Our teeny tiny apartment has a teeny tiny kitchen. No surprise there...but allow me to highlight a few details. I'll start with the good news. We have a full-size refrigerator, a gas stove and a kitchen sink. We even have a dishwasher (half-size), which is useful because there's no counter space for a drying rack. We have a large overhead cabinet and an under-the-sink cabinet, as well as a some small cabinets above the fridge. Seems like plenty of storage, right? Wrong...which brings me to the bad news. At first glance, it would seem that you could "make it work" with the available storage until you consider that there isn't a pantry closet somewhere. Also, I didn't mention any drawers because there are none. Not anywhere in the kitchen. You should also be able to tell from the picture below that there is very limited counter space, and of what we do have, most of it is being taken up by the microwave. Needless to say, there were definitely some challenges to overcome when unpacking the kitchen.
First, I had to find a solution to the "no drawer" problem. The main thing that I needed a drawer for was silverware and cooking utensils. And since the microwave is such a space hog, I decided to just put the filled silverware tray on top of it. I also put the cutting board on top of the silverware tray, mainly because it was the best place to store it for easy access, but it also functions well as a cover to prevent dust, dirt or flying food from getting all over the silverware. Then I put all the cooking utensils that I couldn't throw away (and I threw away a lot, including any duplicates) in a stainless steel canister that sits on top of the counter next to the microwave for now. (It doesn't fit on the stove because of the trivets over the gas burner elements.) It's a little crowded there next to the microwave, since that's also where the paper towel holder, dish soap and cookbooks are, but this seems the best solution for now. I would have liked to anchor a towel bar under a cabinet somewhere, but there's recessed lighting under all of them, so that's not possible. Here's a close-up of the final masterpiece.
Now to figure out how to manage without a pantry. Normally I would just use an extra cabinet or two to store food, spices, etc. but there most definitely were not any cabinets left over after unpacking all the dishes, pots, pans, bowls and cooking appliances. As it was, things were already stacked to the brim, especially since the cabinet under the sink is primarily used to hide the trash and recycle bins, which didn't leave room for much else in there. Fortunately, I had a set of old white stackable shelves that I hadn't given away yet. You can see them here on the left, packed full of food. And whatever didn't fit on the shelves, just ended up on top of the fridge. It works for now, but it's not pretty. 
There are a lot of improvements that I want to make to the kitchen area. The first thing I'd like to do is add more storage and counter space. It's pretty tough to cook meals in the kitchen in it's current state because there's so little counter space. We also don't really have a "dining area" right now, because the (rented) table and chairs that we have don't fit in the corner next to the kitchen, and the "pantry" shelving is taking up the space anyway. You can see from the picture on the left that the table is up against the wall and the chairs are tucked underneath it as far as they will go. There's no room to pull them out because the front door and the pantry are both in the way. I've come up with an idea that will solve all three problems (the lack of counter and storage space, and the need for a place to sit and eat). I want to add a free-standing kitchen island across from the main kitchen area. There's plenty of space for it, and if I can extend the countertop a little on the opposite side of the island, two stools could be pushed up next to it, creating a small bar/eating area. This would also allow us to use the corner space, where the dining table currently is, for something else (I already have a few ideas). I love the idea of one piece of furniture being multifunctional, it's the essence of simple living and a great way to create more space.The other major improvement that I'd like to make is to create a better solution for the pantry situation. I don't love all the food being visible, and I don't like the crowding on top of the fridge, which also makes access to the cabinets up there more difficult. I've seen a lot of pantry storage that has doors, and I'm just trying to decide which one I want. Also, since any new storage that I purchase will be taking up part of that corner space, I need to make sure that it all goes together with the "idea" I already have for the space. (I'll share my thoughts/plans on that corner soon in another post.)
I also plan on making some minor changes to the aesthetic of the kitchen, like painting the countertop/backsplash and maybe adding some (removable) wallpaper above the cabinets. I've already gotten the landlord's approval to paint the countertop, which just goes to show you that it doesn't hurt to ask. Turns out she hated the "dusty rose" color as much as I do! For renters that don't have lenient landlords, there are still options if you hate your countertops, such as removable tiles, standard contact paper or even "instant granite" contact paper (even Rachel Ray approves of this one).
The moral of the story is...renting a home should never be an excuse not to decorate; there are multitudes of non-permanent solutions for every kind of update you could imagine and even if you view renting as a short-term living solution, it's still important to have a place you want to come home to. Trust me, you won't regret it. Renters, I'd love to here about things you've done to personalize your space!
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