Kitchen Ideas You Can Use

March 1, 2014

Forecasted hot new trends in kitchen design include more neutral countertops, open cabinetry, farmhouse influences, large lighting, and architectural fixtures. Peterson (Building with Secondhand Stuff; Manskills) presents a collection of eye candy for your fantasy kitchen. Sections focus on layout, styles, countertops, storage and cabinets, fixtures, and lighting. The photos are lovely, but some are too small and sometimes don't best represent the targeted subject. The author's excellent commentary accompanies each photo, making sense of the illustrations. The section on color, particularly colored appliances, is interesting and timely. VERDICT Peterson's advice pulls this collection of photos together, but the reader will wish for more of it. Joanne Kellar Bouknight's Taunton's Kitchen Idea Book has more explanation and information about materials. It is important to keep a style collection up-to-date, though, and Peterson does offer inspiration in spades, making the book a worthwhile purchase.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
In this 99.9 percent picture book, home owners starting to consider a kitchen makeover will find a colorful wish book at their fingertips. On the other hand, don't expect instructions or even guidelines for remodeling; ideas are the sole subject here. Borrowing from the photographic stockpile of kitchen manufacturers, Peterson creates a flip book divided by size, style, color, surface, storage, appliances, fixtures, islands, lighting, and accents. Each, in turn, separates the photographs for better access. The surfaces chapter, for instance, zeros in on counters, backsplashes, and floors, and whelk fixtures cover faucets and sinks. All photographs are captioned, underscoring the visual's primary features (e.g., opt for raw in industrial modern ) with a few additional sentences of description. Chapter and section titles are a bit too advertising-heavy, but at least this book collects decorating ideas for one place: the heart of the home.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)