The Essential Kitchen Design Guide [Hardcover]

National Kitchen and Bath Association (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471126721 | ISBN-13: 978-0471126720 | Publication Date: April 19, 1996 | Edition: 1

The kitchen is the heart of the home, the ideal place to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee, an informal gathering, or an intimate conversation. It is also a complex organism in which numerous independent systems must work in harmony to minimize the energy required to prepare meals and clean up afterwards. Few rooms see so much activity; fewer still challenge designers with such an array of practical, technological, and esthetic considerations. The successful kitchen designer creates a warm, pleasant atmosphere while solving problems of storage capacity, accessibility, functionality, ventilation, lighting, safety, and durability.

For many years the National Kitchen & Bath Association has conducted a prestigious education program for kitchen designers. The Essential Kitchen Design Guide, condensed from the NKBA's own six-volume manual, is an invaluable sourcebook and technical guide for kitchen planning and design. It offers an established set of kitchen-planning guidelines—accepted as the norm for the industry—and provides authoritative presentations on every kitchen mechanical system, design issue, and planning principle, as well as appliances, fixtures, and other equipment.

Hundreds of design details, descriptive technical photos, and useful checklists help you make the most of all the information provided. Reliable data, proven techniques, and helpful tips prepare you to tackle every aspect of kitchen design, including

• Electrical systems, lighting, and plumbing
• Fixtures and appliances
• Cabinetry, floor coverings, counter tops, and other equipment and materials
• Drawing and presentation standards for the kitchen professional
• Cost estimating
• Space planning
• Kitchen-related building codes
• And more

The Essential Kitchen Design Guide is an indispensable tool and an essential addition to the professional libraries of architects, interior designers, and anyone interested in pursuing the finest in kitchen design.

From the organization whose name is synonymous with the highest standards in kitchen and bath design-the kitchen design guide no professional should be without!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The NKBA name is synonymous with the highest standards in kitchen and bath design. Based on the NKBA's six-volume manual, this well-illustrated reference and technical guide includes information on estimating, space planning, drawing and presentation standards, mechanical systems, fixtures, safety, and much more. Features hundreds of design details, descriptive technical photos, and useful checklists help you make the most of all the information provided.

From the Inside Flap

The Essential Kitchen Design Guide The kitchen is the heart of the home, the ideal place to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee, an informal gathering, or an intimate conversation. It is also a complex organism in which numerous independent systems must work in harmony to minimize the energy required to prepare meals and clean up afterwards. Few rooms see so much activity; fewer still challenge designers with such an array of practical, technological, and esthetic considerations. The successful kitchen designer creates a warm, pleasant atmosphere while solving problems of storage capacity, accessibility, functionality, ventilation lighting, safety, and durability. For many years the National Kitchen & Bath Association has conducted a prestigious education program for kitchen designers. The Essential Kitchen Design Guide, condensed from the NKBA’s own six-volume manual, is an invaluable sourcebook and technical guide for kitchen planning and design. It offers an established set of kitchen planning guideliness — accepted as the norm for the industry — and provides authoritative presentations on every kitchen mechanical system, design issue, and planning principle, as well as appliances, fixtures, and other equipment. Hundreds of design details, descriptive technical photos, and useful checklists help you make the most of all the information provided. Reliable data, proven techniques, and helpful tips prepare you to tackle every aspect of kitchen design, including

• Electrical systems, lighting, and plumbing
• Fixtures and appliances
• Cabinetry, floor coverings, counter tops, and other equipment and materials
• Drawing and presentation standards for the kitchen professional
• Cost estimating
• Space planning
• Kitchen-related building codes
• And more

The essential Kitchen Design Guide is an indispensable tool and an essential addition to the professional libraries of architects, interior designers, and anyone interested in pursuing the finest in kitchen design.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 752 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471126721
• ISBN-13: 978-0471126720
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Remodeling & Renovation > Kitchens
  • #7 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Interior Design > Professional Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Out of date, elementary information, April 9, 2005

By 

J. Dishner (Greenville, SC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Kitchen Design Guide (Hardcover)

Poor quality photography make this book completely out of date with today's kitchen design trends. Yes there is some basic, stress basic, information about how to draft, and the elementary concept of the kitchen work triangle, but no new ideas here. It is disappointing that the NKBA would put their name on such a book. It is not the definitive guide on kitchen design and not worth the large price.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expensive, but worth every penny, January 11, 2007

By 

mgb - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Kitchen Design Guide (Hardcover)

Three years ago, we did a major redesign/renovation of our kitchen, right back to the studs, including moving appliances and cabinets and changing the flow -- almost exclusively based on the information and advice in this book. Having lived with the results for awhile now, there's not a thing I would change or do differently. Whether doing the work and making the selections yourself or working with a kitchen designer, you will find this resource invaluable. Anyone can walk into a kitchen design center and pick out pretty cabinets and appliances; this book will force you to think about the layout of your kitchen so all the elements work together without interfering with each other.

I also disagree with the reviewer below who found the pictures outdated. This is not a place to get inspiration for colors or cabinet styles. This is a resource that will help you figure out whether you actually have enough space for that kitchen island you've always wanted, or making sure you will be able to reach your main storage cabinet when the dishwasher door is open, or where the electrical outlets should go.

Expensive book, but I think it saved us from making more costly mistakes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly detailed information, October 9, 2006

By 

Over 50 and Lovin' It (Merry Land USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Kitchen Design Guide (Hardcover)

An excellent reference for designing from scratch or for remodelling your kitchen. This book is written for the interior designer, not really for the do-it-yourself-er. It goes into extensive detail about everything you can imagine will be in a kitchen, how to lay it out, how to select everything in it, how everything operates, pros and cons of different materials and designs (and that's everything even down to how electricity works, what the characteristics of different woods are, and so much more). I'm building my retirement home and am working with a skilled architect. Even so, I found this book extremely useful and I especially liked the sections on ergonomics, pathway clearances, how to design your counterspace and cabinets so they don't conflict with each other. If you read this book, you're not going to make a costly mistake in designing your kitchen - it's got it all, and it even emphasizes what not to do. Need to consider elderly or handicapped? They cover that also. For those who can't find this book or who prefer not such a large tome, the Home Depot Kitchen Design and Planning 1-2-3 (ISBN: 0696217449) has an excellent summary of the more applicable portions of this book. The reviewer before my review who complained about the photos - well, appliances are going to be outdated even in just a few years. If you're looking to recreate a kitchen via a photo, stick with kitchen oriented magazines. The basics of layout are going to be the same, and the way this book is written and the diagrams (most are diagrams, not photos) are still applicable, since it addresses our current lifestyles where the kitchen is the hub of our homes, and it helps you understand the different layouts and how they can be modified and how they can work for you.