Name: Lori Heddinger
Location: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Pitch:
My kitchen may not be the smallest in New York, but it's the smallest I've ever had. I haven't started major renovations yet, but have made changes to make it livable. The before pictures came from the R.E. listing. I've replaced appliances and painted the nasty black tile white, leaving a few black and silverleafing a few others.
I feel my kitchen is great because it is open and in the middle of the living and dining areas. Every other kitchen I have had was in the back and the furthest from the living room. Now I don't feel segregated and I put on a show for my guests. OK, I'm a bit of a ham.
3 Compelling kitchen cooking/design tips:
1. Keep all utensils within easy reach of the stove.
2. Invest in good cookware. It will last a lifetime.
3. Practically every recipe is better with good wine added.
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The Eight-Step Home Cure 
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Easy Pitcher Cocktail Recipe: Strawberry Basil Margaritas
Comments (22)
I really like the before/after thing, but can we see bigger pictures?
Wish I could see upclose the changes you've made (patterns, colors, details), but from what we have to work with, this kitchen is nice- - a great start for what you have planned! (LOVE the pot holder/hanger (at a loss for the 'technical' term)- and are those copper pots?)
no, just tarnished (hanging head in shame).
You kitchen looks great, and your lucky to have one so nice and open too!
this is the SMALLEST kitchen she's ever had?!?!? oh, honey, you have no idea...!
I have kitchen envy...
The after pictures look great, but I just don't get the open kitchen concept unless you live in a loft. Oh I know the open kitchen is great for conversation and entertaining, but do you all want to look at your kitchen when you are in living room? I find it creates a visual distraction. What does everyone else think of the open kitchen?
This is a decent looking kitchen. It seems quite simple, functional and quite spacious.
I do like open kitchen even though I don't live in a loft. And if it's decently kept,I don't see why it would be a distraction, au contraire. Most open kitchen I have seen, allows the whole place to flow better and if you like to entertain, you can cook and keep the conversation going...
I agree with Charles, it helps with the flow. I can't imagine Lori's kitchen working this well if walls totally enclosed it. I think open plan (and small-space living in general) does take some discipline, though... the days of dirty dishes in the sink officially over! Plus, I think open plan works best for the actual cooks in the house, enabling them to be part of life outside the kitchen.
Lori-- We call that "patina", not "tarnish." ;)
Question for Lori,
How did you paint your tile? Did you use a special tile paint, or regular ol' wall paint? I have been debating about painting my bathroom tiles but have heard horror stories...
It's a start and a good one. Should have made appliances stainless with less deep frig. Agree with open concept but probably should do natural stone floor instead of painted tile and put in granite counters.
The black appliances and tiles looked far more sophisticated, and now there is more clutter with pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. The kitchen doesn't blend in with the other rooms as it used to. Did you swap the before and after pics around by mistake?
Tim, the painted tile is a temporary fix until I renovate with new cabinets, counters and floors. I roughed up the tile with a sander, then painted 2 coats of latex enamel, followed by 2 coats of gloss water-based polyurethane.
Norm, never been a fan of stainless. Too many fingerprints and it screams mid 90s.
Wow, it is a small kitchen! It looks great, though, and I love the idea of the painted tile with just a sprinkling of the black and silver leaf. Have to agree with Lori on the stainless steel appliances.
Mark--
I am guessing that because of the higher contrast in the before's and the smaller size of the photos in general, the before photos may LOOK like better photos... but I think what she's done the space makes it work better for her, functionally and visually... and seems to integrate it all into her apartment better.
Lisa-- "Small" kitchen?! Do you live in NYC?!
are you sure the before and after pictures aren't reversed?
I guess it's all a matter of taste. I think black tile is horrendous, unless it's some kind of stone--and these looked clearly ceramic. I think the after looks like she's done a great job, especially working with limitations.
Where do you see a close-up of the black tile? Am I missing a picture? (I do like what she's done with the kitchen, as much as I can tell from the small pictures--even after they were enlarged.)
Lori,
The new kitchen seems fine but I would need a more detailed photo to make any kind of solid opinion. Alot of times photos do not accurately capture the lighting and atmosphere of a room or space, and also, colors in a space can read differently on a photograph compared to what your eyes actually see.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Run away as fast as you can befor the smell of boiled chicken consumes you!
Pat Hart would approve!