The Tyranny of a Temporary Kitchen

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We are making great progress.

The garden is procured, painted and planted — and starting to thrive.  The third floor, stairwells and the Master Bedroom are done. The Master Bath is done with the exception of hanging the barn door and installing the glass window. We're demoing the sitting room this week and the Parlor Floor is ready to paint and hang doors. We're advancing with the framing and all the plumbing and electrical on the garden apartment and are reaching the point, where we will be in a holding pattern for phase 2.

This brings me to the tyranny of a temporary kitchen on the Parlor Floor.

The problem with a temporary anything during construction, is that you never now how to define temporary. Is it weeks or months, next spring? In our case, we will be waiting for the DOB approval of our second permit set, so we can assume that it will be at least six weeks before we can take the next steps and probably at least three months (which is ambitious) before I have my bright new shiny kitchen and dining room. 

Now, I'm a hearty soul and can live for long periods of time under makeshift conditions. I remember when Christopher and I added on to the back half of our house in Culver City, California, we lived with a fridge and microwave next to the tv in the living room for over three months. During that time, we were big big purchasers of the rotisserie chickens at the market, and also ate a lot of salad and microwaveable meals.

This time, I will have the advantage of all the old  appliances installed, including the fridge, gas stove and sink on stilts, but I will have limited space and I must accept the daily clean up — as we will need to  work around this setup. Most importantly, I need to be prepared to live in this temporary status for an indefinite period of time.

So how does someone who loves to cook and entertain reconcile this? My temporary kitchen is made up of two free standing shelving units, and a Craig's List Stainless Table which holds my minimal pots, pans and small appliances. I will add a BBQ out back and beyond a party of two, we will dine on paper plates.

A wide shot of my temporary kitchen before the sink went in.

Dish storage and pantry - if it isn't in the fridge - it's here.

The things I cannot live without - rice cooker, food processor, slow cooker and the most critical spices that I use everyday. Food storage containers are in bins under the bottom shelf.

Despite the lack of storage, I still need to keep my countertops as clutter free as possible or I will go insane.