Magnets - a great purchase to save space

Our first place in Los Angeles was a one bedroom apartment in NoHo which was short on space and short on luxuries, but we made this small space a home.  Two years later we moved into a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in the Burbank area.  When we moved in, it literally felt like a castle and it still does.  Some would still consider our place small, but I have grown to love small spaces - even our small kitchen.  I see the space issue as a challenge, not an inconvenience. 

In the kitchen our biggest appliance, is the first appliance Matt and I purchased as a couple - our refrigerator.  I remember when we moved the refrigerator into our kitchen - the kitchen instantly seemed smaller - and then the second we started putting the smaller appliances on the counters the work space seemed to be shrinking, which gave me an idea.  That night I googled kitchen appliances and magnets.  I was very pleased to find that there was a magnetic paper towel dispenser with good review, and I also noticed a lot of high school locker accessories that could double to hold kitchen items.  Of course /I was skeptical that the magnets would not be strong enough to make it worthwhile, but so far these items have held up, and worked as well as the manufacturer said they would.  Below are some of the space saving items I purchased.

Paper towel dispenser:

No need for a recipe box, I took a index card holder for a high school locker and made it my recipe holder:

 

 A high school locker pencil holder, now holds herbal tea and pens:

And a small locker magnet - holds our car keys (also nice because as a renter the fewer holes in the walls the better).

Next purchase -  magnetic spice containers: