Small Spaces, Beautiful Kitchens

It's a little bizarre to find an all-stainless steel kitchen--one with steel cabinet fronts and drawers, and just a blond wood floor and a white ceiling for contrast--described as""a warm, shining space"" when""industrial and robotic"" would be much more accurate. But the critical faculty is set to""hype"" in this airy paean to expensive renovations. Mclellan (Fabric Harmony), who used to write for Metropolitan Home magazine, takes readers into the kitchens of the rich and not-so-famous, and juxtaposes architect pitch shots with facing page Q&A's with the owners or designers and tips for""Creating a Mood"" or""Creating Your Palette."" Chapters and subchapters cover organization, storage,""Decorating to Trick the Eye,"" and""Personalizing Your Space""; a glossary,""Directory of Materials,"" and list of resources are included. The book reads rather like a Martha Stewart-style knockoff:""Vintage items bring a feeling of nostalgia and interest to a kitchen display."" And while the title promises small kitchen solutions, a lot of the spaces here will look big to urban dwellers. Without that niche, readers will have to decide if""nostalgia and interest"" are enough to create the right mood for them.