Open Kitchens
By Montse Borràs
Rockport Publishers,
Beverly, MA

Montse Borràs’ pictorial look at 40 kitchens from around the world starts with the idea that the kitchen as the hearth of the home has undergone an evolutionary change so epic that our ancestors wouldn’t recognize the modern kitchen.

“Increasingly, traditional homes, modern studios and lofts follow the American model of the open kitchen, providing easy access from all sides,” Borràs writes. “The trend tends to favor turning flexible elements into real design objects.”

Open Kitchens has over 200 images of different architects’ interpretations of this concept, which Borràs feels represents the larger human desire toward flexibility and adaptability of their personal spaces. The photographs show not only the stunningly composed kitchens, but also the areas of immediate surround. The author’s comments on how these spaces have a kind of interplay with one another and that interplay’s influence on the use of the rooms are interspersed throughout.

A semi-detached kitchen with a wall-length sliding door that exposes the cooking and seating areas to the backyard has an innovative charm to accompany its unique use of space. So, too, does a loft in Milan where kitchen, dining and living rooms are joined by a continuous wall covered in 1"x1" mosaic tiles but realistically separated only by a change in flooring material. One apartment features a stylized solid-surface fabricated “glacier;” not surprisingly, that apartment is held together by its clean, pale color palette.

What these areas all have in common is the use of design elements such as counter space, flooring, even appliances, to join normally separated spaces together by color, shape or plane of view.

Borràs’ commentary takes an architect’s view, explaining the origins of the structure, what the intent of the design was, how the design successfully fulfilled its purpose and also how the inhabitants of the space use the room’s unique charm.

Open Kitchens is a satisfying, lushly photographed examination of the contemporary open plan kitchen and would be a good addition for any designer with a growing interest in contemporary design.

Tile Style for the Home: Kitchens, Baths and More
By Tina Skinner
Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.,
Atglen, PA