Dear Little Kitchen,

We are so in love with you.  We feel like you are our little baby, and in many ways you are.  Never you mind that Martha Stewart’s kitchen is twice as big as our entire house.  We like you just how you are – all 36 square feet of bubbly, delicious bliss bundled all together in the tiny corner of our living room.

Remember what you looked like when we first met?  I was already trying to give you a sunny disposition with my yellow paint the moment I got the okay… and I figured out where to buy paint in Germany.

kitchen before and after

You just needed a little more American in you and a little less German – merely meaning Germans like closed kitchens and call open kitchens “American”.  Well that and I don’t know how to cook like a German.  But you seemed to hit it off with my American measuring cups just fine.  And the cosmetic surgery!

tear-down

In fact, if I do say so myself, you quite prefer English these days.  Or at least I hope so.  Last time I checked, Veganomicon was not being published in German.

cabinets-before-counter

But enough of this lovey dovey stuff.  You know what you’ve taught us?

Bigger does not have to mean better.

A life of minimalism can be a really good life.  We don’t need a lot of kitchen stuff to make good food.  We’re not tempted to spend money on one-use gadgets.  In fact, we’re getting used to having less.  And we’re loving it!  (Here’s where you start beaming.)

Do you know how many people have questioned the necessity of more than two burners on their stovetops since visiting Making This Home or meeting you in person?

kitchen-completed

Did you know that you taught me to stop turning to the microwave for quick fixes?  I really like your little oven/microwave combo unit.  Now I can cook butter on the stove or warm up soup.  Actually, I have to when the oven is on.  I was seriously a microwave girl before.

Don’t tell me you aren’t loving your very own half-size dishwasher.  You went all these years without one.  Now you have your own tiny Katie-spoiler to go with all the other little appliances.

And you know what the coolest thing you’ve taught Martin and me is?  How to have fun.  In the kitchen. Together. Here’s the three of us making caramel.  Aren’t we cute?  I mix.  You cook.  Martin and his lab gear measure.

nerd gear

I’ll bet Martha doesn’t get a graph reading of the temperature of her caramels like you do.

So thanks little kitchen.  Thanks for teaching us to live more simply and do more by hand.  And – most importantly – thanks for keeping our tummies fed.  We couldn’t have done it without you.

Hugs and kisses.

Katie

P.S.  Mind if I mention the little list of treasures we love with our readers?  They might like to see what’s in our Amazon Shop – you know, some of those good things like our favorite eco-products and organizing tools that bring us peace and happiness.

Any other kitchen love out there?  Please share… promise ours won’t get jealous!