The Kitchen Guide

By Laura Jensen, CMKBD
Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Atglen, PA

In The Kitchen Guide, Laura Jensen has compiled 427 case studies of kitchens, complete with vibrant photography, that illustrate the never ending design possibilities that kitchens present.

This comprehensive design guide shows how each facet of a kitchen can be crafted to collectively produce a creative and stylish room.

Beginning with architectural elements, this section of the book focuses on overall dimensions and the incorporation of various structural fundamentals. Windows, ceiling treatments, flooring, lighting and other structural elements are among the architectural fundamentals discussed. In the chapter on flooring, Jensen profiles a Massachusetts kitchen that features a focal point in front of the range – a ceramic tile floor with inlaid medallion. Additionally, a backsplash featuring a vine-like design is shown.

The essentials of the work space is the book’s next focus, with specifics on the wet center, the cold center and the hot center. One Tennessee home displays a wet center with raised dishwasher behind a cabinet panel. It sits on the far left of the island, which features landing space beside a double-bowl sink.

Detail elements are also considered, including stacked, multi-height and multicolored cabinetry. With explanations of the differences in cabinet styles and colors, these elements can be as elaborate or simple as the client wants. A case study kitchen from Michigan is seen in the stacked cabinet chapter, and shows glass-door cabinets that echo the window patterns stacked on the closed door lower cabinets.

The text ends with a resource list of contributors and their contact information.

The Kitchen Guide provides designers a plethora of projects to guide their clients to a favorable design idea.

The Victorian House Book

Written by Robin Guild with builders, designers and homeowners in mind, The Victorian House Book illustrates the history of residences in the Victorian era, while addressing how to remodel these homes for modern times.

Using 500 color photographs and 1,500 line drawings, this workbook is organized room-to-room and from foundation to rooftop to assist in redesign plans.

Aided by architects, artisans and historians, Guild, who is a designer, has created an encyclopedic reference book to use in preserving and restoring this architecture’s past.