The Art of Kitchen Design [Paperback]

Johnny Grey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2002

“Included in the dozen or so kitchens illustrated and written about are the use of inlays, pane decorations, plate and hanging racks, and freestanding dressers and cupboards. A true dream and wish book from a man [honored] as the world’s best kitchen designer.”—Booklist. “Mr. Grey has built dozens of kitchens, some for celebrities like Sting. He is a kitchen design detective and problem-solver, first and foremost.”—The New York Times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Cassell; 2nd edition (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184188085X
• ISBN-13: 978-1841880853
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #713,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Remodeling & Renovation > Kitchens

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you need to know, May 9, 2000

By 

leslie williams (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Kitchen Design (Hardcover)

Nephew of Elizabeth David (the doyenne of English Food writing), and an architect by trade, Grey writes lucidly and cogently about all aspects of kitchen design. The first section of the book is a history of kitchen design through the ages with a good critique of the good and bad aspects of such kitchens. He includes lots of pictures of kitchens he has designed for various types of houses - including those for Elizabeth David (a winter kitchen and a summer kitchen no less) and for these insights alone the book is worth the price. Grey is scathing about built-in kitchens as he feels that, although they help avoid clutter, they are also devoid of humanity and warmth. Grey's kitchen's focus on the Kitchen as the centre of any house - as a place for cooking, entertaining, homework, socialising and generally enjoying your home. Kitchens should for example have lots of places to perch to encourage conversation to develop. The book contains lots of diagrams and pictures as well as some architectural style drawings to illustrate the points made in the text. Most everything you would like to know about kitchens is contained in this book which is well designed and presented. Highly recommended for foodies and home owners everywhere.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not at all Useful, September 26, 2000

By 

"aimai" (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Kitchen Design (Hardcover)

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

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat cluttered and old fashioned, February 24, 2003

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Kitchen Design (Paperback)

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.