The Economist: Kitchens: Downstairs Upstairs
Women have not escaped the kitchen; it has come after them.
THESE days, nobody needs to cook. Families graze on cholesterol-sodden take-aways and microwaved ready-meals. Cooking is an occasional hobby and a vehicle for celebrity chefs. Which makes it odd that, at the same time, the kitchen has become the heart of the modern house: what the great hall was to the medieval castle and the parlour was to the Victorian terrace, the kitchen is to the 21st-century home.
The money spent on them has risen with their status. In America the kitchen market is now worth $170 billion, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association—five times the country's film industry. In the year to August 2007, IKEA, a Swedish furniture chain, sold over 1m kitchens worldwide. The average budget for a “major” kitchen overhaul in 2006, calculates Remodeling magazine, was a staggering $54,000; even a “minor” makeover cost on average $18,000.
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The elevation of the room that once belonged only to the servants to that of design showcase for the modern family tells the story of a century of social change.
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