Tiny NYC Kitchens to Become Perverse Points of Pride

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Manhattan kitchens are notoriously (and tragically) small, but this year renters aren't just accepting their lot in life, they're embracing it. The New York Post is banking on hyper-tiny kitchens as a major design trend for 2015. As in, "Check out my dope new fridge. It's in the knife drawer. Oh, by the way, I had to throw out all my knives. Cool if we cut our food with scissors?"

"A clever way to achieve a grander living space is to covertly tuck away your fridge and freezer, blurring the boundary between kitchen and living," FIT professor Johannes Knoops told the paper. "Europeans have known this secret for years." Sub-Zero is already on board, with a 15-inch $3,850 refrigerator that slides under the counter and holds approximately four pints of ice cream. Interestingly, another home design shift seems to be towards big, luxurious bathrooms, meaning it's only a matter of time before NYC apartments are 90% soaking tub.
· Super-size tubs, tiny kitchens and 3 other 2015 design trends [New York Post]
· 38 of New York City's Best Home Goods and Furniture Stores [Racked NY]