Bungalow Kitchens

I can't even count the number of times I've reread this book or just leafed through and admired the fabulous pictures. As the owner of a 1920 foursquare, nothing makes me sadder than to see an old house that's been "improved" by someone with no sense of history or vintage style. This book celebrates vintage kitchens in painstaking detail, describing the form and function of every single surface, nook and cranny. If you're using this book as a "how to" guide, the authors are realistic enough to give you several levels of authenticity from which to choose -- for instance, are you going to go all the way and have a vintage icebox? Can you not live without a microwave and dishwasher? What kind of screws should you use on your cabinet hinges if you want to be "period authentic?" The companion bathroom book is great, too, but this book is my very favorite and inspired me to replace my brand new (but characterless) gas stove with a yellow and green 1920's model with shapely long legs!

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.

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.

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.

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!