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    Ten social kitchen interiors with built-in seating nooks

    For our latest lookbook, we’ve rounded up ten kitchens that integrated seating – from window seats with garden views to benches that double up as vinyl storage.

    Dezeen’s lookbook series provides curated visual inspiration from our image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing textured plaster walls, sculptural staircases and basement conversions.

    Birkedal, Denmark, by Jan Henrik Jansen
    On the Danish island of Møn, architect Jan Henrik Jansen designed a cluster of nine cylindrical holiday homes covered in spruce logs in the hopes of bringing guests closer to their rural environment.
    Here, windows seats are nestled into the curvature of each cabin while pebbles collected from a nearby beach line the floors.

    Find out more about Birkedal ›

    Grove Park, England, by O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects
    O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects added a huge picture window to the kitchen of this gardeners’ home to provide varied views of the greenery and the wild woodland outside.
    A comfy seating nook is integrated into its deep-set frame, finished in the same pale ash veneer that panels the rest of the interior.
    Find out more about Grove Park ›

    AR Residence, England, DeDraft
    A concrete bench seat sits opposite the dining table in this London home, measuring just high enough to store the owner’s collection of vinyl records underneath.
    Materials throughout the interior follow a muted natural palette, featuring large-format concrete tiles, exposed Douglas fir roof joists and lacquered-pine window mullions.
    Find out more about AR Residence ›

    Coastal Retreat, USA, by Malcolm Davis Architecture
    Plywood covers the double-height interior of this holiday home, forming a seating nook with integrated shelving that connects the elevated kitchen to the living space beyond.
    Set in California’s Sea Ranch community, which is celebrated as one of the best collections of modernist architecture on America’s West Coast, the house was arranged around views of the rugged coastline.
    Find out more about Coastal Retreat ›

    Low Energy House, England, by Architecture for London
    Original Edwardian details including structural masonry walls and timber roof beams were retained and exposed in this renovation and extension project in London.
    This is complemented by a windows seat made from chunky limestone, which is placed opposite a kitchen counter honed out of the same material to make cooking a more social and communal experience.
    Find out more about Low Energy House ›

    Flitch House, Scotland, by Oliver Chapman Architects
    Timber steps with an integrated bench seat lead up to the kitchen and dining area in this garden room extension, which Oliver Chapman Architects added to a 19th century, Arts and Crafts-style home in Edinburgh.
    To the right of the steps, a sofa and bookshelf help to round off the reading nook with views over the Firth of Forth estuary.
    Find out more about Flitch House ›

    Mo-tel House, England, by Office S&M
    A pink timber volume shaped to look like a house works triple duty as a dining bench, seating nook and storage unit in this open-plan kitchen designed by Office S&M.
    The interior brims with bright colours and recycled materials, including lampshades made from crushed bricks and bathroom counters made of melted milk bottles and chopping boards.
    Find out more about Mo-tel House ›

    Landaburu Borda, Spain, by Jordi Hidalgo Tané
    Spanish studio Jordi Hidalgo Tané nestled this underground house extension into a hillside in the Navarra mountains so as not to disrupt its dramatic setting.
    A deep concrete sill covered with potted plants runs along the length of the structure and doubles as a seating area for admiring the views.
    Find out more about Landaburu Borda ›

    Dollis Hill Avenue, England, by Thomas-McBrien
    Thomas-McBrien inserted an oak-panelled volume into this London house extension, which hides a utility room behind a secret door as well as accomodating a small seating area with views over the garden.
    “The insertion of a deep seating alcove in the joinery offers a comfortable, sheltered enclosure – a perfect place to read and relax,” the studio explained.
    Find out more about Dollis Hill Avenue ›

    Victorian terraced house, England, Matthew Giles Architects
    White oak joinery and varied floor levels break up the open-plan ground floor of this Victorian terraced house renovated by Matthew Giles Architects.
    The owners now enter their sunken kitchen through a reading area with a built-in bookcase and a bench seat surrounded by railings.
    Find out more about this terraced house ›
    This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing textured plaster walls, sculptural staircases and basement conversions.

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    How to Paint Metal Furniture & Fixtures

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    Learn the techniques for preparing, priming, and painting metal to get a smooth lasting finish. I am showing how I painted my wrought iron kitchen table base to a glossy white, along with how to paint other metal items you have in your home. Knowing the right paint to use and the metal painting process, you can paint any type of metal to change the color or to simply freshen the look.
    Wrought Iron Metal Table Base Before Painting

    The number one question I receive about painting metal is – How do you get paint to stick to metal? The answer – sanding and a good bonding primer – once these are done on the metal surface, then applying the paint in a few light coats will ensure a permanent finish.
    Is it Better to Spray or Brush Paint Metal?
    Spray painting is the fastest way to paint metal and will provide a smooth lasting finish if you follow the manufacturer’s directions on the can’s label. It is my preferred way, but it is not the only way to successfully paint metal.
    I normally would have used spray paint to paint this metal table base, but the weather was damp and humid and I needed a work area with a well ventilated area out of direct sunlight to do that. Instead I decided to paint the table base inside with a brush so the AC would help the paint dry properly.
    Spray Painting Metal Furniture

    If you decide to use spray paint, use a metal primer on the metal first or a “primer & paint in one formula” of spray paint.
    For spray painted inspiration for metal items, check out these posts to learn how to paint metal using spray paint:

    How to Paint Metal With Brush-On Paint
    The key to getting a very smooth brush-on paint finish on metal surfaces that are rod like or rounded like the base of my table is to use a high quality small, flat paint brush.
    After Painting: Black Metal Table Base Painted White
    Using a small brush will better able you to apply the paint in thin coats and avoid paint drips from happening.
    If your metal surface area is flat and larger, you can use a foam paint roller to apply the primer and paint instead of a brush.

    A paint brush with long flexible bristles like this one work well on wrought iron items. I bought this paintbrush in the fine art section at the craft store.
    supplies needed:
    Bonding primer – KILZ AdhesionLatex paint in semi-gloss – Sherwin Williams ProClassic in Pure White100 and 220 fine-grit sandpaper or self-etching primersPaintbrushDetergent, bucket and hot waterSafety googles and glovesOptional: Wire brush or rust remover will be need if metal is rusted or shows signs of corrosion. If the piece has been previously painted – use the wire brush to remove any loose or peeling paint.
    Time needed: 23 hours. How to Paint Metal Furniture or Fixtures Prepare the Surface Sand the metal surface with 60 –100 grit sandpaper. A quick, but thorough going over to rough up the surface is all that is needed. I prefer using sandpaper, but you can also use a self etching primer following the manufacturers directions. Clean Surface Clean the surface well with a rag dipped in hot sudsy water. Make sure to remove sanding dust, dirt, grease and any old paint with a wire brush or paint remover and let dry.Rinse off soap residue with a damp cloth. Let clean surface dry.If the Surface is Rusty – you will need to use steel wool or a rust remover. I find that Brillo or SOS pads work very well to remove rust from metal without having to use caustic chemical products. Prime Surface Brush on one light coat of bonding primer. Let dry. Lightly Sand When the bonding primer coat is fully dry, go over the surface with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth any ridges that may have occurred in the primer as it dried. Add Another Coat of Bonding Primer Brush on one more light coat of primer; let dry. Brush On Paint For full coverage, you will need at least 2 light coats of paint. Brush on 1 coat of paint. Let the first coat dry, before applying a second light coat of paint. Let dry. Optional: Seal Paint If you used a semi-gloss or gloss paint you don’t really need a sealant. If you used a flatter sheen of paint, use 1-2 light coats of non-yellowing water-based polyurethane over the painted surface to add protection. Let Paint and Sealer Cure It may take a few weeks for the paint to cure, so be gentle with your painted metal item for the first weeks of use.

    I painted the metal table base over 7 years ago and it still looks good, even after a move to a new home. Right before I painted the metal table base, I stripped the wood top to lighten it. Then recently, I made an entire new top for the metal base to give the table top a new look.
    More How to Paint Metal Instruction Posts
    If you are thinking about painting a metal object in your home – you may find more metal painting tips, technique and effects that I have used successfully in these posts:

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    How I Set Up a Spice Drawer So It Stays Organized

    If you have enough drawers in your kitchen, using one to store spices can be a good idea. Using a spice drawer clears space in your cabinets and keeps your countertops clutter-free.
    Also, storing spices in a drawer and away from heat and light can prolong their freshness and protect flavor.

    As someone who has started to cook more and experiments with new ways to season plant-based foods, I have acquired lots of spices that have been becoming a disorganized mess over time.
    It was time to improve the organization of my spice storage drawer in my small kitchen in a way that I could keep the drawer and spice jars organized for good.
    Table of Contents

    Spice Drawer Before Getting Reorganized

    Does this look familiar? When my spice drawer was disorganized like this – I couldn’t easily find the spices I needed quickly, even though I set the drawer up for easy access.
    There are two problems with this set up. The first was that the spice jars are not all uniform in size and didn’t fit together. This allowed them to roll around and get disheveled.
    The second problem was that at a glance, if I didn’t see the spice I needed, I would think I needed to buy more, only to find once I bought the new jar home – I realized I had it and wound up with duplicates.
    Hopefully my new and improved kitchen drawer spice organization will stop these scenarios from happening ever again.

    How I Organized My Spice Drawer

    I bought a set of 36 new square glass spice jars that came with labels for the sides and top.

    I like the clear labels as they don’t block the contents as paper labels do.

    It seems most spice jars sold online come with labels. I liked the labels that came with the set of spice jars I bought, but ended up buying a separate set of labels sold without jars that I liked better.

    I bought them for a style reason – I just liked the font better – I know silly, but I liked these better as the font is larger and easier to read.

    I also like these bottles since the lids give you the option to pour or shake.

    How to Decide What Kind of Spice Drawer Organizer You Need
    I was going to make a DIY spice drawer organizer, but after doing research on spice drawer organizers, I figured the best type of in drawer spice rack set would be a spice organizer drawer liner.
    This type would work since the size drawer I have is not high enough to fit an expandable tiered rack where the spice jars are angled to easily see and grab.

    I painted the inside of the drawer white to make it look nicer.

    Measure Your Drawer
    How deep should spice drawers be? First measure your drawer to determine the depth to see what type of spice organizer will fit. I wanted to use an angled expandable rack, but my drawer was not deep enough to use this type. So measuring your drawer height is important.
    Measure the width, depth and height of your drawer. This will help you determine whether to use a liner, expandable, or vertically arranged organizers. 
    I figured the liner would work best for my drawer and bought one.

    But, as I was putting the jars in the drawer to see how many of the new jars would fit, it just so happened that my exact drawer dimensions fit eight 4-ounce glass spice jars across perfectly – with little movement so they would stay in place.
    For the length – four jars fill the length of the drawer with about an inch left over that allows to easily move the bottles in a line to remove one. So I didn’t even use the liner I bought and returned it.
    No more jars rolling around and getting out of place.

    How to Organize a Spice Drawer So It Will Stay Organized

    1. Use Square Glass Spice Bottles
    When deciding what type of glass spice jars with labels to buy to organize the spice drawer in your kitchen, go for the square bottles over round ones.
    The reason for this is that when round bottles are in a spice storage drawer, they tend to roll, even when on a drawer liner or spice drawer rack.
    When this happens you can’t see the front label of the bottle, hence at a glance when cooking you can’t see what the bottle that rolled contains. When you use square bottles this doesn’t happen. The labels will always stay face up.
    When you have matching spice jars – you can save money by buying bulk spices in just the amount you need. Many whole food grocery stores sell spices this way where you can measure out just what you need.

    2. Use a Drawer Insert or Tiered Racks
    There are a few different types of spice drawer racks or inserts that include three-tier or more rack options. These expand to fit the width of a drawer.

    3. Alphabetize the Spice Jars
    The best spice drawers are organized in a way that makes sense to you. This could be alphabetically or by your frequently used favorite spices.
    Should Spices Be Stored in Plastic or Glass Jars?
    Spices don’t last forever, but if properly stored and sealed, glass will extend the shelf life significantly. Plastic jars can be porous where small amounts of air can get into them and degrade the spices.
    Using clear jars also allows you to easily see when you are getting low on a herb, seasoning or spice.

    What is Better to Use – A Drawer, Wall or Countertop Spice Rack Organizer?
    Having organized spices in a drawer not only frees up valuable cabinet or pantry space but also makes them super easy to access. My drawer is next to my stove and food prep kitchen island.
    Using a cabinet or drawer to store your spices will keep them in the dark which is a good thing as it will keep your spices dry and away from stovetop heat. When spices are stored on a wall or on a counter they may get too much light and degrade faster.

    The Best Spice Drawer Organizers and Inserts To Buy
    If you are thinking about reorganizing your spice drawer or rack, below are a few popular options to consider to organize them in the drawer space available in your kitchen.

    Expand-to-Fit Organizers
    Expand-to-fit tiered organizers are a simple solution. They simply expand to fit your drawer and usually feature different compartments and tiers to keep bottles separate and visible.
    They come in wood, metal as well as clear and black plastic.

    Trim-To-Fit Drawer Liners
    It’s easy to create a custom solution with this type of spice drawer organizer to fit drawers. Simply trim with a pair of scissors to fit your drawer size. The ridges keep spice bottles in place.
    This type of soft cushy liner comes in grey or off-white.
    This is the type I thought I was going to use, but didn’t since my bottles fit nicely in my drawer without it.

    For Deep Drawers
    Choose your organizers based on the depth of your drawer. In-drawer organizers that hold the jars vertically work well in deep drawers.  

    More Helpful Spice Drawer Organizer Tips
    Most of the spice jar/label sets sold online come with a collapsible funnel so that when you bring a new jar of herbs or spices home you can easily fill the square glass bottles.
    If you have extra spice in one jar after filling a new one, I keep a shoebox in an upper kitchen cabinet where I store these jars. When one of my spices gets empty, before I put it on my shopping list to buy more, I look in the shoebox to see if I have any in there first.
    How do you arrange your spice collection? Do you have any tips to add that help you keep your spices organized?

    Spice Drawer Jars, Labels & Organizers

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    How to Organize Freezer Drawers DIY

    How to organize freezer drawers for a few dollars.
    If you have a refrigerator that has a pull-out bottom drawer freezer and have not been able to fit ready-made freezer bins or freezer organizing baskets into it that will help to keep the contents organized, you may like this freezer organizing hack I came up with.
    It is easy to do using dividers I made from sheets of craft store corrugated plastic.
    These dividers are not just for freezers. They can be also made to use on any white plastic coated wire closet organizer shelf or basket in your clothes closet, laundry or pantry.
    Table of Contents
    Freezer Drawers: Before Organizing
    Here is how the two drawers in my kitchen’s freezer looked before I made new freezer dividers for them.
    Before: Shallow Top Basket in Drawer
    BEFORE: Deeper Bottom Basket in Drawer
    Each drawer only had one divider. No matter how much I tried to keep “like” items in rows, they always moved when the drawer was opened and closed making a big pile of frozen food on each side of the dividers.
    Why I Needed to Come Up With My Own Freezer Drawer Organizing Idea
    While searching for freezer organizing ideas online, I did find a few ideas that I thought would work.
    These ranged from using different sizes of freezer bins, file folder holders and even freezer organizing baskets, but none of them fit.
    Freezer Drawer Inspiration
    On the blog, Simply Organized I like what she did to organize the bottom of her freezer drawer.

    She removed the deeper bottom wire basket completely in the drawer and replaced it with a row of plastic multi-use organizers. I bought these, but had to return them as they didn’t fit in my freezer the way hers did. They were too tall for mine.
    Since that idea didn’t work, I had to come up with a plan to organize my freezer on my own. I didn’t want to use cardboard magazine folders or dividers as after a while they would get soggy with moisture.
    I kept searching for an idea and finally found white plastic corrugated cardboard sheets at Michaels craft store. They were perfect – not expensive and easy to cut and would not get soggy.
    I also liked the white color, as it would make my organizing efforts look like they came with the freezer.
    How to Make Plastic Dividers for Freezer Drawers
    These freezer drawer dividers are very simple to make, the part that I found the hardest to get the project done, was having to empty my freezer.
    I brought a large cooler into the house to keep the food cold while I was working on the drawer dividers.
    To make the addition of the dividers doable and keep the food cold, I removed the top drawer first.
    Then I added the dividers, placed the basket and food back in to the freezer and then proceeded to repeat the process for the deeper bottom basket in the freezer drawer.

    supplies needed:

    Tools:
    craft knifescissorsyard stick or t-squarehole punchpencil
    Time needed: 1 hour and 15 minutes. How to Organize Freezer Drawers DIY Remove the Contents of the Drawer Measure your freezer, the entire space and height to make sure that what ever you add does not interfere with the opening and closing of the freezer drawer.Mark the front of the baskets with tape before removing them so you don’t forget how to place the baskets back into the drawer. If you mix this up, the drawer may not close. Remove Existing Divider The divider that came with the top freezer drawer basket was removable. Use the divider as a template to cut new dividers from a sheet of corrugated plastic. Figure Out Divider Placement Use the actual contents of your freezer to help you determine how to space the dividers in the basket. Punch Holes in Dividers Mark dividers with a pencil along each edge. Using a paper hole punch or an awl make a small hole and thread a zip tie through each hole. Attach Dividers With Zip Ties Line a divider up with a horizontal wire on the basket. Then use the zip tie to secure it to the frame of the basket.Make sure the zip tie is snug. Then cut off the excess with a pair of scissors. Repeat on both top and bottom of the divider. Repeat Steps for Bottom Freezer Basket The bottom freezer basket is much deeper and has a lining tray at the bottom. The one divider that came with it is not removable.To make the dividers an exact fit, I laid the basket on its side so I could trace the shape onto a plastic corrugated sheet. Repeat Cut the divider(s) out and follow the same steps used for the upper basket to attach the dividers. Place Basket Back Into Freezer
    Freezer Drawers – AFTER Adding Dividers

    So much better! Now the contents will stay in rows which will help me keep the contents organized so everything is easy to find at a glance.
    Freezer Storage Idea: Labeling the Contents
    You can make your own printable freezer labels or use sheets or rolls of ready made labels.

    Having a roll or sheet of labels on hand is another way to make sure that the contents in your freezer are organized and stay that way.
    More DIY Ideas on How to Organize Bottom Freezer Drawers
    When trying to decide what you can use to organize the bottom drawer of a freezer, here are a few more easy to do budget-friendly ideas.
    Buy more containers or baskets than you think need so that you can figure out what sizes will work. You can return the containers that didn’t work.
    Once you have the containers play around with arranging them in the drawer. You want them to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle so you don’t waste any space.
    Use ready-made plastic multi-use bins.Cut corrugated boxes down to sizes needed. Plastic dollar store baskets in various sizes. These can also be stacked to create layers of organization in the depth of the drawer.

    For the ultimate in refrigerator and freezer organizing, check out this soon to be published book on the topic. It will surely inspire you once and for all to get your fridge and freezer organized.
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