After I moved into my first apartment in 2006, I knew that if I didn’t have some enter from a feminine, then I might danger the place turning right into a typical bachelor pad.
I’m a really organized, neat, and clear particular person, so it wasn’t like this may be a soiled bachelor pad.
I’m not a kind of guys that’s caught in college, so it wasn’t like this may have the Scarface and Bob Marley posters on the wall.
However when it got here to the furnishings in my apartment, I wanted a little bit of assist.
So I turned to my sister-in-law, who already had expertise serving to me store for garments in my early-20’s, who now would accompany me to IKEA, EQ3, Structube, GH Johnston’s, JYSK, and lord is aware of what else.
I took each certainly one of her options to coronary heart. Er, nearly each one.
However when it got here time for the espresso desk, I put down my foot. I imply, that was the place that I might put down my ft at night time, so excuse the play on phrases, nevertheless it was apt.
I’ve advised this story on TRB earlier than, however Lindsay recommended a wonderful, designer desk that ran about $500.
It wasn’t a lot the cash that was the issue. I imply, possibly it was, on the time. However it was extra so the truth that I knew how this desk could be used.
I advised her that I used to be going to eat dinner at this desk each night time, and she or he mentioned, “No means, you’ll eat at your breakfast bar!”
What sort of single man doesn’t put a plate on the desk in entrance of his TV and eat from his sofa?
I advised her that I might put my naked ft up on this desk each night time, slide my clunky laptop computer back-and-forth each night time as I labored, and place my pint glass of rye-and-gingerale instantly onto the desk, and not using a coaster, each Friday and Saturday night time.
I knew that I might destroy this desk within the subsequent few years whereas I lived there, so there was completely no level in shopping for something greater than the $79 model from IKEA.
My sister-in-law disagreed.
However three years later, after about 1,500 meals at that desk, and spending 1000’s of hours engaged on my laptop computer, the desk was a bit of junk.
I’ll additionally add that I didn’t take my buddy’s recommendation on spending upwards of $3,000 for a 40-inch flat display screen Sony or Panasonic TV, and as a substitute bought a Maxent from Costco for $1,200. The value of shopper electronics at all times drops, and you will get a 40-inch Samsung right this moment for $349, so suffice it to say, I knew that I might purchase a $1,200 TV in 2006 and improve in 2009 for even much less – however a greater model.
That’s an apart, however price noting.
As for that notorious espresso desk, the rationale I knew I didn’t deserve a “good” desk was as a result of I knew myself and I knew how I might operate in that apartment. I knew I might eat dinner on the espresso desk each single night time and I knew that I’d by no means arrange a eating desk though I had room for it.
Satirically, when it got here time to promote the apartment, I staged it with a spherical eating desk and three chairs. I really like the three chairs. It’s traditional. It’s like we don’t have room for 4, however solely two tells folks, “This can be a glorified bistro set.” So three, it’s!
My first apartment was 585 sq. ft.
That’s virtually a 3-bedroom these days.
However because it was again in 2006, I definitely had room for a eating room desk.
I simply didn’t need one.
As a substitute, within the house the place I ultimately staged a eating room desk, I had a big bookshelf (who reads books anyhow?), a printer on the ground for about two years, and only a “lot” of open house that made the apartment really feel bigger. I put my Christmas tree there a few instances, however for essentially the most half, the house simply sat empty.
I don’t know the place or how younger folks eat their meals in downtown condos as of late, however as condos get smaller and smaller, the possibility of getting a eating space, if an individual really needed one, is fading quick.
The opposite factor is: I don’t know if the typical Torontonian or TRB reader has any thought what’s passing for a “eating space” in right this moment’s condos.
Should you’re dwelling in Richmond Hill, otherwise you’ve bought a home in North Toronto, you may be shocked at what downtown-dwellers name eating in 2022.
So let’s have a look at a couple of MLS photographs for condos at present out there on the market, and we may give a “cross” or “fail” grade to those areas which are labelled eating rooms within the listings.
Sound good?
Up first, we’ve got a two-person “eating room” that’s actually jammed towards a wall, subsequent to the TV, previous the hallway which additionally serves because the kitchen – see the microwave?
This works, I assume.
However how is that this any higher than consuming at a espresso desk?
I give this a “fail.”
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Right here’s an analogous theme, though with a bigger desk:
The bizarre factor is: this seems to be like a desk. There’s a jar of pens, a calculator, and, effectively, I’m fairly positive it’s a desk.
However can one “dine” there?
Should you moved a kind of chairs to the entrance so that you’re not side-by-side, then I assume it’s eating.
However it’s nonetheless jammed towards a wall, within the kitchen.
Robust one right here. In comparison with the above, it’s a “cross.”
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Up subsequent, three-person eating:
That’s a hallway.
It’s additionally a desk, actually. I imply there’s a desk lamp and all.
Not precisely the place I might wish to eat dinner with two associates, however welcome to Toronto!
“Fail” in my books.
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Right here’s one that appears fairly in photographs, however whenever you begin to think about performance, you see it in a unique mild:
It’s good, till you understand that your sofa is in your kitchen. Then you definately understand your kitchen is your lounge.
Nevertheless, it could possibly be advantageous to stir a pot in your range whilst you’re seated on the sofa…
Now, about that eating room?
That is one of the best angle, belief me. In precise reality, that tiny desk is simply exterior the bed room, so that you and a visitor are principally having dinner subsequent to your mattress.
However I don’t hate it.
I’m going to offer this a “cross.”
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Right here’s a really small apartment, with apparent digital staging:
However what?
That “eating room” works, even when it’s technically in the kitchen.
I can consider worse areas to dine.
For a small apartment, this can be a “cross.”
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This would possibly look miserable to some, particularly if we examine this to a bigger house, however it’s important to admit: it really works…
Yeah, it’s a 2-person desk jammed towards the wall in entrance of the HVAC return and filter clean-out, and it’s additionally technically within the kitchen/corridor, however on a relative foundation, this can be a particular “cross.”
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This seems to be okay at first look:
I imply, there’s a fridge behind the fourth chair, which is a very odd spot for it.
However what makes me understand this format sucks and the agent and/or vendor try to “faux” the house is that this photograph of the lounge:
Wow.
Did the agent not understand that she or he had stacked the eating chairs up within the background?
That is hilarious!
However don’t lose sight of the place that fridge was, now you could see the entire image.
“Fail.” Thanks!
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This apartment is tiny!
That is your entire dwelling/eating/kitchen:
And spot they’ve taken the photograph strategically so that you don’t actually really feel how small it’s.
That eating desk has two chairs and is wedged towards a wall.
Nevertheless, within the context of small areas, this can be a “cross.”
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That is your entire apartment, minus the toilet:
Bed room, lounge, kitchen, and eating.
I don’t even know what to say right here.
Eating subsequent to your ottoman, which stares instantly at your sink.
Cross, I feel?
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I’ve by no means been a fan of bar stools for eating or something that’s excessive off the bottom. I like my ft to the touch the ground.
I hate these chairs – with the 4-inch again on them. It encourages slouching.
However I additionally don’t love the thought of this being a “eating space”…
I don’t suppose you possibly can match two plates on that desk.
You’re additionally touching the toaster oven and microwave, which additionally appears a bit overkill in a 400-square-foot apartment, however I digress.
This needs to be a cross.
However it’s a “fail” to me.
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Right here’s one other bachelor apartment with a so-called “eating space” adjoining to the dwelling:
However the place is the lounge?
How do you watch that TV? From the mattress?
And is that eating for one?
I believed they solely dine alone within the films…
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Right here’s one other very small apartment albeit with an precise bed room. An inset bed room, however a bed room nonetheless:
That kitchen island additionally doubles as a eating desk, and whereas it’s not as smooth because the one a couple of photos in the past with the digital staging, it matches the invoice.
I give this a “cross,” for what it’s.
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This, then again, is hard to swallow:
Bed room, lounge, eating room, kitchen…………..and large residence workplace?
Who places that massive desk in a micro-condo?
The “eating space” is obstructing the fridge, and one of many chairs is definitely underneath the desk.
This can be a “fail” to me.
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This apartment is so small that the “eating space” needs to be underneath the TV, which is throughout from a sofa, situated contained in the kitchen:
What if any individual is consuming dinner whereas any individual else desires to look at Netflix?
This can be a “fail” for me. It’s simply staging. There’s zero room on this apartment, you might as effectively eat in mattress.
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Final, however not least, I don’t hate this eating space, nor would the bedsheet thumbtacked to the wall destroy my eating expertise….
…nonetheless, I might discover it laborious to eat whereas my ft are on a rowing machine…
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So what say ye?
905’ers, are you on the lookout for a pied-a-terre?
May you see your self eating in right this moment’s “eating rooms”?
Have an amazing weekend, all people!