It’s Tiny Kitchen Week (Woo!)

Welcome to a whole week of short/sweet/spicy stories, all devoted to the sexiest room in the house, and inspired by my very own 55 square-feet of concrete, kooky tile, and love.

All things A Tiny Apt. great & small are made possible because of those glorious, heaven-sent things called Paid subscriptions. By just contributing $5/month, we can do just about anything over here, not to mention keep the (coolest) lights on and make ever more Tiny, amazing, utterly imperfect things that move and delight you. And me, too. Thank you!

I’m not sure why, but from the very start of this newsletter, I dreamed of doing a week of stories devoted to my kitchen. After the last few years we’ve all been experiencing, and how much time I’ve spent cooking, unpacking groceries, emptying the dishwasher, making lunches, pots of coffee, shakers of cocktails (some good, some terrible…I drank them all:), and, constantly fishing around for that last remaining grape ice-pop from the back of the freezer, I’ve come to realize how much I love my kitchen. Like…really, really love her. And, as I’ve said before, when you feel this way about your kitchen or home in general—imperfect and otherwise—it always, always loves you back. 

My tiny kitchen and I have a very tight bond. With just 55 square-feet, things are basically tight in general. But I like it that way. We edit constantly. Reorganize. Dream together. Yell at people for leaving things out on the counter, and applaud them when they wipe up crumbs behind the toaster (okay, that’s almost always me). I haven’t just served dinner for eight from this sunny (and occasionally moonlit) nook, I’ve hosted innumerable photo shoots, full spreads of tea, birthday parties, and not one but two giant sheets of lasagne for Christmas dinners.

There’s a very good chance I’m writing something about my Tiny Kitchen right here…

The thing about a great kitchen, regardless of size, is its purpose—providing sustenance, efficiency, and ritual on an everyday basis. It’s not just where we gather and share, it’s where we trip over each other, burn ourselves and break things, talk…for hours, work on presentations after everyone’s gone to bed, and occasionally, it’s where we create something truly amazing. Which is why, in a rare moment of rest, I love to appreciate my own tiny kitchen’s many gifts, maybe with fresh flowers or a plate of blueberry muffins. 

Even though I used to be an editor at arguably one of the most historic food magazines ever, I am no natural in the kitchen. I experiment. I struggle. I do not always enjoy it. But it’s where I always come back to myself, where I come from, and the people I love…and miss. Also, and this is no small matter, my kitchen is extremely cute. Which is why I wanted you to come over for a visit, here in a little home movie shot by my friend Jen Steele on her vintage Sony handy cam (which packs loads of visual charm as well as some equally charming audio fuzz:), so I hope you appreciate that, too.

Heads up: I’ll be sharing a new Tiny Kitchen story every day this week (I hope that doesn’t sound insane!), including my short list of die-hard Kitchen Essentials (tomorrow for our Free list!), a custom Tiny Kitchen Dance Party playlist + Autumn cocktail recipe, thrifting for your kitchen, and, well, a little story about that time I cooked dinner for the original Mr. Big (it happened, and I had a roommate there to prove it). 

See you tomorrow, and as always…thanks for being here:)xxCb