Book review - Kitchen culture: re-inventing kitchen design by Johnny Grey, Jacqui Small, 2004

Johnny Grey`s book on kitchen design talks about the underling and unseen elements of the functional and visible elements of the kitchen, all from the practical perspective of someone who has been designing kitchens for over 20 years both in Europe and the US.

The book is divided in five sections
1. Kitchen culture: reinventing kitchen space - section on the culture behind the creation of this central space in any home and any civilization
2. The core of kitchen design and 3. Communicating between space and people, presenting 13. study cases of kitchens from the client wish to the final results
4. Kitchen works: design analysis and 5. Whole environment: architectural opportunities presenting in a systematized way benchmarks and measurements to be taken into account.

The book ends kind of suddenly, lacking a wrap up and conclusions section.
I found three remarkable things about the book:

• Those parts of the study cases where we are presented with solutions that take into account ideas and wishes expressed by the clients, the conditions offered by the space itself and the designer/engineer expertise

• The part presenting heights and distances, ideal positioning and order of furniture for the supreme kitchen taking into account both cooking efficiency and also socializing opportunities

• The shift in kitchen use: it is not a secluded laboratory, though it can easily become one, but a space for gatherings and social interactions.

These are not just smart looking kitchens. For the author comfort is defined by two standards: ``psychological and body support (…) Body support is achieved through using high quality materials, good design, thinking and careful execution. Customs and original designs works in the best way of achieving this. ``

Dedicated work area and soft design are two of the Johnny Grey trademark kitchens. Dedicated work area is pretty much self explanatory: it is a piece of furniture built so that it can serve one task well: perfect chopping board or perfect sink. Soft geometry is the use of curved shapes complementing how the human body moves in and around space.

The photographs, color drawings and layouts of the kitchens studied do a great job of both selling the kitchens as well as helping one understand, trough atmosphere shots and close up of details, what the look and, most important, feel of these ``one of a kind`` spaces is.

The book ends suddenly leaving the reader coveting for of a final chapter or some conclusive words of wisdom.