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This very large and very blue cabinetry unit hides all sorts of functions in the Unfolding House by Normal Projects (Michael Chen and Kari Anderson). The 450 square foot space needed to cram in a lot of different areas- cooking, storage, sleeping, and working- while keeping the small space open and airy. What to do? Build a big cabinet, of course, that holds plenty of storage, a murphy bed and office. See more of the project over at Dwell or at Michael Chen Architecture. I particularly like the cabinets without the aluminum pieces (which you see on the older video and on the architect’s site).
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These kitchen drawer organizers by Henrybuilt are perfect. Made of solid wood, each item holds and divides kitchen utensils and accessories in precise order, and, after installing them, the rest of your life will magically sort itself out. Maybe. But, before you get too attached to these drawer organizers, there’s some not-so-good news: they’re only available as part of a complete Henrybuilt system. That means it’s time to start saving for a new (perfect) kitchen.
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Listen up if you’re in the market for switching out cabinets in your home. LA-based Semihandmade offers custom IKEA doors in all sorts of materials. Buy the cabinets from IKEA (because you can, and it’s affordable) then choose your doors from Semihandmade. It’s as simple as that. Plus, check out the pricing, it’s actually pretty good.

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Viola Park, who most of us know and love for their excellent kitchen cabinetry, has added a new collection of kitchen islands. I am most impressed with the integrated storage modules (shown above) for foodstuff as it cuts down on counter clutter without adding the visual bulk of drawers. If you’re in LA, you can see one of the new islands at Viola Park’s new showroom across from the Pacific Design Center.

The islands range from 5-12K, and can be purchased independently or along with a complete kitchen package. Islands can be mobile or stationary.

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Whoa, check out this huge wall of Ikea cabinets in Dwell’s slideshow Just Redo It. The home owners, Andrew Dunbar and Zoee Astrakhan, spent about $12,000 on the ‘easy-to-assemble’ cabinets, which is a heck of a lot less than paying for a full wall of custom cabinetry.

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If you’re in the market for a new kitchen or bath, check out the custom cabinetry by Eastvold located in Minnesota. They’re a full service design firm and design and install the cabinets and are there from beginning to end of the process.

300 square feet seems incredibly small, but the way this tiny studio is arranged it seems three times as big. The kitchen is especially notable, as doors unfold to reveal hidden compartments and storage space, as well as a sliding counter that extends for food preparation. The bright blue on the interior kitchen area is an incredibly smart touch, as it adds to the whole jewelry box concept.

“My studio has been transformed into a flexible living space which allows me to work, sleep, eat, and relax within the confines of 300 square feet…The concept of a jewelry box has been expanded so that the space can be transformed through pushing, pulling, sliding, opening and closing of individual elements of the cabinetry. The rubber floor creates a seamless look that leads one’s gaze through the windows into the garden square below. I have a hidden stairway and secret compartment. I think it rocks. I am now broke. –Mia, the London Urchin via AT ”

architect: Jennifer Beningfield of Open Studio Architects (more photos and project description shown here.)

for more photos and the complete posting go here.
[via AT]

How many of you could be okay with open cabinetry in your kitchen? This photo of Frank and Ditta Hoeber’s Philadelphia loft sure makes it tempting, doesn’t it? Check out the spread from LoftLife Magazine for more inspiration.

Frank and Ditta Hoeber’s Philadelphia loft is all about display. The architectural and design firm behind the space, Qb3 Design, wanted to create a “silent background” within which the couple could feature their book collection, art and objects.

See it here.

Apologies if you look at the The New York Times as much as I do, but they have some of the most interesting slideshows of interiors and I can’t help but post them. Case in point is Billy Morrissette’s SoHo loft: I especially love the plywood used for the kitchen cabinets/walls.

See it here.

This apartment located in New York has a smart solution for keeping clutter at bay: both tables shown above fold away into the walls, clearing up floor space. Especially interesting is the use of color…I love that when the tables are being used, bright swatches of color show, yet when folded away, the space remains pure and white.

See it here.

[via NYTimes]

I was excited to find out that DWR will be offering kitchens at the start of the new year. The modular systems are designed by Nilus de Matran and are actually sort of like furniture for the kitchen because they are portable and can be taken with you when you move. Amazing.

[posted by kris]

Look closely at these floating cabinets. They’re not wall mounted as far as I can tell, but instead they have tall legs (about 9 inches off the ground) and there is a mirror installed at the toe-kick, in addition to a light behind the mirror which casts a light at ground level. Such a clever way to add light to the flooring which makes the space seem larger than it is.

[posted by kris]

I love the openness of this Italian kitchen.

[posted by kris]

And on the other side of the spectrum of affordability, we have the Bulthaup b2 line, which I find completely stunning. I like the two free-standing, austere looking cabinets which hide almost an entire kitchen. One wall could house your oven/stove and sink and then you could have the two cabinets for everything else, allowing you to lighten the visual weight of a kitchen by getting rid of the typical wall cabinets. Additionally, the free standing cabinets almost create a sort of separation without needing a looming wall.

bulthaup gets its visions from the consistent observation of the living and eating habits of people from all over the world. bulthaup b2 is responsive to modern lifestyles, such as single-person or twoperson households, or even “patchwork families”, and is the perfect kitchen for nomads or pioneers in creating a home, living and thinking. . The design was developed in collaboration with the renowned design firm EOOS in Vienna. With their method of “poetical analysis”, the designers take a very special approach to the development of new products. Formative factors of image, ritual and received wisdom are brought together and synthesized. “The result of this cooperation is unconventional, convincing and independent: bulthaup b2 defines the entire kitchen as a changeable system, and is thereby synonymous with the “versatile kitchen of today and tomorrow,” says Gerd Bulthaup. bulthaup b2 will be on display at selected bulthaup partner shops across the world beginning in fall of 2008.

[posted by kris]

I have to say that the options for Ikea kitchen cabinets really make the idea of an affordable, modern kitchen a reality. Here, the Akurum cabinets are completed with the Sorbo doors and Metrik handles.

[posted by kris]