Andrew and Eric, winners of the Little Division of AT's Small Cool 2010 contest also like to cook. Like the rest of their brand new and efficient home, everything in the kitchen has its place, and a lot of labeling comes into play!
One need look no further than the pantry drawer below the counter. It's chock full of dried goods that are each happily stored in a plastic bin, and labeled for easy retrieval. Impressive!
Andrew and Eric are on a healthy kick. For them that means more home made salads and less home made chicken wrapped in bacon, but it also means eating in at least three nights a week. They love their new neighborhood of Williamsburg and want to make sure they frequent all their small local restaurants, but they also love their spacious white kitchen and the cooking opportunities therein.
The building is new construction, so Andrew and Eric are the apartment's first owners. The built in kitchen came as is, but they did their best to embellish in order to make it work for them. For example, adding plexiglass shelves to the overhead cabinets and incorporating smaller storage solutions within larger ones ensures that every inch goes to good use.
Andrew and Eric's Answers to the Kitchn Questionnaire
What's your cooking style?
We have two very different cooking styles. Andrew takes risks but is organized, allowing meals to be well-timed. Eric, on the other hand, is (painfully) slow and overly methodical. Dinner tends to be a little later when Eric cooks it.
What inspires your kitchen?
Simplicity. We love the clean and clear look of our white countertops. It is a great starting point for any meal.
What is your favorite kitchen tool or element?
We actually use a Griddler often for efficient and healthy cooking. Eric loves the Mixmaster; it gives him a sense of accomplishment.
Best cooking advice or tip you ever received:
Learn how to cook eggs properly before you learn anything else.
Biggest challenge in your kitchen:
For Eric, it is not getting stressed. Timing a meal has always been a difficult task for him. For Andrew, it is getting Eric to move faster.
Biggest indulgence:
We were fortunate to buy a place with a new kitchen. In the past year, our pans have been the largest investment we have made to supplement the space.
Dream tool or splurge:
In New York City, you always dream for more space: A bigger kitchen, a six-burner gas range, a built-in espresso maker.
What are you cooking this week?
We will definitely make a chili-encrusted salmon served on sautéed zucchini and carrots. It’s a great healthy meal for the summer months.
What cookbook has inspired you the most?
Delia Smith’s How to Cook series.
What's the most memorable meal you've ever cooked in this kitchen?
Andrew made a great chicken and shrimp jambalaya, as well as a spinach soup, for a holiday pot luck this past December. The first time Eric made a quiche in this kitchen was memorable. It was certainly a challenge to switch from a conventional to a convection oven!
Resources:
Favorite tips / advice Always try to cook with fresh herbs. We have purchased a number of Williams-Sonoma Cookbooks. Good quality pans will go a long way in your kitchen. Good selection of spices can help any meal.- • Countertop — White Caesarstone
• Cabinets — Veneta Cucine
• Stove — FCI
• Range — Bosch
• Dishwasher — Bosch
• Microwave — Bosch
• Fridge — Kitchenaid
• Faucet — Dornbracht Tara Classic Faucet
For the rest of Andrew and Eric's home, check out their upcoming full house tour on Apartmenttherapy.com.
• Kitchen Tour Archive: Check out past kitchen tours here.
We're always looking for real kitchens from real cooks.
Submit your kitchen here.
(Images: Jill Slater)
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fantastic kitchen! Cabinets are beautiful!
Great kitchen. But is that really a photo of their fridge? If so, someone should tell them that you can store canned goods, and packets of fajita seasoning and OXO cubes in a cupboard. Then the salad can go in the crisper, and there'll be more room for beer on that top shelf!
Really impressive and beautiful! You are boys after my own heart with your organization! Living as I do, in a small European apartment, I really covet your refrigerator!
I'm with adventurat. So cute, but, cans in the fridge? Did I miss the memo?
I keep cans of tuna in my fridge so that it's already chilled when I want to make a sandwich! I can't explain the bouillion cubes, though...
I covet your sense of organization!! I wish I had just a touch of it to figure out how best to deal with my apt kitchen with too little storage.
not to be a negative nelly, but, why is this a winning kitchen if it came with the apt?
What's the backsplash please!!!
Way too much plastic!
Oh man, I am loving the organization! Looks like an efficient kitchen to cook in.
I was a little freaked out by the canned goods in the fridge; but otherwise it is fun to snoop in someone else's kitchen (drawers/fridge). It is a little too white for my tastes.
Like the green mixer, it gives your all white kitchen a nice punch of color. The cat pictures are the best!
Clean and organized, no doubt. Doesn't do much for me otherwise.
Love the kitchen. am inspired to organize mine now.
I wanna see more of their house. like their bathroom, walk in closet, bedroom - how they organize those rooms.
They didn't design their own kitchen.
They fronted all the food items on the leading edge of the shelves for the photos to make them pretty...
...and they did the same thing with the refrigerator, plus placing items in the fridge that nobody would ever refrigerate to make it appear full.
(And who buys canned potatoes or two dozen matching plastic containers???)
Real people don't live like this - I call Shenanigans.
Hi all...Thanks for the feedback, both positive and negative alike. I'll try to address a few of the things you asked about/commented on.
I didn't realize so many people would find the canned goods such a strange thing! The main reason that they're in there is quite simply lack of room in the cabinets. As most NYers would attest to, space is at a premium and you do what you have to.
@ happyinny...The backsplash is a simple tinted glass. We'd love to do a glass tile backsplash, but we like the simplicity of this one.
@ Bronte...I suppose you mean the plastic containers in the drawer, since not much else is plastic. Between Andrew's organization and my fear of bugs in NYC, they were the best way to go. And it helps keep the food fresh for a longer amount of time. Let me know if you meant something else by the plastic.
@bettsmunich...We agree. The pictures of Graycie, our cat, are the best!
And I completely agree about the kitchen coming with the apartment. When buying, we looked at new constructions for the purpose of having a completely updated kitchen. We wanted a very clean, almost stark, workspace, so we could add to it with minor flourishes.
@bepsf...I appreciate your skepticism, but it is how we live! The kitchen tour was an add-on to the main home tour, which we're told will be posted in a few weeks. We certainly didn't expect photos of our refrigerator to be included! I promise you: if we staged it simply for a photo, we would not have had a bottle of Hoegaarden in the bottom crisper!
Thanks again. Let us know if you have any questions...even if they are about the cans in the refrigerator!
bepsf - you crack me up - I think the same way as you do :-)
Guys - If a lack of space is the issue, you might simply pushing things to the back of the shelves, and you'll find that you have tons more space for those canned goods...
...'cause from at least your Panko crumbs to your Seasalt - there's nothing behind them.
Believe me, I have the same problems w/ the cabinets in my SF apartment - I end up sifting thru stacked cans and digging through rows and rows of spices when I cook pretty much anything...
I will say that the plexi shelves are an inspired choice - I wish my cabinets were half as nice as yours and went all the way to the ceiling.
It's such a shame to me that bepsf has to come across quite so rude and obnoxious.
Regardless of whether Andrew and Eric designed their kitchen or not (and how do you know they didn't?), it's their use of the existing space, their organization, and their use of color that is inspiring for some of us.
Bepsf appears to not be inspired by much, other than being negative and judgmental, which is a major shame given that the premise of this website is to create a community of people who can collectively and individually provide and absorb positive feedback.
Perhaps instead of making blanket statements you could ask some probing questions. I have cans in my fridge and I do have WAY more than 2 dozen plastic containers in my kitchen, so I am someone who lives like this.
Andrew and Eric, I love your space, and how clear of clutter and nonsense it is. LOVE IT!!!
Where is your mezzaluna from? I feel like I have seen it before.
Wow, there really are some very judgmental people on this website who feel their views are the only ones that count or have merit.
I am guessing edale79 is the Eric from the tour? If so, you're quite the diplomatic person. I would have responded rather differently to some of the ruder posts. Good for you!!
This is a wonderful use of an existing space, and a great example organizational opportunities seized upon.
Before making judgments perhaps people could step outside of their own views and imagine this space as that of someone else and not their own. We all have different needs, tastes, requirements, and visions.
I get very disheartened seeing just how downright rude people are on this site. I hate to think how many people are deterred from submitting their homes due to the unnecessary and rather cruel scrutiny some of you subject the contributors to.
I will agree with bebsf on the plexiglass, it looks wonderful, especially in the food cabinet where the colors are visible all the way through. I think that's so inspired on a shelf that is clearly so high up. Why not glass though?
I can totally see why you have things pulled to the front of each cabinet simply because they are so high up. I am 6ft and I would hate to have to get a step ladder each time I wanted to get something from the top shelves.
I would love to know where your microwave is. Do you even have one?
Anyway, I had my little rant, and sorry for taking away from your shining moment. I really like the space and how you personalized it.
Sorry again
ooh, looks like we're getting a little heated on this space.
The abundance of white in a large portion of a small apartment would, I imagine, really open the space up a lot??
I have no idea how I would cope with so much white though in a kitchen, isn't it a nightmare to keep clean? I am very envious of you being able to maintain that sleekness and clean look.
I love how people think its so odd to keep canned food in the refrigerator. All my canned food is in the refrigerator.
One question, what do you clean your kitchen with? I am a little obsessed with cleaning as you can tell.
Oh, one more question, is your washer in the kitchen? Couldn't tell how that worked from the pics.
Great space, and I am very envious of the expanse of white even if I know I could never keep it clean (there I go again)
Hi everyone, this is Andrew from the kitchen tour.
Seems we have some very involved discussions, which I will stay out of, but I do want to respond to a few points.
I think the first thing I should respond to is the apparent distain for keeping cans in the fridge. It really is out of convenience more than anything that I do it. I also like my foods generally cold and yes, I do face everything forward all the time. I have always kept canned food in the fridge so I was a little surprised there was so much negativity about it. Who knew!!
The storage jars real, and one of my favorite things. They are a way for us to ensure our dried foods are not only stored correctly, but helps us feel better about bugs. They are all labeled (I am big on labels) and because of the depth of that drawer this was a storage option that was perfect.
We really do live like this, and while we may have cleaned a tidied for the photo shoot, we really didn't change anything in terms of how we store food and other items.
For those who have asked, once the general house tour is up, I hope the pics will show how organized we are in general.
Thanks for all the feedback, and the more recent posts defending our choices.
Nice kitchen. I swear I thought the cabinetry was from IKEA. I immediately saw white akurum cabinets, abstrakt white fronts, avsikt accent doors and stainless steel toekick, but then again, the accent doors look bigger than their line... (i'm a kitchen planner). Also I think that the containers in the drawer are absolutely justified. That is the intended purpose of deep drawers (so that you can see what everything is before you pull it out). As for the cans in the fridge - please just calm down, people. If they want to store their canned goods in the fridge, who are we to criticize? I'm sure that lots of people would love to have a kitchen this nice. Kudos for sharing it with the world!
Energy required to cool down cans +
Energy required to heat contents of cans =
Inefficient use of energy
Unless of course, the contents of the cans are intended to be consumed chilled.
The kitchen looks nice and clean (I love white kitchens), but the organization is a bit too OCD for me. I peronally could never spend that much time labeling and fronting cans. Sorry if this sounds negative, but that's just my opinion.
Thanks again to the comments/suggestions from the recent posters. Just to address some of the questions that have since been asked....
@jkelly1...The mezzaluna is from Ikea. We had one from Crate & Barrel, but the base did not last as long as we would have liked.
@aaronboyds...We were looking at glass (instead of plexiglass) for the shelves, but they were so expensive. The plexi was pricey as well, but not nearly as much as regular glass was going to cost us. Also, I was concerned about regularly taking out/putting in our glassware on glass. I can be rather clumsy!
Our ceilings are rather tall (just short of 11 feet throughout the apartment, so the lower kitchen ceiling is a little under 9 feet), so yes, anytime we need to retrieve items from the top shelves, we need to get a chair, particularly if we placed things at the back of the shelves.
The microwave is actually built into the counter with the sink - close to the refrigerator. It is not visible at eye level, which is great. You have to bend down to use it, which can be inconvenient, but we hardly use our microwave.
@homestyle...The white kitchen keeps us honest if nothing else! All stains show up, so you know when you need to clean. We used to use an Oxy spray surface cleaner. Recently, we switched to a powder called Bar Keepers Friend (purchased from Bed, Bath, and Beyond). Our bathroom, which has white tiles and a white counter, is much harder to keep looking so clean.
Regarding the stackable washer/dryer, no, it is not technically in the kitchen. Our kitchen/living area is open, and the washer/dryer falls in the living area. To give you a better idea, the W/D is housed behind the wall where the mix-master, molcajete, and mezzaluna sit.
Darn, I keep forgetting to claim my posts. And yes, as aaronboyds deduced, I am Eric
I just gave away all of my storage containers and purchased a dozen matching ones and they make me happy! Then again, both my hubby and I are a little OCD, so there is that.
Where did you get those cool kitchen towels?
I don't eat carbs but if I did I would definitely do it like this with the identical storage containers.
The black and white fur on kitty is very symmetrical. :)
I love it. I love the white, love the plexiglass shelves, LOVE the pantry drawer, and love that the microwave is out of the way and not taking up valuable counter (or visual) space.
Yes, people do really live like this. I too have a white kitchen, and all of my dry goods are in matching storage containers, although I use glass mason jars instead of plastic. I too label mine- because think about it- once you take your rice/beans/grains/dried fruits out of their original packaging, you need to label the container so you know what it is:) I might be even more OCD, because I put my labels on the bottoms of my jars :) But if I had a cool pantry drawer like that, I'd label the tops too- that is SO handy to be able to open that and see what you've got on hand.
I keep some stuff in the fridge or freezer that might typically go in a pantry, due to space, and to avoid attracting bugs/ants.
Can't wait to see what the rest of the apartment looks like. I'm inspired :) p.s. Love the acrylic bar stools!
Hi again to the new posters....
As always, thank you for the comments and compliments! They are much appreciated.
@ SweetCommunist....The kitchen towels were purchased from a store Williamsburg, Brooklyn called Scandinavian Design House (either aka Scandinavian Grace or was known as that a few years ago). They towels themselves are designed by Marimekko.
And yes, our tuxedo cat is always dressed for formal dinner parties. She's dressy like that. And she conveniently matches the gray and white in the living area.
Thanks again! Eric