Kitchen ideas for rental, Indian apartments. I cannot put enough stress on the word Indian and rental because the internet seems to be brimming with all kinds of kitchen ideas {sometimes torturing us beyond means given how much we would love to implement those ideas and cannot, due to floor plan restrictions; even if we have budget and space} but for the ones we often land up with. One or two kitchen counter(s)- generally done up with granite {black if you’re lucky, green if you’re standard}- with cubed open shelves below the counter, a place for fridge and a steel sink with overhead tap- almost always placed in the corner of the kitchen. That is, by definition, your standard Indian apartment kitchen. It’s given that in your own apartment {which you have bought} you’ll take the effort to attach cabinet doors or install overhead shelves if you are a open shelving fan like me or make dedicate storage solutions that fits your home, usage and style. But what about rental kitchens? Kitchens where you cannot make any permanent changes?
Well, there are super easy, budget friendly and quick sprucing and styling ideas that’ll turn your drab kitchen to nothing short of fab- without breaking your bank, without upsetting your landlord and ofcourse making you happy. You bookmark this stuff alright?
Kitchen Ideas that’ll work for your Indian, Rental Kitchen
Declutter
The godfather of all kitchen ideas and your kitchen sprucing starts with this. The first checkpoint of a beautiful kitchen is it being organized and for that to happen you must de-clutter. Place a stone on your heart if you must but you will need to make space for space. Plus there is always someone who can benefit a lot from your kitchen utensils and accessory that you have been hoarding. So declutter. Take a good look in your kitchen and think about the things you have not used for the past 6 months. There is a high possibility that you won’t need it anymore if you haven’t used it for the last 6 months. Household items that we store and need- like spoons, mugs, containers- can use some free air too. Count the heads in your home and ask how many containers/bowls/spoon do you actually need? If you think practically you’ll see you need a lot less than you think you’ll need. Keep the essentials and give away the rest.
Organize
I have learnt this the hard way but this is unfortunately the only way to do anything at all. Be organized. Segregate your utensils and crockery and group them by their use. For example, all pots and pans in a basket, all cups and saucers in one row, spoons and forks in dedicated holders and spices in spice rack according to their frequency of use.
Point is, if you do this you’ll see your kitchen time will be a lot less hassled than it will be if it isn’t. An organized kitchen will not only augment your work but also give your kitchen a sense of cleanliness. I cannot work in a kitchen that’s all over the place. It’s very depressing.
A few things that you can totally try in your kitchen is baskets. I have grouped my cookware in one basket, mixer and grinder in another. Spices are arranged in similar jars and kept in order of use, all my tupperware go in a basket too beside the spices, fork and spoons go in a dedicated holder, plates bowls and cups are all arranged in rows and stacks.
You just pull the basket you need and voila! After use, wash, wipe and stack.
Put your Money on Useful, Good looking utensils, china
A good steel kadhai costs you about a grand and can be used for cooking a certain set of dishes. A good fujihoro enameled casserole costs you about 3 grands but can be used to cook a plethora of dishes- from biryani to soups, goes in the oven, uses less oil, comes with a lid and looks infinitely better. I have been using my fujihoro for the last 4 years and it’s good as new. Stash it in plain sight and it looks beautiful! Same with the saucepan. I have a few replacements to make myself (changing all steel to copper) and I should be good by August end! Similar rule go to your dinnerware, serveware, storage and tea/coffee sets too. For storage and mixing, we shifted to enameled wooden bowls that are perfect for double duty and looks smashing!
Similarly, our serving bowls are bought keeping in mind the colour palette of our home. So even if we store it in plain sight, it looks good. Seriously, put your money on good things.
Add curtains
If you don’t like how the shelves look, arrange your kitchen utilities and add a curtain. Don’t use a spring because you will want to bend the spring each time you want stuff. haha, unless you are particular to not do that. Add a steel/iron rod instead which will ensure that your curtains aren’t sagging. Skirting always helps. By the way, a lot of our kitchens are also painted light yellow so choose your curtain colours wisely as yellow eats up a lot of colour. My best bet will be a checkered cloth in yellow, green and blue or paisely in peach, red and a touch of cream. Dark grey will also work if everything else in your kitchen has touches of grey. The rule is to look around your kitchen and find a common colour.
Create a little display
Kitchen ideas are not restricted to functional bits only! No matter what space it is, it can always use a bit of display and styling! Add a little art, include a bit of green, display your chopping boards that you have collected over years as I have, add in edible herb as a part of your display or simply keep a pitcher full of flowers when the gas is not in use! It makes a huge impact but takes one very little. If you check the second image on this blog, you’ll see how we have used my mum’s artwork on top of the oven and microwave area. It instantly adds a bit of warmth and love to the space.
Our kitchens are really the heart of our home and it deserves no less but the best. Try these ideas out and see how easily you can make your kitchen look pinterest worthy- but this time in a layout that’s specifically for indian kitchens!
If you’ve enjoyed this post, do leave a comment for its always lovely to hear you all out. Also, if you are implementing any of these kitchen ideas, do tag me. The handle is @trumatter in Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
To happy kitchens XO
Rukmini