A friend of mine asked me the other day about how I’m adjusting to the move to New York City. Let me preface this by saying that I love New York, and can easily see myself becoming a New Yorker. No other city in the country offers the same options when it comes to consumption, the same culture when it comes to theatre, music, or museums, or the same people when it comes to diversity. Yet if there’s one thing I really miss living in Brooklyn is having space – especially in the kitchen.
Let me just say that NY apartment kitchen design leaves much to be desired. NYC kitchen cabinets often seem as though they were placed as an afterthought – as though the tenant might (someone thought) want to cook something, rather than order in Chinese, Italian, Sushi, and god knows whatever else. Sure, there isn’t much space in Manhattan apartments, but one would think builders would anticipate the desire of tenants to cook by installing custom cabinets in Manhattan and Brooklyn kitchens so that tenants could enjoy the benefits.
The mismanagement of tiny spaces in New York kitchen design extends to bathroom design as well. What this city really needs is a team of engineers who can prove to landlords and builders once and for all that building efficiently really is worth in the long run. I have no doubt in my mind that with the proper custom cabinets, for instance, and the proper appliances, that I could fit twice the amount of utility into my small Brooklyn kitchen as may presently be found there. All it would take is a little bit of consultation with someone experienced in designing small NYC kitchens and some saving, and to be honest, I’m really considering doing it; because for yours truly a lack of space is almost as bad as Minneapolis winters. Ok, maybe not.
