With a big ol’ snowstorm headed our way (which has most assuredly arrived) we were busy this weekend preparing to be stuck inside. There was the usual mad dash to the grocery store for food, milk, and “good snacks”. (I have it on good authority that the thing to do up in Northeastern Maine is to stock up on potato chips for a storm.) But that wasn’t all we prepared.

There’s nothing worse than cabin fever, especially when your house is already feeling claustrophobic with clutter.  It didn’t help that I found myself binge watching a show focused on tidying recently.  (Hello, KonMari method)

There was the normal aftermath from watching for four hours.  The kitchen cabinets have been streamlined and everything has it’s own place now.  But that wasn’t enough for me.  Oh no, not in the least.  I was feeling the itch.  The itch to switch that is.

In the end I swapped out the kitchen nook furniture with a large leather club chair from our living room.

Here’s the thing- you’ll probably look at this set up below and think “Oh, that’s adorable and perfect for a small area off of the kitchen. (Well, okay, I would and I have.)  I’d sit there, drink my coffee, visit with friends.  Etc.”

If you’re looking at this and thinking, “where’s the snow?” Well, you’ll be glad to know, this picture?  It’s old.

Only we never did.  Not often enough.

I can tell you what did end up there; 6 days out of the 7.  Clutter.  So much clutter.  On the table.  On the benches.  Even on the floor beside it.  What’s the use of a space looking good if it doesn’t function well?  After all, this is our home; not some feature on Pinterest or a photograph splashed upon the pages of an interior magazine.

On the flip side, the big brown chair while comfy was rarely sat upon in our living room. Would you like to take a guess what usually landed upon it instead? I’ll give you a clue, it starts with the letter C (and no, not our cats although….). Once again, what’s the point of having a good looking set up if it’s only going to end up misused?

For another “make do’ surface solution; I snagged this plant stand for $8 months ago. It just took a few minutes of slipping on my snow boots and sloshing outside to grab it.  Now there’s three spots instead of just one. Score!

The nook is now cozy, cute and ready for this storm.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with a book and a cup of coffee in my little nook. Before I go though, I’ll leave you with this simple girl’s simple tip- when it comes to designing spaces in your home, think about the function first and foremost.  Who’s using it?  What is your lifestyle like? Answer those and then jump in, have fun with it and make it you.  Look around your home and pull together what you have.  I spent zero dollars and just 30 minutes moving furniture here and there to create this little space.  It doesn’t have to be complicated; it just has to be you.

This $20 thrift store cabinet holds a ridiculous amount of coffee mugs.  Those adorable cabinet doors, along with the white baskets above the shelf  hide the clutter to help keep this small space feeling bigger than it is.