File under...

"Could use a vacation in the near future"
or
"Isn't it obvious why I'm not good at interior decorating?"
or
"Not getting enough rest"...

So I am enjoying flipping through home decorating magazines with purpose, but have come across something that bothers me. In nearly every magazine I read, someone addresses the challenges of living in small spaces. You know, like mostly urban settings (and most frequently NY) where apartments have sorry hallway-esque excuses for kitchens and little to no closet space for storage.

There's this phrase that is repeated: "make smaller spaces work harder".

I get the point. But every time I read it, I'm like "leave that 1 square foot between the counter and the wall ALONE! It just wants to exist by itself. It's not demanding anything of you, so just let it be. Back away, put the power drill and shelving unit away, and give it some space."

That's all.