Increased urbanisation, growing populations and rise in single person households means that modern living is becoming more compact. Space is at a premium, not just within countries, or communities, but also within the home environment.
Despite these shifts, consumer demand for the new and the niche in the home kitchen will continue.
Global travel, 24/7 internet access and the increased interest in cuisines from far-flung (and even further-flung) regions will mean the desire for more cooking styles, more techniques and ultimately more equipment.
While this trend towards smaller spaces continues to grow, so does the smart and sophisticated ways of designing in, around and for these new home environments.
Compact will no longer mean less functionality or compromise on quality – in fact, ‘compact’ will start to represent a new standard in cookware and appliance design, elevating the idea of convergence and mobility to new levels.
Featured and above image credits: PDD
It is just as much about what you take out, as what you leave it in…
Think…
Analogue convergence – smart stackable cookware, tableware and utensils. Single footprint with multiple product functionality.
Cultural fusions – cultural and cuisine specific cooking equipment gets a fusion twist creating dual purpose – from tagine to tava.
Single person version – more compact appliances, new configurations, shift from space saving to space maximising solutions – considered reduction.
Mobile hospitality – expanding cooking spaces in, around and outside of the traditional kitchen environment. Temporary structures, mobile and communal cooking – adapting from one to ten people.
Image credit:
01 > Rörstrand tableware
02 > Nest 8™ kitchenware by Joseph Joseph
03 > Porcelain water carafe & milk can by Aldo Bakker
04 > Hook Collection cookware by Karim Rashid
05 > + Table series by Fraaiheid
06 > Ready Made Curtain – Bouroullec Brothers & Kvadrat collaboration
07 > RGB Vases by Oscar Diaz
Directions to consider when translating this trend:
- Smart forms and structures enabling stackability
- Single iconic footprints – repetition over scale
- Shapes morphing as they converge – braking current conventions
- Extendable structures with attention to detail gives flexibility to spaces
- Transparency, layering and depth – revealing multiples
- Colour and material mixes creating intriguing combinations
- Bold colour and material transitions
- Form definition through colour and pattern contrast
- Harmonious eclectic mix
For the third instalment of Kitchen Futures we will be delving into the curious world of molecular gastronomy, where science meets theatre creating a new dynamic in the home kitchen.