I am staying in a friend’s guest apartment in Florida this week. She has a lovely home on a large lot and over 30 years has planted outside and designed inside with her artistic flair. It’s lovely.
In the original garage she built, over time, a studio apartment for guests and to rent occasionally. The main room is about 20 x 25 and has a king bed, a wood stove, a desk and two large closets. Two ceiling fans keep the warmer months comfortable though an air conditioner was built into a wall 20 years ago.
It is a nice space and since the French doors lead to a deck, a pool and a dock on Clearwater bay. The sunsets out there are magnificent.
The crummy aspect is the kitchen. Probably the 6 x 8 kitchen was once a mud room off the back of the garage. The sink cabinet has cabinets on either side and a fridge, and the stove wall has a very small buffet and china closet for…china. In this case it’s IKEA porcelain and old mugs. The 24” stove must be from the early 50s.
There is no venting, no microwave (my friend is suspicious of microwaves) and very little countertop for food prep. She’s added a metal chef table for seating and food prep.
My number one beef is the lack of outlets. There are none at all in the kitchen itself except behind the fridge. Lots of modern outlets is high on priorities list for a new kitchen. Also counter space. You don’t realize how valuable kitchen counter space is until you have very little. In fact, lots of counter space is a primary goal of many of our clients. Not all cook, but all have kids doing homework or pizza boxes or places for beloved gadgets, their coffee maker always in a central location. Sometimes, taking things OFF the counter, such as an under-counter microwave or built in shelf for an expresso machine or toaster can change the way a family uses a kitchen.
Right now my borrowed toaster is on the living room floor. It’s the closest outlet. The cord is short. I love toast.
We could make this apartment kitchen so much better. Though it is tiny and thus needs very careful design, it could be done, Guests for decades to come would appreciate it. Otherwise, it’s Uber Food for dinner.