Introduction I am fascinated with the idea of the kitchen, what it means and how it is changing. I am an architect by background, a kitchen designer in practice and I work on kitchens around the world. This hook is set around the projects I have done and the ideas associated with comfortable living -- in well-designed environments. It is about how the way we live in our houses is changing; the kitchen now seems to be in the process of slowly occupying the whole downstairs floor space. The dynamic behind our use and understanding of kitchen space has altered. For some the kitchen is now becoming an open-plan multipurpose space; for others its new role is partly disguised. I believe the design of most houses in the future will be planned around a thoroughly different version of the kitchen as we know it today. It will have an effect on the way the whole house will be used, radically changing the name, size and function of the main floor of the home. These observations are based on current social, economic, cultural and lifestyle trends that are available for us all to see in people's homes, in articles and through the way we are constantly adapting to contemporary life. Living patterns change so much faster than bricks and mortar. This book explores how redefining the design of the house opens up huge opportunities for a new sociable, active central space with room for several different activities to be played out simultaneously. It will be welcoming, bright, efficiently planned, comfortable and heart-warming -- with more freedom to move around. However, we still need careful design for culinary activities, and much of the advice in this book, on subjects like cooking ergonomics, apply equally well to our current kitchen spaces. We need to think imaginatively about what a kitchen is for us individually. We need to explore the story around it, examine its history, its contemporary meaning, its possible future and, most importantly. its design potential. This book is a design manual at heart, and it appeals to thinking differently about how you imagine a kitchen. Its design needs to succeed on so many counts, from ergonomics through to layout, from lighting to the pleasure of using it. If you don't enjoy being in the space, you won't linger or have an inclination to use it. Most new homeowners want to install their own kitchen as soon as they move in -- reflecting personal views and the latest in interior design concepts or fashions. However, the issues are larger than they may appear. Today hardly a single house in the U.S. or Europe has the right space to accommodate the new expectations for the kitchen, in terms of size, location or relationship to the other rooms and the outside. When you have finished remodeling your kitchen space and are enjoying your first proverbial sip of wine, remember as you look across the room, scanning its textures, shapes and colors, that it all started with an idea. It always surprises me how much power ideas have and how important it is to have a strong vision and stick with it. So when you are going through the sometimes tough, awkward, or trying moments on the way there, keep this moment in mind. It will be worth it. I hope this book makes it a more exciting and successful task. A great kitchen is at the heart of every happy family and every contented soul. Johnny Excerpted from Kitchen Culture: Re-Inventing Kitchen Design by Johnny Grey All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
