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August 2, 2007
Parlor Kitchen #5: Where the Party's At
This may be our favorite one yet:
This kitchen was designed to be at once functionally and aesthetically pleasing. The house is 22 feet wide hence allowing us to have a rather decent sized room of approximately 16x15. It’s so true that everyone congregates in the kitchen while the living room remains empty during large gatherings. We had to sacrifice the dining room by about 1 foot to give it to the kitchen and I think the move really paid off. We’ve also tried to maximize storage space by framing an sitting nook with cabinets overhead.
If size was no object, I would have a kitchen island as long and large as possible. There’s something so cozy and functional about being able to carry out tasks on a surface in the middle of the room, be it cooking, eating, working, or simply hanging out. Outside the French doors is a slim balcony that leads to a staircase that goes down to the garden. We attach flower baskets to the balcony rails and put some fruit/herb planters on the deck. I’d highly recommend your friends to add some exterior focal point outside their kitchen as it’s the best way to take advantage of a parlor level kitchen layout.
It’s been about 3 years now and I can’t think of anything else I’d change about the kitchen. And oh yeah, the AGA rocks.
Bootyful.
Update: Check out more pics and description of the project on the jump.
Ideas for the Parlor Floor Kitchen? [Brownstoner]
Parlor Kitchen #1: Architect-Designed in The Slope [Brownstoner]
Parlor Kitchen #2: Contractor's Own Kitchen [Brownstoner]
Parlor Floor Kitchen #3: Jeffrey's 35-Footer [Brownstoner]
Parlor Kitchen #4: Spreading Out in a 22-Footer [Brownstoner]
....a couple more photos to help put the kitchen in perspective. The parlor layout (22x50) is living room in front, dining room middle, and kitchen in back, plus hallway, staircase, powder room, the usual suspects.
As for materials - kitchen is rather straightforward and I think can be done to fit a range of budgets. Cabinets are paint grade wood with BM Dove White, floors are black slate from Home Depot, countertop & backsplashes are Carera grey marble, farmhouse sink, etc. The only statement piece is the AGA, but otherwise, the other components are run of the mill and don't need to be expensive.
Having said that however, it really pays to have good carpentry, good painting, good lighting, and lastly, a good eye.
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Comments
I take back my declaration yesteday. This is the winner- so far.
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 10:57 AM
This feels nice and urban to me.
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 11:01 AM
Where is the dining room in this configuration? Is it actually part of the kitchen, the table I think I see in between the island and the door to the deck/back yard?
Posted by: lp at August 2, 2007 11:02 AM
Swoon. Love it.
Please share more photos/details on materials/floorplan!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:17 AM
I love the stove? Is it an Aga? Very nice. Would also love to see more pics.
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 11:28 AM
gorgeous! i'd love to see more photos, floor plans, details, too.
i'm planning for the addition if a parlor floor kitchen myself and can't imagine a lovelier one than this.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:29 AM
but it's the electric Aga, right? not a cooker? can you do a traditional cooker in an attached brownstone?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:32 AM
we want more pics... incuding the other side of the kitchen and the other side of the french doors. Luv it. Well done
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:37 AM
No--that's the traditonal AGA. The electric is the AGA Legacy.
AGA is amazing - had one when I lived in the UK.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:41 AM
such a tease...we need more details/pictures...architect?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:41 AM
That AGA cost as much as my entire kitchen renovation. Nice job though.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:46 AM
Phenomenal! More pictures, please!
Posted by: Park Sloper at August 2, 2007 11:55 AM
The natives are restless and are clamouring for pix. Oh benevolent one, give the people what they want.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:58 AM
FABULOUS! Can you PLEASE post the name of your architect, I absolutely love this kitchen.
Posted by: cobblehillbilly at August 2, 2007 12:01 PM
Illmatic. I want a brownstone when I grow up.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 12:02 PM
Lovely kitchen,
But I don't know about the aga.
Don't they have to be on all the time?
Good for Scotland, questionable for Brooklyn, because of the heat.
I suppose the ones that are sold in the US can be used like conventional cookers? In the UK, as I said, they are always on, summer and winter, and there is always a kettle on top with water at the sub-boil.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 12:10 PM
Love white kitchens. Can a white kitchen be done with a messy husband and a little one underfoot? oh yeah, this puts to rest comments that parlor floor kitchens cannot be "nice" (what were those posters thinking?).
Posted by: North Sleeper at August 2, 2007 12:20 PM
AGA is trying to compete with the Vikings of the world so they modified their cookers for the North American market by keeping them simple and without the constant heat source. This stove is a glorified dual fuel stove with gas cooktop and electric ovens.
see link:
http://www.aga-ranges.com/_store/scripts/catlist.asp?idcat=22
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 12:23 PM
Can I buy your place, please? Pls post pics, pls post pics
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 12:26 PM
An Aga stove? Thanks for sharing your extremely conspicuous consumption with us. And what do you pay your cleaning lady?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 12:28 PM
I like the kids drums on the ceiling.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 12:33 PM
love the look, but those elec agas are not the same as cookers!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 12:33 PM
This is absolutely beautiful and it will never go out of style. I love that you chose an AGA, and a blue one at that. Well done, lucky. You should send pix over to Domino Mag. for a feature.
Posted by: TJ at August 2, 2007 12:41 PM
Anon 12:22--IT IS A COOKER! The Legacy is the electric, non-cooker. I have the same aga (in a different color)...
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 12:50 PM
Am I the only person who truly hates kitchen islands? They are so hideous and useless! God created kitchen tables to put them in the middle of the room. I don't see the appeal of these big, bulky, bumps!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 1:11 PM
I'm not 12:22 but this is not a traditional cooker. A traditional cooker needs to have a direct vent and has the insulated covers on the burners. You can tell this has American-style gas burners. Not the same thing. Looks like the 6-4 style. Anyway, also a big price diff. Traditional cookers are 10k+ and what is shown here runs way less.
It's lovely but it's NOT A COOKER. I realize there is also the Legacy. There's the Legacy, the 6-4, and then various traditional cooker styles. Those have the insulated covers.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 1:18 PM
Beautiful. The 22 footers really give you room to maneuver. I particularly like the built-in seating (I trust it's comfortable), the enormous amount of light coming in from the rear transoms and doors, and the extra set up space (beverage center?) in the niche to the right of the refrigerator.
I assume the upper cabinets need to be reached with a stool -- this is a typical drawback with high-ceiling parlor kitchens that is often addressed by having a dedicated place for a stool already in the design.
Would love to see a floorplan to see the relationship between the kitchen and outside, and the kitchen and dining.
Love the modern pendants.
Nice work -- a pretty penny, I'm sure, but understated rather than ostentatious.
--an architect in Brooklyn
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 1:18 PM
Wow! Beautiful! Love the island too...I just wish I had room for one.
Posted by: GHB at August 2, 2007 1:29 PM
There are a zillion photos of this house on Apartment Therapy (look under House Tours and scroll down to 12/11/2006 "Revival of a Greek Revival"). I believe it's located in the West Village.
For the Aga fans out there, be thankful this AIN'T an original. I grew up with one and my dad had to rise at dawn to keep it stoked. And the coal dust everywhere -- urgh! It also heated our hot water so there was general misery whenever it went out.
Back to the kitchen: it's beautiful, no doubt, but not too relevant to those of us who need to accomodate a dining table in the same room. And, dare I say, perhaps a little antiseptic/shelter magazine perfect? Then again maybe I'm just jealous.
Posted by: NeoGrec at August 2, 2007 1:36 PM
"An Aga stove? Thanks for sharing your extremely conspicuous consumption with us."
give it up. i'm sure every single thing you do is "green", i'm sure you never waste water or energy. since i'm pretty sure that posting on a blog is not a necessity in life, you are wasting energy on your own luxuries as well.
get off your high horse hippie.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 1:47 PM
I think shipping a zillion pound range from the UK is the opposite of "green".
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 1:54 PM
I knew that the American AGAs could not be like the old, huge, ever-warm AGAs of the old isle.
They are attractive I guess altho they remind me a little of freezing cold houses in Glasgow with no heat save the AGA. Ugh. I moved to America to get away form that.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 1:56 PM
"An Aga stove? Thanks for sharing your extremely conspicuous consumption with us."
Jealous? Or just bitter?
Posted by: GHB at August 2, 2007 2:15 PM
Shipping an AGA from the UK??? Do you get out much? Domain sells them. Karl's appliances sells them. They are all over.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 2:19 PM
they still SHIP from the UK dimwit. you just place your order with domain. did you think they make them there, in the back room?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 2:31 PM
Beautifully done. The seating area is very inviting, and it looks like a great kitchen in which to cook and hang out. I dig the AGA in such a simple and elegant kitchen. Usually, they're placed in overdone
yellow French Country kitchens on the UES. Congrats.
Posted by: anon in bklyn at August 2, 2007 2:35 PM
I know they are built in the UK. Like a Mercedes is built in Germany and your shirts are made in China and our produce ships from all over the world. Why is the shipping of the AGA an environmental crime and not these other things? If we all sat around waiting for US manufactured goods we'd be camping naked in a tent cooking over a camp fire.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 2:40 PM
Unlikely that your Mercedes is built in Germany. They have plants all over, including US. A shirt from china and a range from UK is different in that an oven weights slightly more than a cotton t and thus ... oh, why bother.
Also, I do try to buy locally grown food.
And if you knew it was built in the UK why the "Shipping an AGA from the UK??? Do you get out much?" reply?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 2:59 PM
Donghia, AGA, Baker - expensive, but certainly having money not always means having good taste (even if you have a designer).
This one is cool, elegant and simple. These 2 feet in width & 5 feet in length
make a huge difference in the layout. Not a typical situation in our Brooklyn townhouses.
Posted by: mg at August 2, 2007 3:07 PM
You made it sound like the AGA was some exotic item that had to be specially ordered and shipped as a one off. Besides, ever moved overseas and had to ship furnitire and so on? The ships go when full...you/companies buy a container. So the AGA is no better or worse than the cotton shirts. They will fill to capacity/weight regardless of the item. Ever have the what's heavier: a ton of feathers or a ton of lead "riddle" when you were in, oh, third grade?
I don't have a Mercedes.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 3:19 PM
way off from what should only be compliments to this person with a good eye or two. . .
goods made in the us are often made by immigrants that work for pennies in cities where that living ain't so cheap. haven't you seen the sweatshops just over the bridge with the all night fluorescent lighting. i heard they work for a few bucks a day and tea if the master is nice. the goods say 'made in america'.
you have to pick your cause and i guess the fact that there are other problems does not make your concern less valid. a good place to start is probably just to be nice to one another and not so judgemental- even on brownstoner.
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 3:51 PM
my mercedes is made in germany
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 3:53 PM
When I noted the conspicuous consumption being advertised by the Aga stove, I was not talking about the consumption of energy. I was talking about spending more on a STOVE than ordinary people spend to buy a car.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 3:54 PM
12:28- ask yo' mama
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 3:56 PM
3:54- I think they explained that it was a trade-off. They spent less on other things. Even if they had not, Don't you know that people with lots of money not only live well but give money to all kinds of things that you care about? Why would you want to be so ugly and judgemental? You don't even know these people.
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 4:00 PM
What do you do with four doors on the AGA?
bake four things at the same time?
bake two things and dry your underwear in the other two?
Just asking.
It's pretty, but a little ridiculous really. These things are made of solid cast iron and are meant to warm the room as well as your supper. It is a waste of energy in summer when the a.c. is trying to cool the place while the AGA is trying to warm it.
Modern ovens are insulated.
Its just a silly status symbol like gold teeth or something. i don't get it.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 4:07 PM
Maybe they're not ordinary. Maybe they are extraordinary. Or maybe they are ordinary with an expensive stove. Or maybe they are extraordinary with an expensive stove.
Posted by: glw at August 2, 2007 4:09 PM
And what could be so wrong about any of those combinations?
Posted by: anon in bklyn at August 2, 2007 4:22 PM
Absolutely nothing. Just responding to the comment about how they spent more than "ordinary" people spend to buy a car.
Posted by: glw at August 2, 2007 4:29 PM
I meant rhetorically. I agree with you entirely. Now, but perhaps not ordinarily.
Posted by: anon in bklyn at August 2, 2007 4:36 PM
perhaps extraordinarily
Posted by: glw at August 2, 2007 4:40 PM
Do you mean to tell me that this kitchen is not even located in Brooklyn? Then it does not count and is disqualified and I request that all previous comments be stricken from the record.
Posted by: The nerve at August 2, 2007 4:49 PM
man it's hot
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 4:55 PM
a lot of things could be considered status symbols, by your definition 4:07.
in this heat, wearing clothes seems ridiculous also but we still do it.
Posted by: slopehead at August 2, 2007 4:56 PM
not all. LOL
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 4:58 PM
It must be hot as hell with that freaking stove on. Oh right, they probably have air. Can the adopt me? I'll bake in all four ovens.
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 5:01 PM
What exactly is wrong with pointing out conspicous consumption (and the AGA is a poster child for it?) I agree whole-heartedly with that comment. Contrary to some that write here, it's not bitterness, envy or hippie-dom to be concerned with, and comment about, wasteful practices.
It may, however fall on deaf ears.
If you want to live like that, go ahead, but please respect those of us trying to be less profligate. Yes, there are some who live "green" and are content with less.
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 5:04 PM
So noted. Jury shall disregard any statements made about kitchens not within the borders of Brooklyn, Kings County, USA.
Jury shall also disregard the moronic discussion regarding what is "ordinary."
Posted by: Amy at August 2, 2007 5:05 PM
What is wrong? The comments were not made about the greenness of the stove.They were about the owners.
Conspicuous consumption is a term used to describe the lavish spending on goods and services that are acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth. In the mind of a conspicuous consumer, such display serves as a means of attaining or maintaining social status.
Posted by: anonymous at August 2, 2007 5:21 PM
I know- I'm hot and bored too.
Posted by: anonymous at August 2, 2007 5:23 PM
"Conspicuous consumption is a term used to describe the lavish spending on goods and services that are acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth."
oh...so you mean like brownstones??
KIIIIDDDING.
kinda.
Posted by: slopehead at August 2, 2007 5:35 PM
As lame as the display of wealth may be- wouldn't it be not existent and kind of pointless without the envious people. I never look at other people's stuff and think about how much it cost.
Posted by: anonymous at August 2, 2007 5:44 PM
i'm so jealous i didn't think of that, 5:44.
ok, now i'm just being ridiculous.
Posted by: slopehead at August 2, 2007 5:50 PM
I desperately wanted a red aga in my new kitchen, but just couldn't afford to give up that extra 8 inches of counterspace... Settled for a Viking. But it's no Aga.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 6:07 PM
I really, really feel for you, 6:07. To be reduced to settling for the second-most wasteful status symbol must be so hard. Did your shrink help you deal with this crisis?
Posted by: anon at August 2, 2007 6:11 PM
everyone on this board is so clever
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 6:29 PM
Funny, when my husband says I'm being clever, he means it as an insult.
Hey, wait a minute!
Posted by: Amy at August 2, 2007 7:05 PM
Conspicuous consumerism implies that the object was purchased merely to show that the purchaser could spend the money on it. Unless you bought it, you don't know if it was bought to show off, or because the purchaser appreciated its beauty, or as an investment, or whatever.
I happen to think the Aga is beautiful and I bet the owners really appreciate its beauty and its functionality (I would love to cook a turkey at 325 in one oven, bake some potatoes in another oven at 400, and proof some dough in a third oven; the fourth is probably a broiler, but I couldn't come up with anything). I happen to think that Hummers are obnoxious and are only purchased in order to be shown off. But without actually knowing the intent of the purchasers, I cannot know whether either one is conspicuous consumerism or not. It's simply not possible, and it's absolutely not a matter of someone else's opinion. If you want, say that you're appalled that someone would spend that much on a stove. But it simply doesn't fit the phrase conspicuous consumerism.
Posted by: Amy at August 2, 2007 7:31 PM
"red aga..." Sounds like a sexually transmitted disease. What ever it is, I hope you get it.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 7:36 PM
You take a completely white kitchen and throw a blue Aga into it and the Aga is going to pop... become the centerpiece of the kitchen. Clearly the owner wanted people to notice the Aga. Conspicuous consumption or conspicuous kitchen photo? Almost makes me wonder if the the whole kitchen is an Aga advertisement. If so, it certainly worked as there has been more discussion about the Aga than anything else.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 7:54 PM
Doesn't an AGA cost about the same as a Viking range? They're not cheap, but they're certainly not more than most people spend on a car.
AGAs, even Americanized ones, are a little eccentric and take some getting used to, so I doubt this was put in simply as a showpiece. And there is value in choosing high-end appliances. When you make an investment like this you are probably going to stick with it for many years to come. And chances are, when this brownstone changes hands, the new owner won't feel the need to replace it either. Something more middle of the road might be less offensive to the angry AGA poster, but it's a lot more likely to be torn out and chucked in a landfill than this stove is.
For the record, GE has outsourced most of its production in recent years. Their ranges have been made in Mexico since 2000.
Posted by: TJ at August 2, 2007 7:56 PM
I bet you anything they either order out or cook their food in a little toaster oven -anything but have to turn on the retro boosters of the AGA.
My friends in Britain who have a "real" AGA were almost suffocated in their sleep because a stork made a nest in the chimney and the AGA exhaust backed up in the house. I definetely want one of these.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 8:09 PM
I don't cook - but I'm buying an AGA for my newly purchased brownstone - just for show. Am I an idiot or simply vain?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 8:25 PM
Both.
Posted by: Amy at August 2, 2007 8:28 PM
People, stop making assumptions about others based on two pictures of their kitchen! I know that New Yorkers like to voice their opinions about everything but there is such a thing as being too judgmental.
Posted by: Emily at August 2, 2007 8:41 PM
Get a carbon monoxide detector please.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 8:43 PM
This almost makes me want to remove our decorative fireplace in the rear parlor to accommodate some of those cabinets and a little breakfast nook. Beautiful. Ignore the haters.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 9:15 PM
i wish we could get half as excited about our own government thowing away billions of dollars a year on a war very few people want, as we do about someone treating themself to a nice looking stove.
Posted by: slopehead at August 2, 2007 9:16 PM
Ignore the haters? who the hell are the haters?
what are you talking about?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 9:31 PM
Humph! If I had money, my parlor kitchen would look like that too! Humph! (I am drooling but not hating.)
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 10:02 PM
I want to think something catty like, "I could never live comfortably in a flawless showplace like this", but the truth is I am green with envy. Speaking of green...oh that dining room. I love it all!!
Posted by: ParkSlopeRenter at August 2, 2007 10:51 PM
I want to think something catty like, "I could never live comfortably in a flawless showplace like this", but the truth is I am green with envy. Speaking of green...oh that dining room. I love it all!!
Posted by: ParkSlopeRenter at August 2, 2007 10:51 PM
you can't fit a turkey in this kind of Aga. it's a design flaw: 4 ovens, all of them small.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 2, 2007 11:25 PM
Wow, wow, and wow.
Posted by: patagoniacommunity.blogspot.com at August 3, 2007 2:19 AM
Yes beautiful!
That aga stove/oven looks very cool, but unless I'm cooking huge meals requiring 4 ovens I really really don't see the point. For real - why? What is its raison d'etre? I guess this is exactly why buying the aga is considered "conspicuous consumption" by some.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 3:05 AM
No one lives here...looks like a lovely show piece...I want it!!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 7:07 AM
My mother in law has an AGA, in Ireland. She boils water and makes toast on it, but uses a cheap stove for most of her cooking. The AGA is often used to dry clothes. And when her daughter in law comes from NY, she warms her feet on the AGA because there is no central heat in the house. I don't cook, but I know some people who do and they'll only use certain ranges because of the type of flame. Now, I'm not familiar with all types of AGA, but my M in L's doesn't have a flame on top. It just heats up. Anyway, it sure is purdy. The AGA is the best thing about this kitchen. My favorite kitchen has been the retro appliance one.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 7:43 AM
How do you find the size of the ovens in the AGA? I'm debating on whether to go with the AGA, a La Corneau or a separate cooktop and two wall ovens and the wall ovens seem to be winning out simply due to size. I just can't visualize two turkeys in an AGA come holiday time...
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 8:20 AM
that's an exquisite kitchen - it has really inspired me for when we move down the parlo floor. this has been great, because you can really pick and choose the best elements of people's kitchens. thanks b'stoner. and thanks to the brave sould who post - don't pay any attention to the nitpickers.
Posted by: miss priss at August 3, 2007 8:46 AM
Actually, I am the hated red Aga poster, and truth is I really wanted a Le Corneau, but I knew it was going to be too big from the get go.
Why did I want it? Easy. The red enamel is beautiful, and matches the original red enamel in my dining room. It's a formal dining room, and the kitchen opens on to it, making the stove visible from the dining room.
Yes, a design statement. It looks great. Shoot me. And no, I'm not dragging people in off the street to look at my Viking, and I wouldn't had it been an Aga or Le Corneau either. I am simply loving the vista from the dining room to the kitchen in my new home.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 8:48 AM
I don't get why people are going for AGAs and Le Corneaus instead of antique Magic Chefs. Please explain. I'm not doing my kitchen yet, but I'll definitely be getting antique appliances. I'm the one who doesn't cook though (mother in law with useless but beautiful AGA) so it's all about looks for me.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 9:02 AM
Yuck. First time I've read this blog, and I'm really turned off by the superficial, elitist tone of many of your comments. So shallow and materialistic. Is this what privilege and higher education produces??
Posted by: anonymous at August 3, 2007 9:21 AM
9:21 -- yes. It produces refinement, not necessarily the best quality to have, but when balanced with other more politically correct qualities like heroism, self-sacrifice, ingenuity, generosity of spirit and openness of mind, it can be quite a dashing cherry on top. I myself LOVE a little superfice with all the depth. And if you were a little deeper and more well read, you would find that the greatest minds and the most revolutionary movements used superfice to change the world -- cue the Black Panther slide show, etc.
NOW to the really important matter at hand:
8:48 I am absolutely with you. I would go cheap and minimal etc. . .everywhere and really splurge on what I consider the epitome of craftsmanship like a La Cornue. You're gonna use that shit for the rest of your life plus pass it on to your grand kids.
And what's scary is that I think their (hand-made manufacturers of stoves) days are numbered. La Cornue has already come out with a factory made version, for those who just want the label, but not the point. THAT to me is ridiculous.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 9:36 AM
What I really want to know is: Why is the dining room so out of character with the kitchen, and so (in my opinion) ugly? I get the use of a trendy faux-old-looking wallpaper, but the colors are not flattering or pleasing to the eye, and there's just no flow from one style to the other.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 9:38 AM
i don't get it, why do communists spend time on a blog dedicated to the million dollar renovations of million dollar brownstones?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 9:40 AM
I think they're "infiltrating", trying to break our spirits from the inside.
I think it's working -- I am starting to feel REALLY BAD about my kitchen-induced orgasms. The shame is eating me alive.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 9:47 AM
I'm hardly a communist, and I like nice things as much as the next person, but this smug consumerism is really pretty disgusting. Oh, and I'm curious, 9:21, just what sort of "heroism, self-sacrifice, ingenuity, generosity of spirit and openness of mind" do you balance all this glorious superfice with?
And, right, 9:47, why SHOULD you feel bad? You can just escape into your AGA warmed kitchen. And by the way, what "spirit"? Nothing there to break.
Posted by: anoymous at August 3, 2007 10:12 AM
hate to break it to you (actually no, i don't) but you 10:12 just managed to show the least amount of "spirit" of any poster on this thread.
i don't think there was a more disgusting comment made than yours.
not to mention absurd.
Posted by: slopehead at August 3, 2007 10:36 AM
to all the haters out there: go to your OWN site. this is a thread commenting about parlor floor kitchen design - if you don't like it, move on. create your own "i hate conspicuous consumption" website. why are you tweaking here? I'm sure plenty of the people commenting about their kitchens and what they like here are quite clear about their contributions to social justice on other sites. don't be so whack.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 11:08 AM
10:12: Can you give me the list of nice things that are okay to like, as opposed to the smug consumerist kinds? I must have missed class that day.
As far as my other qualities, they're ones I aspire to and work hard to reach, as everyone else does who wants a better world for themselves AND for others. It's the smug elitist sanctimonious self-righteous goons who make this world a war-ravaged religious hell. Please don't lecture me on what is okay to feel pleasure about and what isn't. If I wanted that kind of judgement from my peers, I'd live in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 11:11 AM
I love the posters who tell other posters they have no business posting.
What nitwits.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 11:14 AM
people, this is a KITCHEN. i like it. it's cool. I don't have enough money to do it, but I can still like it w/o resenting it or the people who own it. get a grip. ironically all the people pumping their fists about cc are the types who in same methodology, different cloak contribute to the world's ills.
Posted by: good grief at August 3, 2007 12:07 PM
(sung to the tune of Volare)
my AGA, oh oh
my AGA, oh oh oh oooohh
Lets fly away, up to the clouds
Away from this piss-taking crowd
We can sing in the glow of your 4-oven juices
Where I can broil 1 wing if I choose
Let us leave the hand wringing and fake playa-hating behind
With my wad up my behind, to EXPO together we'll find
My Aga oh oh
My Aga oh oh oh oooohhhhh
Posted by: Sock-it-to-the-Joneses at August 3, 2007 12:41 PM
Don't quit your day job, if you have one.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 12:58 PM
Blimey, all we need now is for a British novelist to base an aga-saga on this silly, overwrought thread!
But for the historical record, the invention of the aga and its cousin the rayburn caused quite a domestic revolution in the UK. In the '50s and '60s the average Aga had a burner and two ovens -- one for roasting and one for simmering. There were just two hotplates on top. The burner could not only supply a house's hot water but also the central heating via radiators. They ran on solid fuel (wood, coal, even peat).
Nowadays they can run on almost anything (gas, electric, kerosene, diesel, biofuel, etc). That doesn't change the fact that they are anachronistic fuel hogs when used just for cooking. 'Course, I still love 'em, especially in that pretty blue color!
Posted by: NeoGrec at August 3, 2007 1:19 PM
I'm the "clever" one from above, and I think the "communist" has a point. I can say I "like" a kitchen or I "admire" its design but once you start "salivating", "drooling" "envying" it, some unmarked line has, indeed, been crossed into rampant materialism.
Like 10:21, I like cool and neat things, and I know a lot about some of the products people covet here, and it's plain not justifiable on a performance level. Why is it that those you wanting these absurdly expensive appliances can't deal with those of us who wouldn't be caught dead with them? We're not the appliance police. They are not banned.
If you flaunt your wealth, prepare to take some heat for it (pun intended).
To 11:11: yes, maybe you do need a class in tolarance and perspective if you think these comments are "smug, self-....goons." You might be one of those who refuses to acknowledge that the world is changing and your over-consuming life-style may end, perhaps not in your lifetime but soon, but then that's not your problem, is it?
Posted by: anon at August 3, 2007 1:26 PM
Amy, I don't anyone here who likes high-end appliances "can't deal with those... who wouldn't be caught dead with them." It's just that so many of the people who post against such things write amazingly rude and judgemental comments. Such naked hostility naturally draws a negative response in turn. It simply goes both ways, which most of the negative people here don't seem to quite grasp.
Posted by: TJ at August 3, 2007 3:14 PM
I don't want to be like any of you when I grow up. When I grow up and purchase my brownstone, I will not invite any of you over!!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 7:14 PM
Lovely pictures and the AGA is fab.
But, the whole aura does not scream "brownstone" - it screams modern house or condo. Nothing wrong with that - but a 100+ year old brownstone should be more than brown triassic sandstone on the outside - it should scream BROWNSTONE on the inside as well - otherwise what's the point.
Lovely kitchen and dining room, tho - but doesn't get my vote for best Brownstone Parlour floor kitchen - I need more....
Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2007 7:29 PM
Hi TJ, I didnt write what you're quoting. You are quoting "Anon" at 1:26. Not only did I not write it, I disagree with it completely.
I always sign my name.
Posted by: Amy at August 3, 2007 11:12 PM
"Nurse! Scalpel!"
"I'm sorry, Doctor! I'm confused! The operating room lights have shades on them!"
"Nurse! I trust you are competent to remain on the Operating Room Floor? Sterlize the instruments, at once!"
"Doctor, I'm sorry. Where is the sterlizer?"
"It's the blue thing, you idiot".
"Doctor, I'm afraid I can't find the patient".
"Look in the refrigerator, Nurse".
"Doctor, I ... can't ... find the refrigerator ... and - the patient seems to have left the banquette".
Doctor runs into the dining room and yells "Is there a nurse in the house? Oh, ye gads, this is quite luxe. The patient is missing - yes, I'd love a glass of Bordeaux. Say, don't I know you? Ah, yes, Nest magazine - my wife had a subscription. Have you looked at the Bear Stearns mess?"
Posted by: suzy at August 7, 2007 12:58 AM
Wow, you New Yorkers are bitchy!
Honestly, if I hear one more person picked apart under the guise of their presumed "carbon footprint" (when the commenter is simply jealous of the featured householder's income/house/taste/whatever), I'm gonna scream. It's ridiculous. Stop it.
Posted by: guest at August 15, 2007 11:07 AM
Amazing job. Can I ask where you got the cabinets?
Posted by: guest at August 15, 2007 7:43 PM
If anyone is interested in a re-conditioned Aga like the one in the picture's i know were you can get one cheaper than a brand new one, to see it in the flesh you would think it was brand new, any colour you wanted a real peice of british heritage in your own home. go look at http:/countrystyle-cookers.co.uk, or email for brouchure sales@countrystyle-cookers.com. Believe me if its something you were interested in these people are the first people to call.
Posted by: coco120382 at April 1, 2009 8:08 AM
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