*Lyrics from Janelle Monae’s song Locked Inside from her album ArchAndroid. If you don’t already own this album, buy it. It’s incredible.

New things are happening all around us. Google+ just (soft) launched, we now have Spotify in the U.S., and now I have a place to hang my step stool. (I don’t see how those things don’t relate, so stop laughing.) Though not as exciting as new technology, Jeff and I managed to get excited about a mini-makeover of sorts on our basement stairway. Which I now call the kitchen closet.

After we had the kitchen remodeled I realized that I couldn’t reach most of the upper cabinets and shelves. Which I knew would be an issue (since I’m shrimpy), and so I set out to find the just right step ladder. I found one I loved:

Slim, shiny, and strong. It was love at first sight.

But quickly I realized that it was far too expensive for an occasional use item. So I settled for this puppy:

So not glamorous, but functional and strong.

But I still had nowhere to keep it. We didn’t have the space for a traditional broom closet in our new kitchen plan (it would have meant losing my tea ‘n toast area, which I just could not abide), and since we had a closet under the front stairs, as well as the stairs to the basement, we figured we’d be fine. Just needed to organize a little bit to make it work.

Behold, the cheapest (under $30 for hooks) and quickest (about an hour, including planning) makeover yet: the newly formed kitchen closet. Enjoy!