Mini kitchens

Mini kitchens for chef's dishes

About the meager measures of city apartments we have already extensively discussed on the occasion of articles about the design of new spaces available, small and multifunctional. Also the decor of these spaces follows these guidelines: short compositions, compact, but with every option, at least the ones that you do not ever give up.

Take the case of the kitchen. The proliferation of television broadcasts and blogs that talk about cooking in general clashes, excuse me for the word, with the available modern spaces that are smaller and smaller.

More the great chefs, national and international, gain visibility and dispense advices on tv and stand in various fairs and exhibitions, the more we take the sacred fire of inspiration for new and original dishes, and the more we are coming to terms with spaces that nothing have to do with the Masterchef kitchen and even with the one of Benedetta Parodi.

So what? Give up?! Of course not.

Mini apartment, mini kitchen or compact vertical kitchen?

In this article I will consider, of course, the extreme cases, ie those situations where the adjective small, relatet to the kitchen space, is really an understatement. Especially I'm interested in going to discover what are the solutions, futuristic in some cases, already on the sector market or still at the prototype stage.

As often happens in these cases, in each production sector, from fashion to automotive industry or aerospace, are created products that carry the extreme concepts of aesthetic and functionality, thanks to the study and use of materials and futuristic technologies to be tested and subsequently used in daily life with the right balance of form and function adapted to the normal circumstances.

Just as often these different fields intersect their results and make them available as needed. It happened to the padding on the seats of the space industry, used later on high-end cars and for the latest generation mattresses in memory foam, and is just one example.

With this in mind, we realize how challenging is studying the needs of the microcosm kitchen, place of the multiple concentrated activities, combining them in new ways, spaces and lifestyles. Paradoxically, we are to reckon with passions for culinary recipes probably more varied and complicated than our mothers and grandmothers, but with space and time tight to.


So we have to make the most of space and technology to not give up our passion. On the other hand, the idea and the need for a compact kitchen come from far away in time, the Minikitchen was born in 1963 by Joe Colombo, and now it is already more than fifty years old and has been revisited by Boffi who has proposed it in Corian® 12 cm thick, keeping the original design.

It consists of a cart structure complete with a glass ceramic hob and induction technology, 50 liter fridge, drawer and compartments, cutlery drawers, sockets for small appliances, teak chopping board and a shelf of service. The wheels are swivel 360° with two locking brakes.


Do not forget Ecooking, designed by designer Massimo Facchinetti for Clei. Perfect for environments where space does not allow classical solutions, this includes kitchen area, just a 70-cm side, everything you need to make functional the kitchen space at the highest level: a 118 liter fridge with freezer, a sink, as many as 3 working removable shelves, an induction hob, a dishwasher, a microwave, a coffee maker, the sanitizing hood, the carts-container.

Ecooking is the vertical kitchen designed for small spaces, but with so many green devices and accessories, starting with the air purification system integrated in the hood, solar panels, to a vertical garden for spices and herbs for cooking.

The name chosen, among other things, fully reflects the underlying philosophy of this item: Eco like eco-friendly, cooking like to cook.

Futuristic kitchenette

Just as the futuristic is the design of compact kitchen area by Gatto that with Sheer realizes a basic one-piece, but perfectly in line with the basic concepts of ergonomics and functionality, using high quality materials.


With its precise identity, Sheer represents the synthesis for those people who are always in search of innovation, formal provocation, eccentric elegance, but still love to live the house, sharing their free time at the table with friends.

With its compact symbolic form it is different than other more traditional island kitchens, but also with respect to the solutions to the most recent production of blocks, which takes the perfect rationalization of space.

The Minikitchen Sheer is constituted by a monobloc in the shape of sphere with a diameter of 148 cm, which opens, when in use, in two hemispheres, whereas the lower one contains the complete working area, whereas the upper one contains the hood and the lighting, which features are controlled by a push button in the cupboards.

In one motion we pass from a sculptural object, a true piece of furniture to the perfect machine for cooking with Corian® top, complete with everything: from the sink to the electric hob in glass ceramic with three burners, infrared burners, from soapstone to 3 chilling bottles with aluminum cap. The sink has a stainless steel cutlery drainer and a cutting board/ drainer in Corian®. Despite the futuristic look, Sheer takes the ancient concept of the kitchen as the center, the hearth centralizer of sociality, around which there is the family life understood in its everyday life or together with old friends.

The lighting system consists of 4 halogen white light plus 4 blue LED lights independent, self winding, which light up when it gets too dark. An electric system sliding on telescopic ceiling allows the system Sheer to be operated for the opening or closing, while a magnetic system allows the hood to release the suction pipe, if it is running, or to hide it.

Completing the island 2 steel and Corian® satellite trucks, one for the collection, the other is a service cart and an extra counter if necessary. There is also a pull-out table measures 70 x 100 cm in the lower hemisphere, together with 2 electrical outlets for small appliances.

The system Sheer does not end here. There is also a wall-cabinet freestanding electrically foldable, which contains, among other things, 4 folding chairs in aluminum, covered in leather.

This wall-cabinet, 90 cm deep, in addition to shelves, plate racks and compartments pots holding, allows the insertion of the lateral appliances: oven, microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator. The lower hemisphere is made in brushed stainless steel or carbon fiber, while the hood is transparent or semi-transparent mono sanded methacrylate.