I’m a strong believer in preserving architectural heritage. Until it comes to kitchens and, to a lesser extent, bathrooms. Sometimes it’s better to tear out and rebuild.
These antiquated, postage stamp kitchens like mine have tons of wasted space with their built-in cabinets and counter tops that were designed for 1915 heights, not 2015. You spend so much time hunched over preparing a meal that your back feels broken by the time dinner guests arrive. These old designs also take up too much precious space with their stand alone stoves and refrigerators.
When I was younger, and more pliable, I loved to cook and entertain here. It could be done. But it meant constantly looking for space as you prepared the meal. Dishes and pans ended up on top of the refrigerator, in the sink, on the dish drainer, and even on the floor (but only if the guests hadn’t arrived yet).
These days if it’s my turn to host I prefer to take people to a restaurant.
Not all built-ins are a bust, however. The one in my dinning room has been a treasure, and a conversation piece, for four decades.
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The Complete Countdown
The complete saga, From the Beginning
Lovely to see it again, but I do remember one Thanksgiving there, having been banned from the kitchen for lack of space. On other visits I was also banned from the kitchen…complex coffee makers, plugs that didn’t work….no dishwasher!!! And I couldn’t work the stove..believe it was a combination of oil and woodchips. God knows how I ever heated a bottle for my darling infant, your godson. We suffered. And then there was that bathroom!
What about the bathroom??? So I forgot to flush for about six months, so what.
TELL ME HOW IS JACKIE?
Jackie is stressed, as you might imagine, with the upcoming uncertainty and all. I’ve been trying to keep her tranquilized.
your bathroom would take page after page of space on your blog. Right now I’m short on time working on the perfect tan in Costa Rica.