I love my apartment. I really do. And I REALLY loved our last apartment before we moved here. All 750 sf of it (never was quite sure, but our current one is smaller). That’s why I can’t watch HGTV anymore.
If I hear another couple with no kids say, “this kitchen is just way too small for us,” to anything with a built-in microwave, island, pantry or full-size stove-top, I just might throw something through the TV. And really, there’s no space in our apartment for us to have a TV that doesn’t work.
Because this is my kitchen:
That closet on the left is not a pantry, btw, it’s a dishwasher (thank goodness) and our a/c unit. So we have one narrow upper cabinet (all our dishes and drinkware), the cabinet below it (all our dry goods/pantry), and the two lower cabinets under the sink and counter (trash and supplies under the sink, pots/pans/bakeware under the counter). We do have a microwave, toaster oven, and Foreman grill, but they’re stored in the living room (we kept it there in our last apartment, too).
It’s small, but guess what?
I can make anything in this kitchen. Dinner for five? Done. Cupcakes for a celebration? Done. Homemade gnocchi? Done. Chili for K’s entire department? Done.
Would I take a larger kitchen if I had the chance? Sure. But I know that I can live with a small one. I’ve made K promise to pinch me if I ever utter the words, “this is just too small” when we start house-searching (whenever that might be).
We often confuse what we need with what we want. It’s smaller than you want it to be, sure, but than you need? Not likely. I can honestly say I was way more miserable in the larger apartments we’ve lived in compared to the smaller ones (but that could have been the pests and terrible landlords, too).
Perceived need (want): Gas range, island, counter space, pantry, range hood, garbage disposal, double sinks.
Actual need: A working stove, oven and refrigerator. And something to balance a cutting board on to use as a countertop.
[btw—what is with the obsession with stainless steel and granite? I just don't get it.]
First of all, (in my opinion based on photos) I don’t think you’re using the wall space by the stove effectively. Mount a pot hanger, has a built in shelf and frees up the space where you’re keeping those pots and pans now. I can sell you a crate & Barrell one for cheap.
Secondly, I agree. The little apartments with character have been the homes we enjoy more. We downsized this year…best decision.
I agree…downsizing was a great decision for us, too! We actually added 2 spice racks to that wall to free up pantry and counter space…it holds our spices and cooking oils/liquids. (You might be able to see a pic here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100674811134879&set=a.927948990629.2617547.828187&type=1&theater) Generally, I avoid open storage because I’m finicky about dust and oil splatters from the stove (I’d be compelled to wash before using, too).
We’re considering adding more shelving in the living room, which would partially be used for kitchen appliances. The area really isn’t that big depth wise–if we added a shelf on the far wall in the kitchen, the refrigerator door wouldn’t be able to open all the way and it would block access to all of the burners. As it is, the fridge door bumps into the spice racks all the time.
We’re also not big on making big changes to rentals. The fewer holes, the better! We like getting our full security deposit back (and always have).
Ugh, the granite countertops and stainless steel appliances! Drives me crazy every time I watch it too.
(and when they complain about paint color- really??)
I can stand the decorating shows, but I do watch less and less of the house hunting ones. Glad I’m not the only one!
Glad I’m not the only one! (and really?!? Paint is the easiest and cheapest thing to change)
Hi Angeline,
Sorry to bother you with this question: Where and how do you store your convection oven and microwave in your living room?
Thanks!
No bother at all! They sit on top of a short bookshelf on the living/dining side of the countertop.
I have complained about kitchens a lot and most of the times it is because the big ones have poor work triangles. The triangle between the stove, oven, and refrigerator should be 22 ft or less and in the ones I complain about it was always more. Or it had an oven in the wall plus a stove so it was really a work square but whatever.
I complain now because we store things so poorly because we have so much room. We need to better organize now that we actually have more stuff. When we moved in we filled half the cupboards if that so no need to store things well. Now I have 8 serving bowls that don’t fit inside each other that take up tons of space. If I had to do it over, I’d buy them at one time so they could be stored efficiently. Oh well.
The bigger the place, the longer it takes to clean. I liked our smallest rental because if I had company coming on the fly, I could clean the ENTIRE place in 5 minutes. Now the kitchen isn’t even clean in 5 minutes.
That’s another reason I like small places, too…the cleaning is so much faster! I’ve heard that you accumulate more when you have more space, and that makes sense when you know you have a place to store stuff. I’m not sure we have a “work triangle”…it’s more a work “turnaround” –face one direction for the sink/stove and then turn around and you’re at the refrigerator!
Yea. I end up keeping so many clothes because I have a huge walk-in closet Plus I have 2 other bedrooms with closets that I can put clothes in. i have my childhood furniture that I can just store clothes in. The other day I realized there have been clothes in those drawers for 6 years and I haven’t even looked at them (or remembered that I had them).