Jane Field-Lewis - My Cool Kitchen

This book looks at kitchens with style not the sort of style you usually see in high-end magazines or manufacturers catalogues but where their owners have created something unique and found their own self-expression, no matter whether the project is a thrifty option or an architecturally credible space.

We all have a kitchen, but in many homes they are a forgotten space where the cupboards alone have to tell the story, and personality and style are best left to other rooms in the house. In the following pages were going on a journey to take a quiet and thoughtful look at some interesting peoples kitchens and see what they have done. They are all people with something to say, and theyve found a way of expressing their personality, individual style and tastes in their kitchens. They range from a high-end and totally awesome modern kitchen in a restored castle to a minimalist one in a cupboard; from an ultra-glamorous Californian beach front house to a kitchen in a former cinema as well as budget kitchens in owned and rented properties. My idea of style has no price boundaries, up or down, and no age barriers style is not just the remit of the young upwardly mobile but something we all possess, whatever our location, age or income.

I hope you enjoy looking at these spaces and reading the tales that accompany them, and that you find some inspiration within them. Some of them have a cultural context, like the wonderful painterly kitchen of the Bloomsbury set at Charleston in Sussex, John Lennons and Paul McCartneys kitchens from their formative years in Liverpool, or the one at Astley Castle, the former home of three English queens. Others express the interests and obsessions of their owners, from an antique dealer who lives with and eats off valuable Delftware to people who collect objects and can even create a kitchen inspired by the design of a saucepan. They each tell a unique story.

Over the years, the space weve allocated to the kitchen in our homes has changed enormously and reflects the transformation in our lives and times. Its interesting to take a look at our own world and how it has influenced how we decorate our houses. Some of us spend huge amounts of money on styling our kitchens, usually with fantastic results, but its amazing what you can achieve on a much smaller budget and its worth examining the spaces in which individuality and truth are valued more highly. The common ingredients in all the kitchens featured in this book, no matter how spacious, luxurious, simple or tiny, are the creativity and vision of their owners who want to make this space the living, breathing heart of their home.

All my preceding my cool books have also focused on individual style and how to achieve a stylish interesting life regardless of means. I started with caravans and campervans, moved on to sheds and now, finally, Ive come indoors! I love photography almost as much as I love people themselves, and its this wonderful mix of photography, individual style and people that really motivates and interests me, whatever I do. My eye is still on the aesthetic of whatever style Im exploring, but I never preach about what you should aspire to, what is right or what constitutes good taste. Style comes in many guises, and a kitchen that captures your soul as well as suiting your budget is essentially what its all about. This book reflects the personality of the creators of each of the featured kitchens, their objectives and needs and the intrinsic charm of their style. I hope it appeals to everyone who not only values the aesthetics and soul of their home but also looks to their environment as a source of inspiration and comfort.

Ive been lucky to work with two talented photographers on this project, Art Gray in the United States and Richard Maxted in the UK and Europe. No matter how hard I try, there are always long road trips involved, which usually turn into their own adventures. This has been an incredible journey and Im hugely indebted to both Arts and Richards great talent, as well as the overseas photographers who kindly sent us their kitchen images and allowed us to include them in this book. And, above all, to the generosity of the kitchen owners who kindly opened their doors and invited us in to share their world.

This is far more than a conventional, prescriptive interiors book that focuses on just one style or approach. It is more human, individual and stylish. I want you to be motivated and inspired by what you see and read in the following pages, so that you can use this almost as a source book of ideas for developing your own personal style rather than submitting to the latest fads and fashions or losing your personal touch to a heavy designer dictum. I hope you enjoy the journey, too.

Sometimes simple is best. We live in a high-tech, high-spec world surrounded by electronic gadgetry and wizardry, and many of todays kitchens are no exception. However, all the kitchens featured here share the natural beauty of simplicity and an honest authenticity. They are a celebration of getting back to basics and enjoying a more relaxing lifestyle with less fuss and clutter.

The two contrasting but complementary contemporary kitchens in an upmarket London townhouse both possess a simplicity of design and function. Clean, modern and no-nonsense, they are chic, well conceived and devoid of decorative flourishes. The aesthetic is in the detailed nuances and symmetry of the design. The vintage LA bungalow kitchen has avoided ripping out the original units and used them as a base for re-working this area into an artists well-lit, studio-inspired space. The result is simple and doesnt overwhelm the space or the eye. Jenn Hannottes Canadian kitchen uses well-used simple materials to create a modern homestead style, while Olaf Hajeks stylish and artistic Berlin kitchen utilises blackboard paint and plain white gloss units.

Sven and Gunillas Scandinavian-style kitchen is a masterclass in simplicity, designed to blend seamlessly into the rustic environment. Out of a run-down wreck of a farm building, they created a timeless and harmonious space, which respects its agricultural heritage. Raw lime polished walls, aged wood and reclaimed materials are combined with old limestone blocks and farming implements to produce a natural and surprisingly modern-looking space. There are examples of hand-crafted super simple kitchens in a rural Italian mill house that uses reclaimed wooden pallets as shelving, and Kaisa Luukkanens made-to-order, removable kitchen that comes with just the pieces of equipment and storage you require. There is no hiding poor workmanship or a lack of finish both kitchens are immaculate in their conception and creation.

Simplicity is seldom random and unselfconscious; on the contrary, it is often cleverly thought out, down to the last detail. Ironically, its easier to achieve a multi-functional kitchen with lots going on in decorative ways than to pare everything down to the bare essentials. If you want a truly natural and simple look, you have to stand back and be objective to know when to stop adding.