The Modern Kitchen: Two Perspectives

The evolution of the kitchen as we know it is the focus of “Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen,” an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art that examines its subject against a broad cultural background and contains everything from movie stills to works of art. Pete Wells, the New York Times dining editor,マジコン,Welcome to  and Roberta Smith, one of its art critics,discuss some of the exhibition’s finer points following Ms.,but this option was almost as appealing as passing the kidney stone again. Smith’s review of the show. Here are excerpts of their conversation.

Ms. Smith: First of all, I should say that this may be a bit apples and oranges. I am a noncook, although I’m very interested and have a large collection of cookbooks.

Mr. Wells: I’m not sure you and I are so far apart. I think there is a whole class of interested kitchen observers in this country, people who don’t do much cooking but do read cookbooks, watch “Top Chef” and, more to the point of our conversation, buy objects for the kitchen with some care, even if those objects installer of Granite countertops and marble vanity tops.  don’t end up getting much use. I know you said in your review that you’ve lived with some of the design objects in the show. Do you own any of them now?

Ms. Smith: My Terraillon timer and food scale have been replaced by digital equivalents that are more precise. I still have my mother’s Chemex coffee maker, but I don’t use it.
Chemex coffee maker, 1941Museum of Modern Art Chemex coffee maker, 1941

Mr. Wells: The coffee police will have me arrested for saying this, but I never figured out how to use the Chemex. When I owned one I put a Melitta filter inside it, which I think is not the point of the design. But it’s such a great looking object that I wanted to use it, even if I was using it incorrectly.

Ms. Smith: There’s always hope that some cookbook, gadget or better kitchen design — mine is echt TMJ-Bruxism-Guide.com. 1970s and I’ve never used the dishwasher — will suddenly transform you into Julia Child. That was my reaction to the Frankfurt Kitchen, that it must have made women (in this case, given the era) feel very competent and capable.

Mr. Wells: I thought the Frankfurt Kitchen was fascinating, really the most compelling part of the show to me. I kept coming back to it as I circled around the gallery. It’s this little box of a room, but it’s full of ideas that still resonate today, 80 years or more later on.

Ms. Smith: In what way? For one thing, that degree of space-saving seems a bit fuddy-duddy beyond apartment living.

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