moved over to where the small kitchen cart used to be and that now is our homework/art station right next to the kitchen table where we work on such things.
As you can see buying these cabinets lead to quite an overhaul in a number of places as one thing led to another. It was so fun!!
Kitchen cupboard before:
Kitchen cupboard after:
I love having a new more accessible home for everything. So thankful and happy to have what I need right at my fingertips now. One more little annoyance crossed off my list…whoot!
Do you use a china cabinet in your house?
Related post:
My Organized Kitchen
I used to live in AB and loved it. Do I ever like the way you organized your cabinet. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by Helene!
Thank you for so MUCH for sharing! : ) You are fantastic!
Love the pics. Your dishes are very practical for Easter & Spring too, besides being lovely.
Thank you.
Ahh thanks Andrea *blush*
No I don’t! But I absolutely love those! I have been wanting a china cabinet forever, and like you I ran into the issue of them costing so very much. Right now our apartment is a little too small for a cabinet in the kitchen/dining area, but perhaps by the time we move to a larger place I’ll be able to afford one. 🙂
Girl, I got 5 hutches in my house. LOL! I love me some hutches. They are so great for storage. Yours is wonderful. You look so organized and stuff. *wink*
Thanks Kim, I am really loving them!!
Where did you get your flour buckets? I’ve been looking for something to store my various flours that is airtight and large enough to easily scoop from. 🙂
I got them from Booster Juice!! Check it out:
https://orgjunkie.com/2011/07/a-new-container-for-me-on-the-cheap.html
We’ve moved around quite a bit and every time we got to a new place I’d have to find a spot for my china–often wrapped up in the garage or storage. We finally purchased real dining room furniture including a hutch a couple years ago. When I was unpacking my china and placing it inside the hutch, I kept marveling at the idea that I was never going to have to find a different place for these pieces. This is their home forever even if we move again. 🙂
That’s a great feeling!
Those cabinets look great. I feel so much better about my china being stuffed under the tv cabinet now. It’s just so hard to get to when it’s stuffed somewhere and not convenient. Good for you to explore all the possibilities.
Great job! I LOVE your Crazy Daisy dishes – they look so bright and colorful! We need some ‘bright and colorful’ about now in Chicago. It’s been a very cold, gray March here!
Hi Beth! How are you? Thanks for visiting here today!!
Lovely cabinet, would like something like that myself. In your kitchen cabinet before shot, you have what appears to be dinner plates held vertically in a rack; what is the height of your shelf to be able to accomodate that organizer piece? I would love to have one like it.
Hi Jo, yes those are my paper plates organized with a wire divider found at most department stores. The height of that shelf is 9 1/4.
Totally love the daisy china! Have a great week!
Thanks Jen!
I have a cupboard. But the previous occupants of my house left behind a kitchen cart and I use it for a coffee bar on top and I store stuff down below. Like you, I like for everything to have a place.
Brenda
That’s an awesome idea!
Just finished a series on taking care of annoyances in my home. I totally understand how going back and forth takes up your valuable time. Waiting for the right solution and solving it, brings organization and completeness while using time wisely. Great job! I love the result.
Thanks Tracy, I’m going to check out your series!
Thanks, Laura! I love to see your adjustments and transformations. Organizing happens every day, and I’m thankful for a kindred spirit who understands that “it just has to be done.” 🙂
Oh my, that looks so good! How creative to put the two cabinets together, you are a genius 🙂
LOL, I’m not sure I’d go that far 🙂 But I just didn’t want to wait anymore and this seemed to be a really great compromise. I’m so happy with it!
I do have a china cabinet. It started off its life as an unfinished media cabinet, but with its two upper glass-front doors, it’s perfect for my china. I love that the shelves are deep, so even though it’s not extremely wide, it holds everything.
So what are you going to store in your bathroom cabinet now?
Good question! I’ve decided to still store my seasonal dishes and linens in there since I don’t need regular access to them. I’m not sure yet what else but I’m sure I’ll think of something lol
The new china cabinet is really pretty. I am blessed to have a hutch to store all of my crystal and china in. We will be adding on a new kitchen next summer and I’m looking forward to getting a few of the larger serving pieces/pottery out of the bottom of the hutch and into a cupboard with glass doors. A couple of my favorite pieces are from Bragg Creek, AB.
I LOVE your Crazy Daisy dishes. So bright and colorful……especially in the never-ending winter of Western New York State!!!
That looks like just the ticket — I have a really old, ugly china cabinet that we bought used years ago but I have no desire to spend the kind of money required to replace it with a “real” china cabinet. Also, Ugly China Cabinet now lives in the living room, sucking up LR space, but I think two of these would fit in my kitchen, especially after one more kid goes off to college in the fall and we take the leaf out of the table for everyday. Does anyone know if there’s anything comparable on the U.S. market, and where it’s available?
what a great idea to buy two. I love it!! I don’t have the space nor the need for it at the moment, but I do like the idea. 🙂
Those crazy daisy plates and dishes are super-super-cute! Bright colors and a fun pattern… LOVE! : )
-Mel the Crafty Scientist
Many customers have stated that when they have
ordered these counterfeit, fake, imitation UGG’s, they’d
arrive in the plain, brown box that looked battered.
The artist material moisture from the feet, ensure that
it stays cold and dry. Regardless of what your first options are,
UGG Classic Short you can find in the UGG boot.