On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 21:14:42 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>Heya folks,
>
>I was just ruminating on how I choose a dwelling. I realize that many
>folks want a big bedroom, or a large living area.
>
>Me, I want a great kitchen..or a large one. I want one that fits
>how I cook.
>
>The rest of it, I could care much less about. I would love a place to
>garden too, which I will have in my new house.
>
>How do all of you cooking/foodie types choose your dwellings?

When John was looking for an apartment for us, I wasn't in the country
yet, and the state of the kitchen was the least of his priorities...
this is a lovely big airy apartment with nice tile on the floor and it
was cheap, but the kitchen SUCKS. There's not nearly enough storage
space, the cupboards are very poorly accessible and there are only two
midget drawers in the whole kitchen... the good side is that the stove
and fridge are both in working order and the oven is lovely and big.
The only bad thing about the stove is that it only has one large
burner plate and three small ones - I use the big one almost all the
time and the back two burners never!

When we move out of here I've told John what my priorities are for
finding a new apartment:
- laundry facilities either IN the apartment or as close by as
possible, at least on the same level (carrying laundry up and down
stairs sucks, especially when the weather's wet)
- an outdoor space of our own (preferably a patio) to have a grill
- dishwasher! (I loathe washing dishes)
- drawers/decent storage space in the kitchen
- if possible, an actual pantry cupboard (they seem to be rare in
apartments)
- linen cupboard in or nearby the bathroom
- car parking space near the front door for ease of unloading
groceries
- light, air and space (open-plan living/kitchen with big windows and
good ventilation)
- and lastly, nothing to do with the kitchen, I'd love to have gardens
to look at and a nice swimming pool, and a fitness center (even just
an exercise bike) would be a real bonus.