Cooking Table

Open Floor Plans and new technology have helped the kitchen become a more social space.

Open floor plans not only maximize available space and eliminate wasted space, they make rooms more flexible and inviting. Food preparation, eating, lounging, entertainment and children playing all occur within the same undivided space.

Now a new cooking concept allows social cooking to be accomplished with ease in the smallest of spaces. German Designer Moritz Putzier presented his graduate project, the Cooking Table; at IMM Cologne 2015 and won first prize in the Pure Talents Contest – a contest aimed at acknowledging the work of young students and recent graduates who have developed a product or system that addresses the area of interior innovation.

“My work is focused on the creation of the experience not on the food itself,” said Putzier. “Traditional and original values are picked up and transformed into the present time.”

Putzier incorporated a hidden cooktop into a long, wooden dining table that can be used for preparing and cooking meals, dining, working or studying at. The table pulls apart to reveal a track where the gas burner can be attached on the top with a gas tank below. The burners can slide along the top allowing the user to add as many as they need.

The Cooking Table comes with a couple of wooden stools and a set of ceramic bowls that can be used for storage or serve as heat shields for the hot burners. The lids conveniently double as cutting boards.

I really like the concept and the approach Putzier took in creating his graduate project. Perhaps we’ll this on a Kickstarter page in the future for the American market.

October 19, 2014

Legrabox by Blum

When it comes to drawer box choices for cabinets, generally there are four choices for consumers.

Blum MetaBox – a three-sided drawer with the metal sides functioning as the runners. This tired and true choice is the most economical.
Melamine Box – usually a white box doweled together with a choice of runners ranging from vinyl Tandem glides, full-extension side mount glides and concealed undermount glides. The action can be standard or soft-close. Another color choice is dark gray for a European or Contemporary aesthetic.
Blum TandemBox – an evolution of the MetaBox and the Tandem concealed drawer runners. This three-sided, double walled drawer offers full extension, soft-close action. The Intivo option can be personalized by using a design element with BoxCover or gallery rail. These drawers are offered in gray and stainless. The new stainless now doesn’t show fingerprints which was a big problem before.
Dovetailed Box – a solid maple or birch box dovetailed on all four corners. Considered an upgrade by most manufacturers, these drawers are usually offered with concealed undermount glides with soft-close action. Many companies now offer a walnut as a luxurious option.

A fifth drawer box option is now available. The LegraBox from Blum features a slim half-inch (12.8 mm) profile for maximum storage capacity.

LegraBox features a new innovative, runner system utilizing synchronized drawer profiles for greater running action and performance even under heavy loads.

The LegraBox program consists of three drawer side heights for standard drawers and two drawer side heights for interior roll-out drawers.

The sleek and noticeably straighter box is offered in two finishes – a brushed stainless steel or a gray matte finish. I am hopeful the black finish available in Europe will soon be offered here.

The LegraBox drawer has its own divider system called Ambia-Line. The drawer accessories include cutlery inserts with integrated containers with Softtouch coating and pull-out frames with magnets for connection to steel as well as wood frames for an elegant contrast. Ambia-Line Kitchen Accessories include a spice holder, foil dispenser, plastic dispense and plate holder.

I expect for most manufacturers the LegraBox will fall between the TandemBox and a Dovetail drawer. Adding accessories or glass inserts will obviously add expense.

June 29, 2014

GE’s New Micro-Kitchen Concepts

There seems to be ever growing interest in Small Living these days. Whether it’s due to pure necessity for tiny apartment dwellers and mobile home owners, a desire to live more sustainably, or for spiritual and health reasons; simple living is a distinct lifestyle.

As many people search for ways to de-stress, de-clutter (mentally & physically) and move away from materialism they begin to practice mindful consumption.

Mindful Consumption: where you have everything you need and nothing you don’t. Mindful consumption restores balance in everyday life leading to less stress and better overall health.

For many Americans, the biggest turn-off from small-space living is the kitchen, or lack thereof. Fortunately, GE Appliances has chosen to tackle this challenge by creating “micro-kitchen concepts that help people maintain or enhance their lifestyle in substantially less square footage.”

GE designers created the monoblock, a fully customizable standalone unit with cooking, cleaning, and refrigeration in a single standalone six-foot enclosure. It’s designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding cabinetry, and is controlled by a digital panel integrated into the countertop edge.

The monoblock was recently shown at Dwell on Design in LA with a price tag of $15,000.

A second concept presented by GE is a 24″ wide modular drawer system designed to give homeowners more freedom is selecting the appliances and components they need. All traditional kitchen appliances, including a microwave oven, conventional oven, convertible refrigerator and freezer, and dishwasher are drawer-based. The cooktop and downdraft system also are based on the 24″ modules. These units come ready to accept custom panels to fit any decor style.

I saw the prototypes for the micro-kitchen when I was in Louisville at the Monogram Experience Center last fall. I wasn’t allowed to talk about it then but I’m happy to say I was really thrilled to see such forward thinking from GE.

These units of course don’t have to be limited to kitchens, they would be perfect for company break rooms, master suites and bars.

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” – E.F. Schumacker

FirstBuild

GE built their own microfactory production facility on the University of Louisville (UofL) Belknap Campus, called FirstBuild that will allow them to produce their micro-kitchen concept in late 2014.

UofL, which owns the building where FirstBuild will be housed, will be much more involved than a typical landlord. UofL and GE Appliances have plans to create an Advanced Manufacturing hub where students can conduct research while getting practical training on the latest additive manufacturing and technologies in the micro-factory setting.

More than just a factory, with the launch of FirstBuild.com, GE has created a global community dedicated to conceiving, engineering and building the next generation of major appliances.

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993

March 30, 2014April 14, 2019

Green Light

If you’ve ever been told you needed live plants in your home but just felt like you didn’t have the space, this may be the solution you need.

Designed by Toronto-based multidisciplinary design studio O/I (Object Interface Inc.), Babylon is a plantable light fixture inspired by the legends of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

The suspended light is made of powder coated aluminum with a removable ABS plastic liner. You can choose between the single light or a three light cluster. Pricing starts around $500.00

If you prefer a more enclosed option – especially if hanging over your kitchen table – this next light from Greenworks may be what you need. Also called Babylon, this light designed by Alexis Tricoire is a suspended terrarium of sorts.

The suspended light fixture is about 19.5″ wide with 5 openings for stems to grow through. The bottom of the globe is covered with pumice that contains minerals and micro nutrients that feed the plants. Due to the high water holding capacity of the pumice, plants need watering and maintenance only every third week.

I love this photo with the orchids. I will admit I’m not the best when it comes to keeping orchids but If I had this fixture, I’d try to improve my skills.

The last option I found for Green Lights is from the Bocci 38 Collection. This collection is an extension of the 28 series by Omer Arbel that features a series of distorted spheres filled with cavities that double as planters.

“This chandelier object, in production, uses a technique Mr. Arbel had previously used to create 28. It takes an hour for three people to make one; 10% to 15% of them break in the process, says Mr. Arbel. This piece, 38, has cavities deep enough to contain earth and succulent and cacti plantings.”

Within the spheres there are 4-6 cavities, 2 or 3 of which house either a 10 watt xenon or a 1.5 watt LED light source. Electricity and suspension are achieved with stiff copper tubing, which is allowed to tangle and skew, seemingly without regard for gravity.

Due to the hand crafted nature of the 38 series, the pendant size as well as the number and location of interior satellites, pendant diameter, and sometimes shape may vary.

Based in Vancouver with a satellite company in Berlin, Bocci is a contemporary design and manufacturing house that follows sustainable practices. Bocci’s 38 Collection is made from recycled glass, lit by energy-efficient LED lights, and shipped in recyclable packaging.

“My work is focused on the creation of the experience not on the food itself,” said Putzier. “Traditional and original values are picked up and transformed into the present time.”

Mindful Consumption: where you have everything you need and nothing you don’t. Mindful consumption restores balance in everyday life leading to less stress and better overall health.

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” – E.F. Schumacker

FirstBuild

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993