( 4 reviews )
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( 6 of 8 found this review helpful ) Posted: Feb 25 2003
I am confronted with the remodeling of my kitchen (status post water leak and Great Dane deconstruction project!) so I am casting about for ideas with which to plan my project. I've already enrolled in a cabinet making course-a two year project in itself-so I'm in a position to get really creative with my endeavor. I've prospected for a variety of design books, finding Johnny Grey's The Art of Kitchen Design among them. The photos are wonderful, especially of the historic kitchens and of the Dutch and other classic paintings depicting kitchens. I found the history of the kitchen and it's evolution from integrated activity room to the modern concept of separate functional space an interesting one, but I found most of the author's own designs somewhat cluttered and old fashioned. Since the author evinces a certain disdain for the streamlined, convenient kitchen that arose with the advent of technology applied to the home, I suspect we would disagree over our mutual sense of design anyway. As an ICU nurse, I don't like clutter and things in the way. I like to have a place for everything and everything in its place. Kitchens (and bathrooms) are dangerous places, I see no reason to accentuate the problem. I did like the author's gothic look, primarily because it's rather novel in a kitchen, but my husband vetoed it because it looks too "churchy (he's a "devout" atheist). While the book is an attractive and informative one, I found most of the ideas required far more space than I have in my kitchen or a major remodeling of the space I do have to achieve anything like the ambiance presented in the book.
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( 1 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 20 2002
This book is full of the most practical yet beautiful small to large kitchens you can imagine. All the history of kitchens is covered with photo's of old paintings to illustrate them. Tons of colour photos, and for only [money] he will build you your own kitchen! This is the best kitchen book I have found. A good addition to it is, "Dream Kitchens: Recipes And Ideas For Modern Kitchens" ISBN: 1571458492
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( 40 of 44 found this review helpful ) Posted: Sep 27 2000
I am remodeling a kitchen and have bought almost every book I can lay my hands on. This book, which I had so looked forward to (on the basis, I might add, of the review posted above) is really not very good at all. The author is the nephew of Elizabeth David, England's most famous cook, a name he drops on every other page. David's kitchens, however, like many cooks of her generation, were very simple, very battered and cluttered, and not terribly inspiring (or even, from the pictures) well designed. Gray's own kitchens were designed for Smallbone, the most expensive manufacturer of bespoke kitchens. His own preference is for free standing, hand-made, beautifully constructed and unique pieces rather than for the kind of cabinetry that is semi-custom and custom fitted (typical of kitchens in the US). That preference is fine, as far as it goes, but he seems always to be dealing with extremely idiosyncratic spaces (he despises small kitchens, and almost refuses to have anything to do with them) but what looks good in a former Abbey turned private home will scarcely work in a modern American home, or even an old American home. In addition, since his focus is all on the type of wood used, the freestanding piece, etc...he has very little of use to say about the ergonomics of kitchen design. At any rate, in comparison to other books also available on Amazon, this book is a complete waste of money. The pictures, after a while, are very much of a muchness. The workmanship involved either unavailable in this country, or prohibitively expensive. The opinions expressed: either overdrawn or not that useful ("arms reach" as a measure is the single exception I can think of). If you are building or remodeling a kitchen in the US I would reccomend The Kitchen Idea book for excellent pictures and "How to renovate, remodel etc... without losing your mind" although i can't remember the author's name, off hand. Sorry for the typos, I'm using a new keyboard.--Aimai
