Kristin's Tiny Black and White New York Kitchen Small Cool Kitchens 2010 - Own Division

Who cooks here? Kristin, her boyfriend, and their Labrador
Location: Greenwich Village, NY
Owned or rented? Owned
Kitchen size: 55 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? It may not seem like a big deal, but my kitchen had no back splash for the longest time. I had a box of glass tiles (bought them because they were on sale) sitting on the floor of my closet for the longest time and planned on having someone install them. When that never happened, I stumbled across some chalkboard paint. It was a hit! (continued)

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What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? (continued)
And it actually adds functionality as well. I use it to jot down short recipes or any cooking reminders. Currently I have up the basic measurements for my favorite cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet), which help keep my cook books clean and off the counter.

What's the story of your kitchen?
For someone who loves to cook, my kitchen is super tiny but surprisingly very functional. It packs a lot of "stuff". Whatever kind of cookware, bakeware, or gadgets you might need, I'll most likely have it!

What is your favorite meal to cook here?
I love to cook and test out new recipes, so it's hard to name a favorite meal. But if I had to, it would actually be the chili con carne recipe from "the kitchn". I like it because it uses cubed beef (instead of ground meat) browned in bacon fat for that extra flavor. Chili is pretty low maintenance and you can get a lot done while it's simmering on the stove, specifically cleaning up dishes and clearing the counter.

Cooking in a small kitchen means you have to always keep things in its place because you have almost no counter space to work on. It's a constant challenge, but I've learned to adjust really well (and it shows in my meals!).

Go to Small Kitchens contest page and see all entries so far

Comments (11)

I am a big fan of your kitchens and not because I like cluttered kitchens.
I love minimal, all-hidden-away-Scavolini white kitchens.
But then I wake up... and: reality check! I live in Milan, in the only tiny home I could afford to buy and my kitchen is 1.5mt long!
So it's incredibly cluttered. Just like yours.
But you, my dear, do it with class! Bravissima.

And the chalkboard paint with all your fav recepies is super smart!

Loving the chalkboard paint! And the cute dish/hand towels and pot holders too! I admire how you make great use of the small space with wall rails and hooks. Your kitchen looks like a real lived in kitchen and I appreciate that you didn't go out of your way to make it squeaky clean looking for the sake of this contest and these pictures. This demonstrates fabulous use of such small space :)

Nice job, I love a black and white kitchen and this one is so smart; the blackboard paint, the use of space, the whole look. It's wonderful.

This is more a comment for the Apartment Therapy Staff than on the kitchen, but I saw the size of the kitchn and was rather blown away at the small size (24 feet!!!?!).
My own very tiny (not cool) kitchen which I measured wall to wall totalled 49 square feet, and is definitely smaller than this one, assuming Kristin doesn't have miniature cabinets and appliances.
And then I started counting floor tiles... and I realized that the person probably counted their kitchen's floor space, not total space. Perhaps next time you do this contest you could clarify how the space should be counted specifically (ie, include cabinets in the total space or not, include your pantry space or not, etc)? For the anal people like me? Because I was amazed at the utility of this kitchen - with only 24 square feet! Until I realized that its more like 60 plus the fridge if you counted it the same way I counted mine.
Still - amazing - it would just be fun to compare like with like a little more easily.
Thanks!
(and sorry for being so nitpicky)
Great Kitchen, Kristin! I love your dog!

fib, I'm with you. 24 square feet equates to 4' x 6' or just under 5' x 5', which this kitchen is definitely larger than. Room area is ALWAYS calculated by the area within the confines of the walls, NOT after subtracting area for cabinets, furniture, etc.

And if you want to get nitpicky, total apartment square footage includes the thickness of the exterior walls and half the thickness of any walls you share with any neighbors, NOT just the square footage of the floor area of the rooms within the walls.

Thanks for the note, guys - we definitely were a little non-specific on how the kitchens were to be measured. Just for clarity, Kristin sent me her total square footage, including cabinets, and I updated the number to reflect this.

Thank you guys for pointing out the square footage. I totally didn't even think about it, but it is corrected now and I feel much better :)

Thanks, faith! Sorry for being so OCD.

I love a black and white kitchen - it's so easy to change the look and feel with color accessories and paint

I love this kitchen - attractive and well organized. it's inspiring for me, mine is small too, has windows but less counter space. My only question - is that a flat panel tv or computer in there and why?

That's a small flat panel tv. I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, so being able to watch my shows while I'm cooking really helps (Old habit from my mom, who always watched tv on a tiny countertop tv in our kitchen while preparing dinner).