The Bathroom, the Kitchen, and the Aesthetics of Waste (Village Voice Literary Supplement) [Paperback]

Ellen Lupton (Author), J. Abbott Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

Between 1890 and 1940, America's culture of consumption took its modern form: products were mass-produced, mass-distributed, and designed to be rapidly replaced by the buying public. The same period also saw the rise of the modern bathroom and kitchen as newly equipped spaces for administering bodily care The streamlined style of modern design, which served the new ideals of hygiene and the manufacturing policy of planned obsolescence, emanated from the domestic landscape of the bathroom and kitchen. The Bathroom, the Kitchen analyzes these developments with text and historical photographs, drawings, sketches, advertisements, and catalog pages.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Where once we dwelt in soft and furry interiors, surrounded by carpets, cloth coverings, and other dust-prone, hard-to-clean surfaces, we now spend much of our time in tiled rooms surrounded by smooth-skinned appliances. The story of how the modern bathroom and kitchen came to be is told in The Bathroom, the Kitchen, and the Aesthetics of Waste. It was in these two rooms that the greatest transformation in home engineering occurred. A process for bringing clean water in and removing waste water transformed the home into a quasi-organic being, eating and excreting through an alimentary system whose inherent cleanliness influenced the design of the rooms where it was housed. Ellen Lupton and J. Abbot Miller present the history of this change in words and historical images in this attractive and surprisingly informative volume.

Review

[This book] brings its exploration of prosperity and the home to exuberant life. It is a fiesta of logos, graphics, illustrations, photographs. Katherine Dieckmann, Village Voice Literary Supplement

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 2nd edition (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568980965
• ISBN-13: 978-1568980966
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,041,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #92 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Remodeling & Renovation > Bathrooms

More About the Author

Ellen Lupton is the author, coauthor, or editor of 13 books with PAPress, including Design Culture Now; Skin: Surface, Substance + Design; Inside Design Now; Thinking with Type; D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself; and D.I.Y. Kids. She is Curator of Contemporary Design, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, New York and Director, Graphic Design MFA Program, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore. she is hte recipient of numerous awards including I.D. Forty, 1992; Chrysler Design Award, 1996; and AIGA Gold Medal, 2007.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cultural History of the Kitchen and Bath, July 21, 2009

By 

David Holubetz (Telluride, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bathroom, the Kitchen, and the Aesthetics of Waste (Village Voice Literary Supplement) (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite books, out of hundreds on historic houses, architecture, interior design, etc. It is a survey of the way the kitchen and bath evolved in America over the last 100 years or so, in text and pictures. The pictures are great : lots of old ads are reprinted, and some of the photos are hilarious, given our current sensibilities. As much as the rooms have changed, we have changed too, and the real thrust here is that kitchens and bathrooms and the accouterments found therein are reflections of our shared cultural beliefs, hopes, fears and dreams. They are not just places to cook and clean up, they are mirrors of all that we are, changing just as we are. This is a thin book but loaded with information and pictures, and subtle commentary if you read closely. Highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, intriguing, and entertaining !, September 5, 2009

By 

Sandi Smith (planet earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bathroom, the Kitchen, and the Aesthetics of Waste (Village Voice Literary Supplement) (Paperback)

I've had this book for several years and it's one of my favorites, to reach for over and over again. There's so much historical info, fascinating illustrations, and excellent writing. Highly recommended !