I quite enjoy living in an apartment. It’s small enough that we – well, 90% of the time it’s me – can clean it in just under an hour, but big enough that we’re not cramped up. However, I know if my fiance had her way – and we had the money – we’d end up living in a house that was too big for us. We’d probably have more bedrooms than sense, and it would take days to clean.

Yes, yes there are benefits to living in a house. It would mean when family and friends visited they would have they’re own bedroom with a real bed, as opposed to the delight of an air-mattress in the living room – which is the current method. Although I must say the quality of air-mattresses here are 100 times better than the crap we have in the UK. The one that I stay on when I visit my brother – there’s more air in a single fart, than that thing – but are these genuine reasons for choosing to live in a house over an apartment? In my eyes, no.

However, if there is one defining factor that would make me choose then it’s the kitchen space – especially countertop space.

No oven, less pots

Right now, my kitchen is tiny and I’ve lived in a few spaces with tiny kitchens – namely Asia. The place we lived in over there was a studio and our stove, if you could call it a stove, consisted of 2 hot plates. That’s it. For those of you who have experienced living over there you’ll know there’s a lot of boiling, stewing, frying and fermenting of food – so there is no use for an oven.

Coming from the West, where the majority of folk tend to have an oven and four burners, it certainly was weird to be faced with 2 burners, but we adapted. We had a wok and a pan so all of our home cooked meals consisted of using 1 or both of them instruments. In fact believe it or not we successfully made a Christmas dinner one year! That was a challenge, and I’d like to think some ingenuity on my part too.

I bet you’re wondering how I cooked a turkey with no oven? And, again for those of you who have lived in Asia, I bet you’re wondering where did I get a turkey from? That secret shall remain safe with me.

Asia to Saskatoon

When we moved to Saskatoon in 2010, I was faced with an oven and 4 burners for the first time in 5 years. Admittedly I was overwhelmed. For the first couple of months I’d only use 1 or 2 pans max. I don’t think I even used the oven for the longest time. But now – jeez. I use every single burner, the oven, and the BBQ all at the same time. Why? Because now I can as there are no restrictions.

It’s crazy when I think about how little I used to use when compared with how much I use now when making a meal. I personally feel I’ve gotten lazier as I don’t need to really think about how to cook additional stuff or keep stuff warm – I just use a spare burner or just throw it in the oven. And on top of this, I’m constantly frustrated with the lack of space I have in my tiny kitchen when I’m making something. Couple this with the fact that when I’m done making something I’m constantly surrounded by pans, bowls, knives, etc.

So does this give me a basis for wanting to move into a house with a bigger kitchen, and therefore more countertop space? Hmm, probably.

Zel Countertops Website Design

We recently designed a brand new website for Zel Countertops. Now, for those of you who are unaware of Zel Countertops, they’re a Saskatoon based, and family owned and operated business who create customized countertops. Having looked at the many products they have to offer and seeing examples of some of the kitchens Zel Countertops have worked on, I’m really jealous of how much countertop space these homes have. It would awesome to be able to prep a meal in any one of these homes and surfaces.

With no previous website, the goal for the design and development of Zel Countertops website was to provide them with an online presence to promote who they are and what they do. So our design team helped to create something new and contemporary for them.

The website has been built using a custom content management system and features:

• Product Catalog – to provide the user detailed information on their different countertop surface materials, including being able to view the swatches of their colours and finishes
• Photo Gallery – used to promote the work done by Zel Countertops
• Social Media Integration – the new website features a link to the Zel Countertops Facebook page

So how did we do with the redesign of their website? You can leave your comments below or contact us via our website. You can Contact Zel Countertops for more information on their products and services too.