Book Review: Kitchenalia by Vinny Lee

Kitchenalia: Furnishing and equipping your kitchen with flea market finds and period pieces By Vinny Lee | Out now in Hardback | £30.00 | Published by Jacqui Small

 Almost everything I prepare or cook in my kitchen involves a little bit of history and 

often a memory. Kitchenalia is all the things you acquire and accumulate to make

 your kitchen a useful and enjoyable place to be 

Written by Vinny Lee, author and interiors editor of The Times Magazine, Kitchenalia is a kitchen Interiors book for people who love cooking and for whom the kitchen is the heart of the home. If like me you can't resist another wooden spoon, copper jellymold, or a vintage Homepride Fred flour shaker this is the book for you.
It is not a book of fancy shiny modern inventions to make cooking easier and quicker it is a book of manual scales, of hand whisking and aprons... What I really like that about this book, is it makes me feel nostalgic about making gingerbread men with my Mum it also makes me look forward to cooking with my son.

Kitchenalia is really inspiring in many ways and full to the brim with beautiful images that leave you dreaming about your perfect kitchen. However unlike a lot of books Kitchenalia also offers small snippets of simple advice for every budget. Advice like: replacing handles and knobs of cupboards, mixing different styles of kitchen chairs, and storing cutlery in jam jars... finally a kitchen book that leaves you feeling inspired rather than depressed....

.....In fact I was so inspired by the section 'Small Storage' that last week I went out and brought myself a second hand Spice Rack. Finally my beautiful spice jars will make it out of the cupboard to a more prouder spot in my kitchen :)

The book is well laid out with a wide variety of images and styles of kitchens, from country eclectic to brushed steel sleek, including a great section entitled 'The Collectors Kitchen. There are beautiful colouful kitchens from the 1950's, serene white kitchens, and faboulous farmhouse kitchens, each with their own whimsical charm.

As you may have guessed I really like this book, it also passed the coffee table test and was cooed at by numerous visitors, including my Mum, who will be getting a copy for Christmas :)