Accessible Design Doesn’t Stop at the Back Door
Spoonie-friendly kitchens, garden woes, and a space for disabled voices
Tuesday morning I woke up to a notification about this Note by Amelia Hall
It made my day, even before it had properly started.
Hi, I’m Daan 👨🍳! I’m a wheelchair-rocking foodie, sharing gluten-free plant-based recipes and low-spoon kitchen strategies for Spoonies. I also write about accessible home design where beauty and comfort are just as important as function. Because every Spoonie deserves beauty and good food.
My Featured Guest Post
‘Even though my kitchen doesn’t look like the average adaptive kitchen (what is that anyway?), it is almost perfectly adapted to my personal needs.’
By now, my guest post has been live for a couple of days. If you haven’t read it yet, here’s what you’ll find in this post:
Bespoke solutions in my wheelchair-accessible kitchen (and no, they’re not what most people think)
Luxury vs necessity
The importance of an accessible layout
Meanwhile, In My Spoonie Garden
Good design doesn’t stop at our back doors—or at least it shouldn’t. When you have a garden (or even just a patio or balcony), that space deserves just as much attention as the indoor parts of our homes.
That’s where my postage-stamp-sized garden falls short. Dramatically. Measuring all of 18.9 m² (just slightly larger than a parking bay), it is indeed accessible. In it I grow lavender, rosemary, and thyme. And a far too enthusiastic Virginia Creeper.
Unfortunately, the random layout, dreadfully boring pavers, and a complete lack of privacy also make it a place where I’d rather not spend any more time than strictly necessary.
So I promised myself I’d turn this drab little garden into my very own piece of paradise—and I’m inviting you to follow along as I document my Spoonie Garden journey.
The first post in the Spoonie Garden series just went live. Come and see what my garden looks like today.
Spoonie Spotlight: A New Guest Series
Writing a guest post for Amelia’s ‘Disabilities Unfiltered’ series made me think. Why not invite guest writers for Gourmet Spoonie?
And the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that this was something I really wanted to do: to provide a space for other chronically ill and disabled voices on Gourmet Spoonie. Because together we are stronger.
Spoonie Spotlight
Guest posts will be shared as part of a new series, ‘Spoonie Spotlight’—a curated feature aiming for one guest post per month.
Are you interested?
I’m looking for original writing, rooted in lived experience, that fits within one of Gourmet Spoonie’s three themes:
The Spoonie Home: accessibility, interior design, and gardening
Spoonie Recipes: easy, spoonie-friendly recipes and accessible kitchen tips
Spoonie Life: creativity, hobbies, and life with chronic illness and disability
If you’d like to contribute, please send me your idea before writing a full article. Accepted guest posts will be proofread and, where necessary, line edited to make sure they fit Gourmet Spoonie’s style while preserving your voice.
Thank you for being here.
If you enjoyed this piece, a ❤️ below really helps others find it.
From my kitchen to yours,
Daan👨🍳
Your friendly spoonie chef
I keep this space free and accessible for everyone. If you’d like to support my writing, you can leave a tip in my Tip Jar. Totally optional, but deeply appreciated.
PS: You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook if you’d like more Spoonie kitchen content between posts.
On gardens:
It's occurred to me in recent years that, even though my partner and I currently do not use wheels, we might do at some point. - And fatigue can be such a dynamic thing. Therefore, clear access is key. I've certainly has issues with clutter in the garden: not plants, but other stuff, because the storage of pots and tools isn't properly sorted. While it would be easy to say: " Just start with storage and clear paths", that is a long-term job, and I want to be enjoying herbs and veggies now, and weeds won't wait too long!
It all ends up being: do a little from Column A, a little from Column B and, if energy is exceptional, maybe even look at Column C! (Oop! Don't overdo it!).
I do think however that gardens always have jobs to do in them (unless you are wealthy and can afford someone to keep it looking amazing), so "unfinished" is OK.
It does seem that a key feature is just getting out there and being in the space; how else do you get a feel for what you want? Therefore it must be accessible to the user, so it isn't a multi-step action just to get out there.
Thanks for sharing interior design and garden thoughts, Daan.