Out and About - If you can stand the heat, why bother?

As everyone knows, open floor plans and, with them, open kitchens are much in vogue. They have much to offer – for example, the ability of the cook to remain connected with guests at a dinner party. Such kitchens invite conviviality and are consistent with today’s generally casual approach to entertainment. No wonder, then, that kitchen have become such a vital fashion statement, open as they are to so many pairs of critical eyes.

That’s all well and good. But what about those open floor plans that are open to the extreme? Often in condo conversions, in renovated single-family homes and even in new construction, space is at such a premium that entry into the apartment is actually into, and often through, one end of an open kitchen. Grandma would be horrified, and probably is, at the informality. To some folks, having a kitchen so exposed is not so different from having dirty laundry strewn about the place. Did restaurants that introduced food preparation as showmanship start this trend? Or was it the other way around?

Lately, developers have taken the open kitchen to an unwelcome extreme. In all too many cases, you walk into someone’s home only to find yourself in what is best characterized as a kitchen that is not only table-space but couch-space as well. The kitchen counters and appliances will be spread around an L-shaped corner or against part of a wall without a center island or breakfast counter. Having those refinements usually will suggest and frequently will create a separate space. Otherwise, the living room, dining room and kitchen become nothing more than one big kitchen. While most buyers celebrate a big kitchen, the arrogance of developers who stint on space or separation is too much to tolerate. They ought to be skewered and roasted alive in one of those stainless-steel ovens.

At least two properties that had open houses in the past week also suffered from unpleasantly open kitchens. A decent condo in Eckington has one carpeted bedroom and one other large room that is nothing more than a glorified kitchen, designed as it is with cabinets, counters and appliances – none of them top-of-the-line - all along one wall. So, guests walk through the doorway into that spare space, which is barely helped by the bamboo flooring and, arguably, harmed by the granite, maple and stainless stuff arrayed at the left. Still, the unit has a washer/dryer, central air conditioning and extra storage. Even without parking, the asking price of $299,990 with a $207 monthly fee is nearly competitive.

The second property is on a busy Columbia Heights street. With two bedrooms and a single unimpressively remodeled bath, this renovated rowhouse has Brazilian cherry hardwood floors, inexpensively improved kitchen with an island positioned so that the area remains exposed, hollow-core doors, a pleasant little front porch, central air conditioning and no parking. As you might expect, visitors walk into one big room that may be more appropriate for chopping onions and washing dishes than for being graciously entertained. This place, which has been on the market for a month, is a realistic condo alternative but, demonstrably, not at the offering price of $399,000.

If you can stand the heat, you may be happy to stay in the kitchen. If you can’t, good for you!

Some of the other properties seen in the past week:

• In a new Dunn Loring building with a range of amenities such basketball courts and outdoor pool, a two-bedroom, two-bath condo that comes with two garage parking spaces. With 1,113 square feet, the apartment has a kitchen more or less divided from the 223 SF “living room” featuring granite counters, second-rate stainless appliances, average cabinetry, halogen lighting and a center island right alongside the entryway. The condo has nine-foot ceilings and carpeting throughout. It is listed at about the same price as 11 other two-bedroom units on the market in the condominium at $529,900 with a $355 monthly fee minus $6,000 in closing help.
  
• An attached rowhouse that has a forgettable rear yard, no parking, a one-bedroom in-law suite, three bedrooms and one and a half baths on an extremely busy street at the very edge of SoFlo. Not only can you hear the traffic from inside, but you can sit on the little front porch and watch it. This home has a renovated table-space kitchen, carpeting upstairs and little to justify the price of $559,900.
  
• In the Fairmont Estates neighborhood of Fairfax, a five-bedroom, three-bath split-level home on a cul-de-sac. The 1967 home near the Army Navy Country Club boasts a two-car garage, a nice rear yard and a surprisingly inviting downstairs rec room with fireplace and sliding-glass doors to that yard. The fifth bedroom, third bath and laundry room also occupy the lower floor. That this property has been on the market since October for $630,000 speaks volumes about its true market value.
  
• A two-bedroom Logan Circle condo up two flights of stairs to the top floor and, therefore, bright and sunny. It has a purported $10,000 home office built-in, crown molding, new washer/dryer, a small modestly updated bath and a kitchen with Corian counters and little else to recommend it in the way of cabinetry and appliances. The asking price of $459,000 with a monthly fee that covers little of importance is about right.
  
• In the Palisades, a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half brick colonial that has been beautifully renovated, although the only way to reach the finished basement is by going outside. The compact kitchen is brand-new with granite and decent stainless-steel appliances. Other features include ebonized hardwood floors; that lower level equipped with half a bath, some kitchen appliances, and a wall of mirrors probably best used for dance practice or weightlifting. Through the bay windows in the living and dining rooms are excellent views of the reservoir. This centrally air conditioned 1939 home with fully fenced yard is well worth the $799,000 asking price, even with street parking.
  
• A Columbia Heights semi-detached rowhouse with three bedrooms, two baths, low, dark finished basement and nothing in the way of charm. This overstuffed house has been lived in for years, and looks it. The walls and ceilings are not in great shape, carpeting upstairs is ugly beyond words, and the 70s baths have zero appeal. The best that can be said for this property is that off-street parking can be accommodated in the distinctly uninviting rear patio and that there is a new roof. The worst that can be said is that price of $525,500 is way too high.
  
• In the Blake Tree Manor subdivision of Fairfax, a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath townhouse little changed since it was constructed in 1986. One change was the odd placement of mirror squares and lamps, but the period kitchen and the mauve upstairs carpeting remain. There is a rear deck overlooking a series of fenced backyards, dining area and an informal ambience to the place, which is brightened by a skylight. The stone surround of the downstairs fireplace looks almost real. Close to the Vienna Metro, this newly listed is offered at $485,000 with a $55 monthly HOA fee.
  
• A lovely 1941 detached Woodley Park home with four bedrooms, three full baths and two half baths, well-proportioned rooms, a walk-in full vault, quixotic décor, sleek white kitchen, huge master bath and plenty of curb appeal, except for the copious exterior cast-iron grillwork. On the market last year for $150,000 more, it is now listed at an appropriate $1.35 million.
  
• At the intersection of Adams Morgan, Dupont and Kalorama, an oddly renovated 4,488-SF townhouse with two-room bedroom suites of limited practicality, plus a master bedroom and an inviting fourth room with bay window, fireplace and vaulted ceiling fashioned from the original turret. The table-space kitchen with two big windows is expensively improved, but the refaced cabinets evocative of the 1920s strike a discordant note. As for the three improved baths on the owner’s floors, there must have been a special on mounted porcelain sinks and Phillipe Stark faucets. The in-law suite fetches $1,800 in monthly rent, and there is parking for two cars. At $1.495 million, this rowhouse has too much personality to find a buyer very quickly.
  
• In Kalorama, an endearing three-bedroom, three-bath condo in one of the District’s “best addresses.” In its 2,083 square feet, the apartment has a fireplace, two balconies with unimpressive views, extra storage and parking for one car. It also has Formica as far as the eye can see, in kitchens, baths and built-ins throughout. With a $591 monthly fee, the condo is listed realistically at $1.275 million.
  
• A dramatic bi-level, two-bedroom, two-bath condo with 16-foot ceilings in Capitol Hill. In a pet-friendly boutique building, this unit has oversized windows, excellent closet space and a convenient location. It is offered somewhat below market at $414,900 with a $222 monthly fee.