After getting the boot from our modern studio apartment, we found ourselves in our long-term residence much sooner than initially expected. With the help of our local friend, we found a brand spankin’ new townhouse about 1 km (half a mile) from the south side of the Old City.

Free Kitchen Included in Our Lease

In fact, it was so new that the kitchen wasn’t even built yet. To our surprise, our soon-to-be landlord told us that she would build the kitchen anyway we wanted it. Wha-wha-wha!? That’s awesome! So we downloaded the Interior Design app and had fun designing our new kitchen one evening. Yeah, let me whip out my interior designer and architect skills…

Ok, so Thai kitchens are much different from kitchens back home. It is common to see entire kitchens outside in Thailand, or at least designated to the outer part of the building. It’s smart actually – keep the cooking heat out of the cool house and prevent some of the lingering smells associated with Thai cooking (think fish sauce and curry paste). As for the components in a That kitchen, there are usually

• One or two burners, rarely an oven
• Instead cabinets for storage, typically have stainless steel racks and shelving
• Small counters designed with little or no prep space (barely large enough for appliances)
• Small fridges. Like college dorm small.
• Oh, and did I mention that the tap water is not potable? An area designated for large drinking water jugs is a must.

When we first looked at our new townhouse, the original kitchen area was set up to be on the outside of the house, like a traditional Thai kitchen. It was walled and roofed, but was open to the elements. I could have gotten used to cooking outside, but I would have had a hard time talking to Chris or guests in the other room while making a meal.

Kitchen Design

Since we were given the freedom to design a kitchen, we opted to bring the kitchen entirely inside. Designing it was fun. We kept it pretty simple, and this is what we came up with:

Our design

The design is certainly more western. And it was just our luck that we were getting a dual convection oven/microwave. Our landlord bought it without realizing it was only in English, so she couldn’t use it herself. And instead of a formal dining table, we preferred to sit at the counter to make space for a small seating area in the same room.

Another shot of the design from above

Construction started right away. It took all of four days to have furniture moved into the townhouse and for the entire kitchen to be done.

We still need to buy a few things. For one, we need dining chairs as well as something equivalent to a pantry. We also plan to make a little sitting area to watch TV. Slowly but surely we will buy furniture. But for now, it’s so refreshing to have ample counter space and a good sized fridge!

Completed just in time to move in