Today I was trying to pull a cookbook down from the shelves in my kitchen and inadvertantly started an avalanche, causing several books to bounce off my head.
Making due with an ill-designed kitchen in a small apartment is a way of life in New York. We find ways to grow herbs, and if we're tall enough we discover that the top of the refrigerator isn't such a bad place to keep the microwave.
My kitchen came equipped with a refrigerator on one wall and a terrible old stove and sink right next to each other with a row of three cupboards above them on another wall. That was it. No counter space whatsoever. So I did what all smart New Yorkers do and went to the Bowery to buy stainless steel work tables and shelves. I like the open shelves a lot, though it does mean that all of my clutter is always on display. This is why I have not replaced the very pedestrian cabinets supplied by my landlady with more shelving-- I need somewhere to be messy.
What are your kitchen challenges and how have you gotten around them?
Hi Anne. My kitchen is long and narrow and I had the same problem as you. I did the same thing and put steel tables in and took all the doors of the old cabinets. If things are tucked away I don't use them. When people come into my kitchen they immediately say : you must be a chef, but it is my domain and it is exactly as I like it. Not for me a designer canvas that remains unused. I could still do with a new floor and a dishwasher, but I love my cook's kitchen. PS. There is no restriction on our Apples and Thyme event. It is a collection of memories so feel free to send me a link from a post you have already done.
Posted by: African Vanielje | November 03, 2007 at 05:12 PM
Hey Ann, I like your site! I have similar problems with my Brooklyn kitchen - it's very narrow. We have cabinets, but they are silly, miniature cabinets that my pots and pans can't fit into, and my counter prep space is maybe 18". I turned to Craigslist, and miraculously found someone giving away just the size of stainless-steel wire shelving I needed free - just had to take the train down to Cobble Hill and get a cab back - and all my pans, pots, mixing bowls, cookbooks, etc. are on display there. Add a butcher-block cart I found on the street (it took quite a bit of scrubbing with steel wool to be presentable), and I've got a working kitchen, albeit with only space for one person.
Posted by: producestories | November 04, 2007 at 09:48 AM