Sagaform is an online platform for Sweden’s best to show and sell their wonderful Scandinavian kitchen, and tableware designs. I always enjoy the work featured there, the above being some of my current favorites from Lotta Odelius. The Retro Storage Jar, middle image left, was also featured in a recent edition of Dwell.
Via Sagaform
Images: Dwell
In school we covered this kitchen design briefly. I was captivated by its simple perfection, as well as the story of the woman who is responsible for it.
Grete Lihotzky (1987-2000) is known as the designer and architect of The Frankfurt Kitchen (above images). After her education (Vienna, during WWI) she worked to meet the need for better living conditions in Europe. In an effort to keep cost down, she simplified building techniques and design. The above kitchen system, the result of her efforts and research into human movement, was installed into 10,000 homes.
She later took part in a resistance effort during the Nazi era, was captured and imprisoned for the duration WWII.
“In post-World War I Germany, architect Grete Schütte-Lihotzky’s “Frankfurt Kitchen” was manufactured and installed in thousands of public-housing unit across Frankfurt am Main. Schütte-Lihotzky’s design took the kitchen out of hiding and into public light, showcasing smart, small, and ergonomic strategies for storage, appliances, and work areas.” Via Dwell
“Designed in 1926-27, Schütte-Lihotzky’s kitchen features thoughtful arrangement of storage, appliances, and work surfaces and is the precursor to the 1950s yellow and green kitchens and the kitchen as the hearth of the home.” Via Dwell
The Frankfurt Kitchen has now been reassembled at the New York Museum Of Modern Art and can be viewed through March 14, 2011
Since the post on kitchens, I have had several people ask about the kitchen design by Shed Architects. The actual counters in that project were done by Kerf Design, a Seattle-based design and manufacturing shop. I have been a fan of Kerf design for some time. I really appreciate the attention they give their pieces, with consideration on even the smallest details. The materials, hardware, design and craftsmanship are top-notch.
“The design of each custom project comes from a seamless integration of three essential components: the necessary function of the item, the method of its construction, and an unadorned presentation of the materials from which it is made. Although the end result may appear complex, we try to achieve our goals in a simple and straightforward manner… The patterns in each unit are carefully laid out to be useful, well built and pleasing to look at.”
I would recommend looking through their site which shows different projects, techniques, and lets you request a quote. You can also call or stop by their shop on Thorndyke Ave W in Northwest Seattle. You can also click on Continue Reading to see some more images of their work
If you are in the neighborhood of 22nd st. in San Francisco (or even if you’re not) you should stop in Pot + Pantry. Specializing in “new and gently used kitchenware,” you will definitely find something fantastic you didn’t know you needed. If you are not in the area, try the Pot + Pantry online store. Although you would much rather visit in person if you can, because the shop is “nestled between an Irish pub and a hair salon.” How much more perfect a location could there be?
Via Dwell | Pot + Pantry
image: Bryce Duffy | Dwell
image: Shed
In a little less than a century the function of the kitchen has been completely redefined. Once cramped and cut off, the box formally with four walls, has now expanded to become the physical and physiological center of the home. In a related and simultaneous transformation, the processes of preparing, baking, boiling, browning, frying, grilling, heating, roasting, simmering, steaming, stewing, toasting, dishing, and finally, serving (all otherwise known as “cooking”) have developed from utilitarian beginnings into a form of artistry, and symbol of health and sustainability. Unfortunately in the majority of today’s homes, selected from a small catalogue of what are loosely termed “options,” ( ie. “do you prefer Laminate or Corian?”) the heart of the home is planned around a construction budget more often than the lifestyle of the homeowners.
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