The Making of the Modern Kitchen: A Cultural History by June Freeman (English) H

Publisher Description

Kitchens are where we cook, clean, cry, talk, laugh, break things. Hugely symbolic - as well as practical - kitchens evoke thoughts of hearth and home, family and domesticity. People today commonly spend more refurbishing their kitchens than refurbishing any other room in the home. On kitchen units alone, annual expenditure in England has been around the billion pound mark for some time. And this only represents part of what people spend on a kitchen. For, when they do up their kitchens, people frequently also buy new machinery and nearly always buy new accessories. To get at the heart of the meaning, design and purpose of the modern kitchen, the author interviewed a sample of seventy four homeowners. She follows them through the process of shopping and purchasing a new kitchen, and she discusses the importance of layout, colour, shape and texture. She explores the dominant role that women play in shaping the appearance of a new kitchen and considers the evolution of the modern kitchen in the context of the consumer age. The first history of the fitted kitchen in England, this innovative new book will appeal to anyone interested in design, sociology, gender studies and cultural history.

Table of Contents

The Kitchen and the English Home: An Outline of the Scope and Approach of the Book * The Growth of Kitchen Design as a Form of Twentieth-Century Proselytizing * From Overview to Detailed Study * First Findings about the Sample Kitchens * The Sample Starts Shopping * Gender and the Acquisition of a New Kitchen * The Kitchen as Workplace * "I Like Clutter": From Instrumental to Expressive Considerations * Reviewing the Endeavour and Endeavouring to Conclude

Review

'This book makes a valuable addition to the study of taste. Freeman has been generous to her readers....She is clear about her methods, she is upfornt about her agendas....Design and cultural historians will certainly be interested in this book.'Oral History

Promotional

Also available in paperback, 9781859736999 GBP17.99 (April, 2004)

Review Quote

'This book makes a valuable addition to the study of taste. Freeman has been generous to her readers....She is clear about her methods, she is upfornt about her agendas....Design and cultural historians will certainly be interested in this book.'Oral History

Details