Finding an apartment in New York City can be a lot like dating. I definitely have a type.
I’m attracted to beautiful Art Deco and Beaux Arts buildings with tall ceilings and lots of character, outdoor spaces, and most important, modern, stylish kitchens. While apartments like that do exist, it’s tougher finding one that is available, where you can see a future.
As I scrolled the apps, I quickly learned that moving to New York comes with compromises. You trade your backyard for the park. Your second-floor laundry room disappears—along with the entire second floor. Your formal dining room becomes, well, just vibes. And there are things you can’t see coming, like scaffolding blocking windows and garage fees that rival a second mortgage.
In my search for a new home, I was willing to make some concessions everywhere but the kitchen. I needed lots of cabinets, counter space, a dishwasher, and a gas stove.
Several real estate listings claimed to have “a chef ’s kitchen.” I’d arrive only to discover a compact 24-inch range that couldn’t accommodate a Dutch oven or a cookie sheet.
I began giving real estate agents specific details about what I wanted in a kitchen. It needed to be recently renovated, have room for more than one person, and it must have a full-size gas stove and oven. (One slick walk-up I visited had only a cooktop and a toaster oven on the counter.)
“New Yorkers just don’t cook at home that much,” a longtime resident insisted.
“That’s not true,” I said as I considered all the people I know who make recipes from this magazine and entertain in all sorts of spaces.
I continued to see dozens of apartments with disappointing kitchens. There was the one with the shallow sink. The one with the wine fridge but no garbage disposal. The one with the dearth of cabinets. And the one with the bare wall where the countertop was supposed to be. I’m sure these were perfectly fine apartments for someone. But deal-breakers for me.
“You’re too picky,” I kept being told.
Maybe so. But magic happens in kitchens. It’s where I find creativity and energy. And at a party, it’s where everyone wants to be. Settling for less than what I wanted wasn’t an option.
Serendipitously, a friend visiting from Austin told me he wanted to introduce me to a good friend who was selling his place. “I think you’d really like his apartment. It’s got a huge kitchen,” he said. I went to visit the flat and fell in love with it immediately. I knew I could finally delete my real estate apps.
My new home doesn’t have a terrace or a laundry room. But the gorgeous kitchen is filled with natural light and enough counter space to roll out pasta and laminate pastry. And it came with something I didn’t expect to enjoy: a view of a city instead of the sky.
In My Kitchen
KitchenAid in Hibiscus
My 25-year-old stand mixer runs like a dream, but I wanted to give the blue-gray cabinetry a shock of color.
Harlem Toile Candles
Sheila Bridges’s iconic graphics are now available on a line of chic L’or de Seraphine candles.
Passion Fruit Vine
Now that I’m without outdoor space, I’m going to attempt to grow more fruit indoors—wish me luck.