Ikea hack! Kind of.

So for my birthday (this past Sunday, and for those counting I am now at the old age of 23) Jason and I decided that we would go to my favorite store and get something for the house.

We browsed and browsed and came up with two options: either another dresser for our bedroom or a storage area across from the fish tank that leads into our tiny kitchen. We went for storage. I do really want to get additional dressers for our bedroom, too (for the pictures you will never see, at the foot of our bed we have a wrought-iron bookcase holding some of our folded clothing for now) but I realized that the place our guests see more is our living room/kitchen area and that also needed to be dealt with.

We considered using a dresser or a desk, but then came across the Expedit bookcase unit as we were leaving. At only $99 it was a steal!

If you turn it on its side, it actually becomes a beautiful bar area! How nifty. It is a great storage option for the dog food, small odds and ends, large mixing bowls, even our bottled water. With this as an additional counter, I plan on setting up a bar area that will be great for when guests are over. I’m still in the process of finding containers that will fit in the shelves itself. Perhaps a trip to Target soon? Maybe these? They would match my storage trunk.

And as dinner is about ready, I’ll end with a puppy update:

Charlie & Zoey cuddling up.