Kitchen Illusion

[mizkit]

So the thing about Irish houses is they mostly have laundry facilities in the kitchen. This is because even up until about five years ago, “all mod cons” - all modern conveniences, including, say, a washing machine (but not a tumble dryer; those are more than Modern Conveniences) - were stil fancy enough to be mentioned in house ads, and most of

Comments

[merlinofchaos]

I really like separating the kitchen with the butcher block the way you did. I've stepped into a number of kitchens built the way yours is, and always felt like they were colossally wasting space by having this huge open space but little storage space.

Also I'm not sure the washing facilities being in the kitchen is a purely Irish thing. I seem to recall seeing rather a lot of that in Europe in general. Many of the apartments I've rented while on trips have had the laundry in the kitchen. It's something I just shrug and go "Oh yeah, I forgot about that" about, like that smell European sinks get because they don't use American style p-traps.

[mizkit]

We now have ambitions of getting another butcher block cut to size and fitting it over the appliances/against the other one, so that we actually have a massive *workspace* there. *looks greedy* :)

[merlinofchaos]

You say greedy, but that was exactly my thought and it's not that hard for someone with a bit of skill at word-working to create.

[mizkit]

Fortunately I have great skill at word-working!

Not so much with wood-working, though... :)

[la_marquise_de_]

We are deeply suspicious of tumbledriers on this side of the Atlantic.

[mizkit]

I can understand that in, say, sunny Spain, but in the Western Archipelago Of Rain or the Frozen Northlands, I find it totally incomprehensible. :)

[la_marquise_de_]

Smaller houses with smaller kitchens, so lack of space. Plus they eat electricity.
I know several people who have one in the garage, as it's the only place with room.
I dry on racks, or outside, but I don't like tumble-driers.

[mizkit]

no, no, I understand why they're not generally used, I just don't understand the general *suspicion* that seems to accompany them! :) Although the electricity thing certainly sounds like part of that. :)

[green_knight]

In Britain - and quite possibly Ireland, but I don't know the regulations there - you're not allowed to have electrical outlets in the bathroom. In Germany, it's common to have the washing machine in the bathroom, that being the room where a) dirty clothes happen, b) there's a hookup for water in/outlets, and c) it's the room best suited to deal with random influx of water (quite often bathrooms will have a floor drain so you're not flooding whatever is downstairs).

Your new house looks amazing!

[sophielandon]

My Venetian top-floor apartment of sainted memory also had the washer in the bathroom, although I have no idea whether it was up to whatever passed for code. While there, I was a dinner guest at a place where the hosts, who owned the ground, first and third floors of a 3-storey building, kept their washer *and dryer* (she was from the US) on the ground floor, which, it being Venice, was slightly prone to flooding anyway.

Catie, I was already vastly impressed with your bringing such order out of chaos, but realizing you also were rebuilding the kitchen just raises it to a whole other level!

[mizkit]

Aw, thanks. Honestly, I'm completely shattered after dealing with the kitchen yesterday. I almost cried when my husband came home and was stunned and amazed and delighted with it.

And if I had my druthers I'd actually *be* rebuilding the kitchen, because the whole space is badly used (including the 9x9" bathroom which contains a sink, a bidet, a radiator, a toilet, another radiator, and a rain-head shower in such configuration as to leave you TOTALLY UNABLE to do anything useful with the remaining pockets of space), but I'm feeling pretty proud of what I've done with the space and material I have on hand. :) <3

[mizkit]

DON'T GET ME STARTED ABOUT THE LACK OF BATHROOM OUTLETS :)

[mizkit]

thank you! <3

[deborahblakehps]

I love that kitchen! You did great things. And I have one bathroom outlet. Attached to the only light switch. Across the room from the sink and the mirror.

And when I bought my house 13+ years ago, the only washer was this weird old wringer thingy in the kitchen and there were clotheslines, no dryer. Both the kitchen and the mudroom had to be remodeled completely within a couple of months of moving in.

Also, the whole house was painted Pepto pink. Did I mention I got it cheap?