One interpretation of the post-culinary kitchen is a kitchen that completely vanishes when you don’t need it. Not a single appliance or even a utensil to disturb your perfect living space:
Living etc
There are definitely days when a big up-and-over door would be useful to hide the debris left by my culinary endeavors – this one appears to defy gravity:
Location Works
Then we have not only the up-and-over door, but also clever swiveling boxes to hide the counter top clutter – you just know that has been dreamt up by architects, don’t you:
Architects Adelaide Borniche and Nicola Marchi - Marie Claire Maison
Here the exotic wood panels hide almost everything except the island with its cooktop – but that little oven does become rather a stand-out:
Living etc
And here, at least when you’re seated, there’s little to see except a quiet wall of storage – and of course, the faucet:
Jean Pierre Lemoine via stylinrooms.de
Sliding doors are another way to hide all evidence that you actually cook in your kitchen – though once again, the faucet on the island does rather give the game away:
Joseph Dirand Architecture
What do you think? Have kitchens become so offensive that we need to hide them away like this? Although I do find a nice, big, deep sink very useful for stashing pots and pans that I haven’t been able to clean before serving, on the whole I think I prefer to celebrate food and its preparation rather than treating it like a guilty secret.
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Here’s and interesting concept for a kitchen – not only portable and compact, but completely collapsible too – the work of Burkhard Schäller, the Magdelena Gravity kitchen exhibited at the Talents section at Ambiente 2010 Consumer Goods Fair in Frankfurt (via)
A kitchen framework
The sink elevation
A cooktop for minimalists
A place for everything...
... and everything in its place
I guess you are in serious trouble here if your utensils happen to be a different shape or size! Could this really be the future of kitchen design?
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Images © Burkhard Schäller
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On Mondays, I like to bring you a gallery of images, at least loosely related, and largely unencumbered by much in the way of words from me. Haven’t we all got enough to think about at the start of the week? Today, a look at some Japanese and Asian inspired kitchens.
This first photo, from Architectural Digest, sums up that Japanese country style – so rich and warm. This is totally Japanese, but there is something universal about farmhouse style, too:
Iya Valley Farmhouse via Architectural Digest
As in any other tradition, if you go back far enough, you get to something that is probably no fun at all to cook on, like this Kamodo stove:
Traditional "Kamodo" in Japanese Kitchen
This kitchen by Greentea Design mixes distinctly Asian details with a Craftsman look – of course, the Arts and Crafts, Craftsman and Prairie styles were hugely influenced by Japanese design:
Greentea Design via Hewn and Hammered
Below is a much cleaner and more contemporary take on the same unmistakable style (I lost the link to this, if it is yours please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due):
Contemporary Interpretation
Two examples from France, via Marie Claire Maison. Not wholly Asian, in either case, but there’s definitely a relationship there – horizontal lines, warm wood, simplicity:
via Marie Claire Maison
What about these cabinet pulls? Pretty, yes – but practical?
Just a touch - Marie Claire Maison
I couldn’t resist these last two examples, by Tokyo Kitchen. Comic book heroes, robots, ultra modern efficiency – and is that a giant Luxo lamp?
By Tokyo Kitchen via Home-designing.com
Tokyo Kitchens via Home-designing.com
Real-life contemporary Japanese style is clearly a very different animal. Is it a change for the better?
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OK, I can see it’s cantilevered. But I can’t help feeling it would look better if it did have some other visible means of support. Design that appears to flout the laws of physics can be eye-catching, arresting, thought-provoking. But in the kitchen, how would it be once the novelty has worn off? I think I’d find it constantly uncomfortable (via).
Taylor Smyth Architects via Design Milk
It certainly provoked my thoughts, anyway. What do you think?
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Air New Zealand Sky Couch
Did you see the Air New Zealand economy class “Sky Couch” announcement this week? Clearly designed so that slim and consenting adults can stretch out even in cattle class – though what happens when they hit turbulence, I don’t know. How much better it is than a regular economy seat, I wouldn’t like to say. But however you get there, I have found some very good reasons to travel to New Zealand, straight from the portfolio of Parsonson Architects, a collection of clean, light-filled, ocean-view houses:
Pekapeka
Light and air in Pekapeka
Simple Kitchen in Raumati
Not as white as it looks - Raumati
Steps from the sand in Raumati
Sun streams in to Manly Street House
With this view, nothing else matters
I’m not sure if that’s an iconic mid-Century chair, or a dorm-room standard from Target – perhaps it depends on the context? And in that context, the chair is really irrelevant, I think.
When I was growing up in South Wales, my Dad often toyed with the idea of emigrating to some English speaking, up-and-coming, country: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, they all sounded so promising, especially during the dark times of three day weeks and power cuts as our heavy industries coughed their last gasps. Funny thing, he was an ocean-loving man, and his objection to New Zealand was that so much of the coast-line was privately owned, and not accessible to the general public. Not like in Britain, where it’s almost impossible to privately own a beach, because, below the high tide mark, they are almost all already owned by the royal family. And luckily, the royals are gracious enough to share. It’s clear from this that my Dad would not have been suited to America – an immigrant to the USA would have to come with the attitude that “yes, the beaches can be privately owned, and I’m gonna get me one” – very un-British indeed! If these beautiful houses demonstrate what you can do with your private piece of coast, maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all - just as long as you’re willing to share…
Views forever - Raumati
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Here we are, the first Monday of the first real workweek of 2010 – I’m sure I’m not alone in having to end my holiday induced semi hibernation, and get back to the real world and real work.
To start the week, the year, and the decade on the right note, here are three inspiring kitchens – all predominantly white, but not remotely cold. I’m just going to breathe deeply and let the images wash through me, banishing all traces of wintry gloom, and I invite you to do the same – very Zen!
Just lovely in La Jolla
via publicdigital.com
Jose Solis Betancourt in AD
via architecturaldigest.com
Flickr find - white and airy
It doesn’t take much to make me happy, does it? Just soaring ceilings, tons of natural light, inviting seating, and plenty of cabinet free space so the design can breathe. Aah, dream on …
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Something I’ve always thought about that lyric, is that when Christina Rossetti wrote it, she was really, really tired of Winter. And she had seen quite enough snow for a lifetime already, thank you, and would be quite happy not to see any more ever again.
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Well, poor Christina was the daughter of an Italian father, and at least part of her childhood was spent in poverty in Victorian London when the family had financial troubles. There must have been plenty of bleakness for her to cope with – I think she knew what she was talking about. You may well be wondering where I am going with this, and what it might have to do with kitchen design – so here you are, some truly bleak Mid-Winter kitchens:
First, frosty wind, and earth hard as iron – I don’t know whether those are laminate or faux-painted cabinets, pretty cool, but they look hard and earthy to me. And the Winter tree in the freezing fog just rubs in the bleak part (via)
Joseph Dirand Architecture
Next, water like stone – don’t you just see ice shards in those triangles, icicles in the chandeliers, black ice in the flooring?- Though I’d love to know what is going on architecturally – or is it just a stage set? (via)
photo Adrian Briscoe
And of course, snow on snow outside, and snowy white inside too (via):
Italian Winter
Brrrr. Better get cooking, decorating, accessorizing – something!
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Galley kitchen, with bear
Shiny, happy kitchens