That’s what DesignBoom did and there’s a lot of really innovative kitchen design stuff to see on their site.

What really struck me, from a US perspective, is how compact the designs are compared to trend of ever larger kitchens we see here. As fuel prices rise we’re going to see a move to smaller, more efficient living spaces (the end of the dreaded ‘McMansions’?) and these designs reflect that this already taking place in global design.

• The most stupid piece of eco-friendly furniture
•  Contemporary Kitchen in Bamboo
• Modern Wooden Sink Made in Stone Rain : Ebony

and plenty more.

Alice Waters:

“The kitchen is way too small! In terms of space, it needs to be almost as big as the dining room. It has a fireplace —about four feet tall and five feet wide—that is like a regular open fire with just a chimney and a large opening where the grills and turning spits are. There is also a long table that the dishwashers have access to on the left side; the cooks are on the cooking line to the right. And of course there’s a table up front where we display some of the food we’re serving, like fruits and vegetables—whatever we have on the menu we put out on the table. The making of pastries should really be all in its own little room, but we’ve never had that luxury, so it’s kind of at the end of the kitchen. We also have a special room where we make ice cream, and we have another room that’s only for rolling out dough.”

Grant Achatz:

“I wanted to be able to put down ten, twenty, thirty plates at one time and have cooks surrounding them on all sides, working on them in groups. That told me I needed long islands to allow cooks to be on each side; so you see the two twenty-two-foot-long islands that run down each side.” 

Dan Barber:

“A lot of what we cook here is in sous-vide [ vacuum-sealed] bags. And then we steam it in combination ovens at a very low temperature. We’re cooking at 132 degrees Fahrenheit—it’s like a bathtub. This is highly technologically advanced; it’s the future of cooking. And ultimately what we’re doing is trying to create this dichotomy between the old-world agrarian ideals of growing your own food—and growing it sustainably, organically, locally, all of that—but then coming into a kitchen where there’s modern technology, and using techniques that are innovative and technologically advanced. Some people would view that as contradictory, but I see it as one and the same. “ 

Wylie Dufresne:

“Our kitchen is extremely functional. At first glance it doesn’t seem that different from a lot of others because it is laid out in the same way as a European-style kitchen: it’s broken down into multiple stations. The hot line is designed so that the four stations are identical in terms of the equipment that stands in front of the cook. Each cook has his or her own flattop, oven door, reach-in refrigerator, three doors of refrigeration, and two bays of countertop refrigeration. The idea is that regardless of the station, the mise en place [ingredient selection] changes but the layout stays the same, so you can move from station to station with a certain familiarity. That’s a very practical way of thinking about it. “ 

The article is a must read and includes some great photos. And check out Metropolis- they are leaders in journalism about Green building practices which will be a driving force in kitchen design and technology.

If you’re interested send us a note at sammy at supernaturalagency dot com. Tell us a little bit about your project, where it stands, your design approach, budget range, etc. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

*There’s a movement afoot to turn the word ‘dyson’ into a replacement for the word ‘cool’, as in Dyson (vacuum cleaner) sucks- opposite of which is doesn’t suck= cool. Whatever.

Feng Shui is taken very seriously in China, so seriously that buildings designed by Westerners that don’t follow its rules will not get any tenants. The principles of Feng Shui ensure that your kitchen will be a healthy place. The use of light, flowing water, reflections, eliminating obstructions and other principles make good design sense whether you believe in the process or not.

Locating the kitchen in the house floor plan:

“In any case, it’s better if you don’t see the kitchen immediately upon entering the house, as this can portend digestive, nutritional and eating problems. Having the kitchen at the entry point can also mean that guests will come over and eat and then leave immediately, and such a placement can also encourage the inhabitants to eat all the time.”

On the layout:

“Looking at the kitchen itself, it’s very important for the cook to be in a “commanding position” when at the stove — that is, facing the door and not with her back to the door when cooking. Renovating a kitchen so this is achieved can be particularly challenging as many modern kitchens have the range facing the wall. “ 

The article goes into much more detail and is full of common sense ideas. Sometimes, when designing kitchens, we fall into ‘design habits’ and repeat ourselves. Thinking about the process from a Feng Shui point of view can ensure your design is unique and functional.