Description:
Designing or remodeling a kitchen should be a practical venture, but also a fun one--a concept that also applies to Suzanne Ardley's The Kitchen Planner book. This interactive workbook will stimulate both creative and workable ideas about designing your new kitchen. Ardley begins by advising readers to create a kitchen based on individual needs. What is the layout of the kitchen you're working with: One- or two-walled galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, or an island? Is the kitchen used by a single person, a couple, or a family? By someone with special accessibility needs? Ardley discusses the benefits and limitations of each floor plan for each type of person. She also explains the logistics of laying out your kitchen properly, taking into account its multiple functions as a food-preparation and cooking area, serving and eating area, food- and dish-storage area, and--as most party hosts know--a social area. Use the graph paper and the stickers at the back of the book to arrange and rearrange your layout, using Ardley's tips as a guide. For example, she suggests that the sink (the most-used part of a kitchen) be easily accessible from the food preparation areas, and that the dishwasher be located as close to the sink as possible so dishes can be easily rinsed off then stacked in the dishwasher. Besides planning a layout, you'll also need to decide on the look you'd like for your kitchen. A flipbook section of The Kitchen Planner lets you experiment with different styles (traditional or modern), color schemes, and floor coverings, while color photographs throughout should also spur your imagination. It's obvious that Ardley has put much thought into the most efficient and practical layouts and use of space for kitchens of every type--even offering advice on kitchen equipment, surfaces, and finishes. She suggests several quick-fix options that may solve a kitchen problem without your having to resort to an entire remodel. The result is an eminently usable planner. --Kris Law
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