Comments: Bungalow Kitchens As a bugalow owner and enthusiast, I found this book very enjoyable. The photographs are beautiful and the historical information on the evolution of the kitchen is very interesting. If a kitchen remodel is in your future, the author discusses treatment of all elements in a kitchen and utilizes a 2-category system to recommend restoration options: Obsessive Restoration and Compromise Solutions. In general, I found Compromise Solutions to be most practical, however, these suggestions were even a bit non-forgiving of modern conveniences. While the book espouses that it is "the ultimate guidebook to preserving the beauty and integrity of the past while adapting it to the utilitarian values of the present", few present-day values are acceptable to the author. Heaven forbid if you use solid surfacing on your counters. While perhaps not stylistically accurate, many new materials are utilized in a manner consistent with the spirit of original bungalow design and habitation: efficiency and practicality. Many can actually be made to resemble elements of a period kitchen. As a pseudo-preservationist, even I don't want to cook on a dirty cast-iron stove, and chop my vegetables on a beat-up 75-year old wooden counter!
Rated By: John Sennentz
From: Minneapolis, MN
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Comments: Interesting but sometimes impratical "Bungalow Kitchens" offers an outstanding historical perspective on the use and layout of the kitchen in bungalow homes. As someone who is in the process of restoration/rennovation of a 1920s bungalow I found the suggestions for restoration a bit unforgiving however. I felt the breakdown on restoration ideas into the two catagories of "obsessive" and "compromise" to be a good idea for presenting rennovation ideas. However, even the compromise ideas seem to be impratical for someone who will continue to use their bungalow kitchen frequently. I had hoped the author would have dedicated more time towards rennovating bungalow kitchens using materials of the present day. A more complete discussion of maintaining the character of the bungalow kitchen using modern materials and amenities would have been more useful to those of us embarking on a "semi-restoration" effort.
Rated By: Laurie
From: Seattle
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Comments: An indispensable resource As an interior designer working in home restoration, I'm constantly searching through books and magazines to find answers to my clients' questions about period kitchens. This book has all the answers - not just about bungalow kitchens, but also those in other styles of period houses. I especially appreciate the fact that both the "Obsessive Restoration" and "Compromise Solution" sections focus on how it would have been done originally. There's enough information in other places to tell us how to build modern kitchens - in fact, we're overwhelmed by it! It's obvious the author has a love and respect for original styles and her take on kitchen restoration is something that's been sorely lacking until this book. In addition, "Bungalow Kitchens" is a lot of fun to read and the pictures illustrate beautifully the points that are being made. I don't know how I got along without this book!
Rated By: A reader
From: Unavailable
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Comments: An indispensable resource As an interior designer working in home restoration, I'm constantly searching through books and magazines to find answers to my clients' questions about period kitchens. This book has all the answers - not just about bungalow kitchens, but also those in other styles of period houses. I especially appreciate the fact that both the "Obsessive Restoration" and "Compromise Solution" sections focus on how it would have been done originally. There's enough information in other places to tell us how to build modern kitchens - in fact, we're overwhelmed by it! It's obvious the author has a love and respect for original styles and her take on kitchen restoration is something that's been sorely lacking until this book. In addition, "Bungalow Kitchens" is a lot of fun to read and the pictures illustrate beautifully the points that are being made. I don't know how I got along without this book!
Rated By: A reader
From: Unavailable
Rating:
Comments: An indispensable resource As an interior designer working in home restoration, I'm constantly searching through books and magazines to find answers to my clients' questions about period kitchens. This book has all the answers - not just about bungalow kitchens, but also those in other styles of period houses. I especially appreciate the fact that both the "Obsessive Restoration" and "Compromise Solution" sections focus on how it would have been done originally. There's enough information in other places to tell us how to build modern kitchens - in fact, we're overwhelmed by it! It's obvious the author has a love and respect for original styles and her take on kitchen restoration is something that's been sorely lacking until this book. In addition, "Bungalow Kitchens" is a lot of fun to read and the pictures illustrate beautifully the points that are being made. I don't know how I got along without this book!
Rated By: Midwest Book Review
From: Oregon, WI
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Comments: This is the best guidebook available on the subject to date In Bungalow Kitchens, Jane Powell and Linda Svendsen have successfully collaborated to create, quite simply, the best guidebook available today for preserving the beauty and integrity of yesteryear's bungalow kitchen while adapting it to the utilitarian values and conveniences of today. Every aspect is covered from plumbing to windows to shelving to electrification. What the remodeling householder needs to know about contractors and subcontractors is also informatively dealt with. Highly recommended reading for anyone contemplating an upgrade or modernization of their bungalow kitchen facilities, Jane Powell's informative and detailed text is superbly enhanced by Linda Svendsen photography showcasing bungalow kitchen examples throughout.
Rated By: Peggy McManus
From: Phillips Maine
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Comments: A must read before you remodel your old kitchen My first impression was WOW! Here is a book for anyone who has an old house to remodel. These kitchens will fit into any house older than 1950. Bungalow doesn't begin to say it all. My son is remodeling a Californis Arts and Crafts house with obsessive zeal,whereas, my goal is just to get the feel of an old house in a new addition to a two hundred year old cape in Maine. Read the book from cover to cover.
Rated By: Sherry Elkins "itgirl425"
From: La Mirada, CA
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Comments: The Real Deal This book is great encouragement for those homeowners who know they want authentic vintage, but have to deal with current day construction fellas who just don't get it. The authors give many tips on how and where to get what you are looking for. The only drawback is that I was looking for a 1950's looking style, and this book very much focuses on an era before that. Their focus on a style largely from the 1920's has styles and functions somewhat limited to that era. Still it did help me make some remodeling choices, and the photographs are wonderful.
Rated By: F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo"
From: Raleigh, NC
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Comments: A Great Source of Ideas for Remodeling a Bungalow Kitchen I bought this book to get ideas on renovating my 1930 bungalow kitchen. Although the book focuses more on restoration than renovation, I still found it a wonderful source of ideas. Filled with lots of full color pictures of restored and well-preserved kitchens, the book is worth its price for the pictures alone.
The text covers both historic and current issues and is a wealth of information. Each section of the book has a chapter called "Obsessive Restoration" for those serious about historic integrity, but also offers a "Compromise Solution" for those of us who need to balance 21st century demands.
We found the book extremely valuable in picking layout, hardware, appliances, cabinets, and flooring. It really helped us to design a kitchen that meets the needs of a modern family, yet which blends in with the historic values of our home.
Rated By: B. Dymock
From: Unavailable
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Comments: Cool Kitchens This book contains an excellent collection of photos of Arts & Crafts period kitchens. It discusses the philosophy of design Gustav Stickley and others advocated and shows you the results, which are still beautiful, even after all these years. It is a little short on detail, if you wanted to reproduce the look of the Arts & Crafts kitchen, but it does spark the imagination. The examples of various kitchens is broken down by designer, so it is easy to pick out their specific design influence. I found this book an inspiration for some of the designs I would like incorporate in my own home, and combined with some other books of design details, it is excellent.
Rated By: Rosemary F. Thornton "Bibliophile"
From: Midwest
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Comments: Oh man, more than just a pretty picture book This wonderful book also has great vintage photos and a HISTORY of why the small kitchen was such a big deal and how it evolved! Lots of good detail and information for the old house aficionado.
I live in the midwest and am saddened to report that WAY TOO MANY folks look at these old kitchens as "obsolete" and in need of updating (cringe). Thank goodness for "Bungalow Kitchens" which will HOPEFULLY teach people that OLD doesn't automatically mean - RIP IT OUT and begin again.
How I wish this book had been around when I was doing the research for my books. This is a great read and a must-have for the library of every bungalow nut (that'd be me).
Highly recommend!!
Rose author, California's Kit Homes
Rated By: Alison Hicks "sillycon valley mom"
From: Mountain View, CA
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Comments: Best Bungalow Book Together writer Jane Powell and photographer Linda Svendsen create the best bungalow books on the market. Whether you are thinking of remodelling your kitchen, changing a few details, or just want to understand the history of your kitchen, this is the book to buy.
Bungalow 
