Tuesday, June 17, 2008

My Kitchen



After the talk of my view yesterday and this morning I decided to capture the morning sun and make you really jealous. ;) While we have a beautiful view, there are plenty of things I dislike.

1) The kitchen is really narrow. The property line cuts at an angle so the units on our end lose space in the kitchen. Notice how the counter extends beyond the doorway. Brings bonding while cooking to a whole new level.

2) The window doesn't have glass. While this keeps the breeze flowing, it also means we can't block out bugs, rain, smoke, or the neighbors' music. But it does give me a place to keep my clothespins.

3) We don't have a real countertop. The man would made our cabinets put plain wood on the top so we'd have a working surface, and we planned to finish it shortly after we moved in. One year later we still have the plain wood, gaps and all. We're hoping to get a concrete counter, but the car needs work so that may have to wait a bit longer.

4) The sink is tiny. No comment necessary.

5) We have very little counter space. What you can't see in the picture is our stove, which begins at the left edge of the counter, and the fridge is beyond that. I get very creative when cooking meals.

6) We don't have a stove or toaster oven. While I've mastered making toast on the stove (and actually prefer it that way) I'd LOVE to be able to toss dinner in the oven and not have to worry about it for half an hour. My mom is baking cookies tonight and now I really want homemade cookies!

10 comments:

colbymarshall said...

Haha- bonding while cooking, oh my! HEHEHEHE! (Ok, I'm done giggling like a school girl now)

Spy Scribbler said...

I can't tell you how jealous I am of that hammock! And a window without glass--that's something.

The bugs, though, I'd have a problem with. :-)

Melanie Hooyenga said...

The bugs are disgusting and plentiful. Half an hour ago I saw what looked like a neon-blue bee. It could've been a fly, but it did NOT look friendly. Unlike the wasp that visits every day but leaves me alone.

Janna Leadbetter said...

So, if I understand correctly, there's just an open doorway there, leaving... nothing... between you and outside? Wow. Seems odd, but very tropical and vacationy.

Anonymous said...

The window without glass sounds nice and breezy, but I would have a big problem with the bugs. Do you have mosquitoes?

Also, if there is no glass, aren't you worried about someone breaking in when you aren't home?

Aimlesswriter said...

An open air kitchen! How cool is that?
The positives;
Small kitchen? Less to clean
Wood counter top? Get some paint and make it look like stained glass, some crazy mosaic or decupouge photos of your favorite things on it. It might not hold up long (unless you polyurathane it) but it will make you smile while you wait for the concrete.
No glass? No cooking when it rains. Take out!
Small sink? ...okay, can't help you there.
The view definately makes me jealous!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

There is a door but we don't close it often. You can see a red water bottle hanging on the doorknob in the picture.

When it rains hard we put the cutting board against the bars to stay dry, and it is secure with the door closed.

Aimless, I LOVE the ideas for the countertop!

Kristine said...

With the exception of the place you lived with Amani, you've had small if not tiny kitchens. If anybody can work in small spaces it's you and Ibis; you are soooo organized. I do agree having a nice breeze while you cook and a beautiful, to get inspired, is something I'm envious of.
Cheers!

Kristine said...

"a beautiful" view, sorry I cut that out...:0

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Very true, Kris. :D God, remember the one in my studio? Jeez, BOTH studios!