Wednesday, April 29, 2015
A Kitchen Inspired by Seaside Living
Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola's first modular kitchen system is called Salinas, named for a beach town in Spain where her grandfather had a summer house. "We would go there on the weekend and there would be lots of aunts, uncles, cousins," she told Icon magazine, "with someone always cooking and my father out fishing for dinner.”
Urquiola recalls a busy kitchen full of chopping blocks, stone and copper surfaces, and open shelving. That is the inspiration for her Salinas kitchen for Italian manufacturer Boffi, which was revealed at Salone del Mobile in 2014. This year Boffi updated the collection with new surface materials and a series of full-height storage cabinets. Unlike Boffi's usual made-to-measure approach—perfectly custom to any space but a costly way to manufacture—Salinas is compiled of a few modular pieces, requiring far less energy in manufacturing and in tailoring the design to any one space.
Photographs via Boffi, except where noted.
Above: Urquiola's finishes allow customers to create several different looks: a monochromatic kitchen, a kitchen made of a single material, or a whimsical collection of many materials, like the one shown here.
Above: Urquiola set out to design a kitchen for small spaces, but in the end her more expansive design was a better fit with the rest of the Boffi catalog.
Above: One or more solid wood "peninsula" slabs available in ash or walnut can be fixed to the countertop or configured to slide in and out. The peninsula functions as an additional workspace, or—with a set of stools—as a dining table. For Urquiola, the wood's rounded edges suggest having been worn away by time.
Above: The standard apron-front sink is available in natural stone, absolute black granite, or quartzite silver. The kitchen is held together by black matte tubular steel frames, with LED lights integrated into the shelving. Photograph via H+K.
Above: To achieve the look of tile countertops without the additional expense of tile installation, Urquiola used large sheets of ceramic or Sicilian lava and designed a geometric pattern of inlaid recycled glass. Photograph via Le Fil Rouge.
Above: Options for cabinet door facings include wood, lacquer, brass, copper, zinc, and more. Countertops can be made of ceramic, marble, lava stone, or recycled PaperStone.
Above: A glimpse at the finishes available for countertops and cabinet fronts. Photograph via H+K.
For more Italian kitchens, see:
- Bella Cucina: 8 Italian Kitchen Systems
- 11 Italian Kitchens, Dolce Vita Edition
- A Movable Feast: A Modular Kitchen by an Italian Architect
- 16 Made-in-Italy Kitchen Essentials
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Tablescapes: A Mother's Day Setting with Bash Studio
Boston-based event planner and designer Kathryn Yee has always appreciated the beauty, feel, and eco-friendliness of cloth napkins. But she noticed that, for daily use at least, most people still reached for disposable paper products. Then, for one of her events, Kathryn designed a series of square serviettes made from recycled cloth. Somewhere in size between a cocktail and dinner napkin, these linens were small enough to lay out in a compact stack but generous enough for meals. Casual, yet elegant, they seemed ideal for daily use. Thus The Everyday Napkin was born.
Recently, I teamed up with Kathryn and several other Boston-area shops to create a springtime tablescape, perfect for Mother's Day or any special occasion.
Photography and styling by Justine Hand and Kathryn Yee of Bash Studio.
Above: For our setting, we paired Kathryn's Everyday Napkins with a selection of earthy ceramics in soft grays and springtime pastels. For a bit of festive sparkle, we added brushed gold Due Ice Oro flatware from Lekker Home; $115 for a five-piece set. Also from Lekker Home, the charcoal dinner plates are from the Ripple Collection by Urban Oasis; $58. The mint tea cup; ($82 with saucer), white carafe ($76), and gray jug ($26) are all by MUD Australia.
Above: Everyday Napkins are not only convenient and stylish, they're eco-friendly. Each reusable napkin is hand made by Kathryn and her mother from recycled designer fabrics. Because they are made from found textiles, the Everyday Napkin collections are always changing and can be mixed and matched; $28 for a set of seven.
Above: Measuring 6.5 inches square, the stackable Everyday Napkins are good for weddings and buffets. You can even leave a collection on the counter for on-the-go meals and snacks. Here we used selects from Kathryn's Spring Collection, made from prewashed white cotton linen with contrast herringbone stitching, as well as the Everyday Napkin Chambray Collection (both $28 for a set of seven).
Above: Our informal yet elegant table setting includes my set of vintage cordial glasses and an ironstone compote. In the corner, a tall vase by Morandi ($140 at Greentail Table) holds pink and white cherry blossoms.
Above: Originally designed for Höst restaurant in Copenhagen, Norm lunch plates provide another touch of pastel. We used Norm Lunch plates in nude (pink), gray, and yellow, all available at Greentail Table; $26.
Above: Oji Masanori's brass sun trivet ($110) is paired with MUD's tiny, petal pink bowl, and a chambray Everyday Napkin with aqua trim. Other available trim colors include: citron, aqua, coral, black, tomato red, pink, gray and even limited edition pom pom.
Above: Also from Greentail Table, Oslo Cake Server in Matte Gold; $26.
N.B. Looking for more causally elegant table inspirations? Visit:
- Fabrics and Linens: MyDrap Napkins, disposed cotton napkins on a roll
- 10 Easy Pieces: Handmade Dinnerware from Ceramic Studios
- 10 Easy Pieces: Basic Drinking Glass
- Steal This Look: Parisian Oyster Party
- A Season Celebration, Creatives Included
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10 Easy Pieces: Kitchen Countertop Appliances, Small-Space Living Edition
To begin my investigation into the world of compact countertop appliances, I thought I'd first measure my own countertop. The verdict: 18 inches wide with a depth of 15 inches. My kitchen is small—not suburbia small, but city small—with a tiny refrigerator, an oven that barely fits a small cooking sheet, and flatware drawers of odd dimensions. Since I need every inch of the countertop as prep space, my kitchen cannot afford a single stationary countertop appliance; they all go back into cupboards and drawers and anywhere I can shove them.
To begin the discussion, here is our selection of countertop appliances, where no single dimension breaches my own 18-inch requirement. Have a favorite small countertop appliance to share? We want to hear your suggestions in the comments section below.
Toasters & Toaster Ovens
Above: In a size as thick as an average cookbook, Japanese company Plus Minus Zero's 1-Slice Toaster in white is 6.6 by 8.8 by 3.1 inches; $67.79 at Amazon.
Above: The Breville Bit More 2-Slice Toaster is one of the smallest among two-slice toasters, measuring 7.75 by 11.25 by 8 inches. The electrical cord stores up inside the toaster from below, which could prove useful if it can't live on the counter full time; $79.95 at Williams-Sonoma.
Above: While difficult to source, the Plus Minus Zero Vertical Toaster Oven, from Naoto Fukasawa, is as slim as they come (8.8 by 9.5 by 11.7 inches). They can be found in both black and white (shown) through various dealers on eBay, somewhere in the range of $275 to $320.
Above: A great two-for-one appliance, especially for kitchens lacking a proper or functional oven, is Cuisinart's Compact Toaster Oven Broiler; it's 8 by 15 by 13 inches and is $49.99 at Amazon.
Blenders & Juicers
Above: Available in as many colors as a Birkin handbag, the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor has a 3-cup capacity and measures 5.9 by 10.2 by 8.4 inches; $35.99 at Amazon.
Above: As someone whose large Vitamix is dissected into parts and stored in various cupboards (in the interest of space), I wish I had purchased the Vitamix S55 Personal Blender instead. It measures 6 by 9 by 16 inches and includes two containers (both a 20- and 40-fluid-ounce size); $449.95 at Williams-Sonoma.
Above: The L'Equip Mini Pulp Ejection Juicer has a funny, nostalgic look—like the juicer your great aunt passed down to your mother or the sort of kitchen appliance you'd see in a 1970s-era French film. Nonetheless, it measures 7.5 by 13.5 by 11.5 inches; small proportions for a decent juicer with a 480-watt motor; $109.99 at Sears. For more, see our post 10 Easy Pieces: Juicers.
Microwave Ovens
Above: The smallest microwave we're able to source is the iWavecube Personal Desktop Microwave Oven (10 by 10.5 by 12 inches) for $129.99 at Amazon.
Above: Whirlpool's 0.5 Cu. Ft. Countertop Microwave is a compact cube of 13.75 by 15.38 by 14.13 inches and is available in black, silver, and white (shown) for $139 at Home Depot.
Above: LG's 0.7 Cu. Ft. Compact Microwave is a little wider than the largest MacBook Pro; it's 10.13 by 17.9 by 12.25 inches and costs $99.99 at Syn Mart.
Other Appliances
Above: The Zojirushi Micom Rice Warmer and Cooker has compact proportions of 9.88 by 13.25 by 8.5 inches; $99.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Above: For the avid tea drinker, an electric kettle is a countertop essential. The Universal Expert Electric Kettle is an appealing option at 7.8 by 6.6 by 10.3 inches for $90 at West Elm.
Looking for larger appliances for small spaces? See 10 Easy Pieces: Favorite Appliances for Small Kitchens for a set of ranges, refrigerators, and more. For more functional inspiration, sift through all our Small-Space Living posts.
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