While the kitchen is a ubiquitous part of almost every home—and, in many cases, is considered symbolic of domestic living entirely—it can also take up precious space, produce visual clutter, and detract from the minimalist aesthetic of an otherwise sleek, modern home. For some homeowners, the solution is simply to keep the kitchen clean and organized at all times. But for some innovative contemporary architects and their clients, the solution is to design a compact, concealable kitchen that can quickly and easily be shuttered out of view. Below, we discuss several examples of hidden kitchens, as well as some common techniques and strategies for designing them.
Polina Poludkina
How to Design Hidden Kitchens: Innovative Solutions for Space-Saving and Minimalist Aesthetics
20 Architecture Tips from 2021
We are starting to say goodbye to the year and after a review of all the contents developed, we find ourselves with a wide range of architectural advice that involves both interior and exterior spaces. Addressing issues from the domestic sphere to more technical and decisive questions, these are intended to serve as a guide and/or suggestions, rescuing those necessary considerations to take into account when planning our spaces, regardless of the use or the future they contemplate.
Stainless Steel Pavilions / Stas Kozeen + Azamat Nyrov
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Architects: Azamat Nyrov, Stas Kozeen
- Area: 158 m²
- Year: 2021
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Manufacturers: Facade Systems, Windows
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Professionals: LLC Integral
Flat with Half Arc / SHKAF interior architects
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Architects: SHKAF interior architects
- Area: 33 m²
- Year: 2021
Commune Apartment / roomdesignburo
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Architects: roomdesignburo
- Area: 27 m²
- Year: 2020
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Manufacturers: AYTM, Markpatlisstudio Carpet, Philippe Starck
The Laundry Room as an Unnecessary Luxury (or Where to Place the Washer in the Modern Home?)
In residential architecture, there have always been central, indispensable spaces and peripheral spaces more easy to ignore. When designing a home, the task of the architect is essentially to configure, connect, and integrate different functions in the most efficient way possible, necessarily prioritizing some spaces over others. And although today many are designing in ways that are increasingly fluid and indeterminate, we could say that the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are the fundamental nucleus of every house, facilitating rest, food preparation, and personal hygiene. Then meeting spaces and other service areas appear, and with them lobbies, corridors, and stairs to connect them. Each space guides new functions, allowing its inhabitants to perform them in an easier and more comfortable way.
However, fewer square meters in the bathroom could mean more space for the living room. Or, eliminating some seemingly expendable spaces could give more room for more important needs. In an overpopulated world with increasingly dense cities, what functions have we been discarding to give more space to the essentials? Here, we analyze the case of the laundry room, which is often reduced and integrated into other areas of the house to give space for other functions.
Multimedia Exhibition in Gagarin Airport / NOWADAYS office
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Architects: NOWADAYS office
- Area: 23000 m²
- Year: 2019
Bolshecoffee Roasters & Shop / AKME
Abu Gosh Restaurant / STUDIO SHOO
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Architects: STUDIO SHOO
- Area: 22 m²
- Year: 2019
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Manufacturers: Delo, Delo design, EQUIPE CERAMICS, FARO Barcelona, Pastcode, +1
Tarusa House / Architectural bureau PROJECT905
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Architects: Architectural bureau PROJECT905
- Area: 350 m²
- Year: 2018
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Manufacturers: Artemide, COLOMBO DESIGN, Dörken, Ikea, JØTUL, +5
Rambler Roof / Nefa Architects
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Architects: Nefa Architects
- Area: 170 m²
- Year: 2018
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Manufacturers: Arper, Nickel Collective
33 m² flat / Studio Bazi
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Architects: Studio Bazi
- Area: 33 m²
- Year: 2017
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Manufacturers: Dornbracht, Fritz Hansen, Lehni, Mücke melder, Santa & Cole, +3