Insider Kitchen design, a new book from Kelly’s Kitchen Sync
Reviewed by The Paul
Kitchen design, is it about looks,organization or budget?
Or all of the above?
What about this book?
Lets back up a little and ask a question. Why do we need another kitchen design book? Google kitchen design and you can spend days reading about it. Some of it good, but much of it just simply a rewrite of the basics that lazy writers publish over and over.
So. what about this book?
In a nutshell, its smart and organized and its based on the observations of a talented and experienced woman who has been there and done that. This is a book for people serious about remodeling a kitchen, and people who would like to have some fun doing it.
Kelly has managed to write a how to and why book that communicates well on many levels.
Why?
If you want a better looking kitchen that is more efficient this book will explain in plain English how a professional approaches the process. Kelly starts at the beginning and moves ahead in an orderly fashion taking us through the steps required for a successful completion. Chock full of tips gained from experience this book follows a paint by numbers approach to kitchen remodeling.
What?
For complete kitchen remodeling you need to blend all the ingredients much like baking a cake, cabinets, flooring, counters, lighting, appliances, the hardware you choose should compliment each other, the parts should all work together. For example, picture a Shaker style kitchen with a intricate brass knobs, both look great on their own, but together they are somehow not the best choice. Kelly writes that every choice is an important choice into getting that Wow kitchen that you want.
In the book.
The author takes us from the beginning (planning stage), all the way to picking the right light bulbs to show off your beautiful new kitchen. Budget (cost) is discussed and the importance of budgeting is presented bluntly and in a way that should put some people at ease talking about money, real budgeting is something that rarely gets mentioned in other kitchen guides.
Cabinet construction and style along with counters and how they perform gets you started and the book moves along into the do’s and don’ts of layout and installation. From there storage and usability is discussed as well as appliances and how they perform.
My favorite parts.
I like how this book follows real world remodeling processes.
I also like the questionnaire in the beginning, it asks some important questions that would help us all avoid common problems people experience during their kitchen remodel
Kelly’s tips are great. Her planned approach has good advice. The author also shares personal opinions based on her experiences as a professional kitchen designer and the occasional tongue in cheek delivery makes it all a fun read.
Insider Kitchen Design is a smart book for anyone planning a kitchen. Designers, contractors and homeowners alike will find useful information here and the Kitchen Sync approach is real world remodeling explained in a conversational manner. Never preachy and never too technical. This is a book for both amateurs and professionals alike.
I wish I had this book when starting my remodeling career.
If your planning a kitchen this book is the first thing you should buy. Get the book here on Amazon.
About the reviewer.
Paul Lesieur is a 30 plus year veteran in the remodeling industry. He has remodeled hundreds of kitchens and read way too many kitchen design books.