The Perfect Kitchen

by Barbara Sallick

A chic, polished guide to creating your dream kitchen from the cofounder of Waterworks, with hundreds of images and practical advice.

The kitchen is the heart of the home, the destination of every party, everyone's favorite gathering spot, where style and functionality must go hand in hand. Designing a kitchen is a vastly complicated affair, involving an array of appliances (movable and fixed) and storage zones, not to mention addressing the kitchen's role as a multifunctional social arena to be used from very early in the morning until late into the night. Creating a timeless, high-functioning space is daunting indeed. Where is one to begin?

In The Perfect Kitchen , Waterworks cofounder Barbara Sallick explores the process of designing a kitchen in great and beautiful detail, from surfaces and finishes to storage, cabinetry, and hardware. The book is enriched by dozens of images of kitchens by esteemed designers such as Steven Gambrel, Gil Schafer, and Suzanne Kasler; essays by top food icons including Julia Turshen and Melissa Clark about their own kitchens; and important, how-to advice.

Combining evocative, informative photography with an authoritative, engaging narrative, The Perfect Kitchen is an essential, lasting resource that will appeal to discerning homeowners and professionals alike looking for upscale visual inspiration and design advice.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Interior Design

272 pages, Hardcover

Published March 24, 2020

Reviews

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

To begin with, this is a beautiful book to look at. It's sizeable, heavy, and has some gorgeous photography. I am in the process of getting a new kitchen, and I bought the book to help me in the process. It is geared to a high-end clientele, who can obviously afford to spend way more money than an average, middle class homeowner. It would have been more credible as a book if it actually made any suggestions as to how to realistically make a beautiful kitchen happen. The main substance comes in the form of several "experts" (food writers, chefs, and cookbook authors, for example) who actually offer helpful advice. If you just want to look at a lot of pretty pictures in an expensive book, this is for you. If, however, you are wanting something more practical, I'm afraid you will have to keep looking.

[Brad Bevers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buying a house right now and my wife wanted me to read this along with her. For what it is, really good. Her argument for focusing on aesthetics first over function was not something I expected to agree with. Beautiful pictures, some good ideas. If you are about to redo your kitchen or build, well worth the investment. Will take you a couple of hours to read through and could save you a lot of time and money.

[Jane Maloney]

This book h ed some great twists and turns! WWII is a sad subject but this book was a fabulous story as well.

[Christa Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great ideas but light on practical info like how much clearance to have for islands and stuff like that.