Human-Centred Design Kitchens

This kitchen was designed for a family with three children who love to cook. The main issue for the clients was the constant cleaning of the kitchen, as the kids would heavily mess up the cabinet fronts during cooking.

Additionally, the clients had experienced instances where the children accidentally scratched and chipped the furniture fronts in the most noticeable areas. For this reason, in this project, we immediately abandoned painted fronts and gave preference to anti-vandal plastic. The secret lies in the fact that the plastic coating has a textured, uneven surface where dirt and scratches are not easily noticeable. Furthermore, the plastic is resistant to chips and cracks.

The tall cabinets and lower cabinets are made from MFC Kronospan Charcoal Flow (Austria), in contrast to which the upper cabinets made from MFC Egger Arlington Oak (Austria) are perfectly complementary. All the edges of the cabinet fronts where the clients and their children might touch with wet hands are covered with a handle profile, sealed with silicone for a watertight seal.

Since the clients enjoy cooking together, a kitchen island was absolutely essential. The island has storage zones on both sides for convenient table service without having to navigate the entire kitchen. To maintain easy access, seating has been placed behind the bar counter on the side of the island.

All the mechanisms inside the kitchen are from BLUM (Austria). The countertop is made from moisture-resistant quartz agglomerate, RADIANZ Diamond White, and the backsplash is made from painted tempered glass matching the color of the countertop, avoiding excessive use of quartz to save the client money.

The ceilings in the property are over three meters in the finished state. Above the kitchen, we intentionally lowered them to accommodate the ventilation duct for the hood and to position the hood lower, making it easier for the client to clean. Additionally, in this project, we crafted a dining table from solid wood to harmonize with the kitchen materials.

Sometimes, we have to work with challenging spaces with uneven walls. In this project, we encountered a large protrusion on the wall that hindered placing a standard straight kitchen.

Nevertheless, we managed to overcome this obstacle. To achieve this, we slightly reduced the countertop depth and rotated the sink by 90 degrees. Inside the cabinets, we extended the full depth into the niches on both sides of the protrusion. The niches behind the backsplash were concealed using painted tempered glass, opening with sliding mechanisms.

Originally, our concept for this project was to use a wooden countertop, but the client had a negative experience with wooden surface — it would stain from colored products, and over time, the wood darkened around the sink. Therefore, we opted for a very beautiful post-formed surface by EGGER (Austria) with a decor that imitates natural pine. This material doesn’t absorb moisture or colored liquids, it’s resistant to scratches and dents, pleasant to touch, and, unlike wood, it’s effortless to clean from grease and dust.

The cabinet fronts in this kitchen are made from MDF with a combined multilayered painting — matte below and glossy on top. We wanted to introduce gloss on the upper cabinets to enhance the effect of illumination above the kitchen and add a sense of spaciousness to the room. All the opening mechanisms used in the project are from BLUM (Austria).

The primary requirement from the clients was the presence of an island with ample seating and a dining table. However, the space designated for the kitchen was limited in size, making the placement of both zones a significant challenge. We developed 12 different layout options for the clients.

As a result, we decided to position the island adjacent to the main kitchen area (a peninsula rather than an island), aiming to maximize the approach to the refrigerators (two pencil cases on the far left). This decision allowed us to incorporate a full-sized 6-person table, designed as an integral part of the kitchen ensemble.

On the central part of the kitchen, we placed white glossy shallow upper cabinets, visually separated by a illuminated display case. These cabinets serve a purely aesthetic purpose — concealing the hood and adding a sense of completeness to the kitchen, while the white gloss fronts contribute to the room’s brightness.

The standout feature of the kitchen is the library-style ladder. The clients were insistent on the furniture reaching up to the ceiling. To eliminate the need to fetch a ladder each time, we decided to install a built-in ladder, securely fixed and always within reach.

Take a look at the handleless wall with pencil cases. All storage areas, as well as the refrigerator and freezer, open with a touch and operate using BLUM’s Servo-Drive electric drives (Austria). You can also notice an interesting mirrored facade above the microwave — it’s a special television designed for spaces with high humidity and temperature (e.g., spa areas). We personally selected this TV for the clients, just like all the other household appliances in this project.

For the kitchen fronts, we opted for super matte smart covering FENIX GRIGIO BROMO (Italy), and the countertop and backsplash are made from ceramic MARAZZI IRON DARK (Italy). To break the dominance of gray tones, we utilized natural oak wood for the peninsula countertop and wall panels. The result is a very warm and cozy kitchen in a modern style with industrial touches.

The apartment will mainly be inhabited by a couple, but relatives will often come to visit them. That’s why we divided the kitchen and dining areas with a bar counter.

The bar counter has storage spaces on both sides: from the dining area, it holds spare sets of tableware and everything needed for table setting. From the kitchen side, it stores trays for cutlery and trays for small household items. This way, there’s no need to take extra steps (going around the bar counter) to organize a dining setup for guests. And for everyday meals for two people, the bar counter is sufficient.

Material of the fronts: structured wood veneer with a rich honey tint DAB OM1 Wiech (Poland), white plastic with laser-edged finishing Brilliant Matt Bianco REHAU (Germany), and custom-milled painted MDF. The highlight of the project is the luxurious quartz agglomerate Crystal Calacatta Silva Technistone (Czech) used for the countertop and kitchen backsplash, featuring a rich marble pattern.

The project includes a built-in refrigerator Samsung with a special freezing compartment that can operate in multiple modes: freezing for long-term food storage, a zero-degree chamber that extends the shelf life of fresh produce for up to two weeks without freezing. This decision was made because weekend apartment occupants rarely use the freezer, preferring to store fresh produce or ready-to-cook meals that do not require freezing and are purchased for a short stay in the apartment.

We personally selected and purchased all the household appliances and plumbing fixtures for this project — the clients didn’t have to deal with it themselves. Additionally, we pre-planned the arrangement of kitchen utensils inside the cabinets and procured and installed necessary divider systems and additional drawer accessories — rubber mats, spice and bottle holders, and so on.

We approached the creation of this kitchen with great love and attention to detail. Every aspect has been meticulously thought out: a spice and oil cabinet cleverly nestled in the backsplash niche, a dish storage area ingeniously located in the island for easy unloading from the dishwasher without unnecessary walking.

All joints fit perfectly, thanks to the false front on the dishwasher and the panel front under microwave. The wood veneer pattern on the upper cabinets gracefully transitioning from door to door, creating a seamless effect, and a wide-format tempered glass backsplash with a deep black hue.

In this project, the kitchen seamlessly merges with the living room, leaving no space for a separate dining area. Therefore, we decided to combine the island with the dining table.

Completing the kitchen is a TechniStone Taurus Terazzo Grey quartz agglomerate countertop (from Czechia). All the hardware used in this kitchen is from BLUM (Austria).

On this project, the clients decided to unify the entire first floor of their house into a single space. Therefore, it was crucial not to highlight the kitchen against the backdrop of the other zones, instead, drawing attention to it.

The room already featured black panoramic windows, an impressive graphite-colored fireplace, and a staircase to the second floor with striking black railings, all within the kitchen area. Hence, we chose black as the main color for the kitchen and complemented it with a white backsplash and wooden accents.

For the cabinet fronts and countertops, we used anti-vandal plastic FENIX NERO INGO. This approach allowed us to create the effect of a monolithic kitchen and island, blurring the visual transition between the countertop and the cabinet fronts. We used the same wooden decor for the upper cabinets and the dining table, thereby connecting both areas seamlessly.

In this project, the kitchen island functions solely as a serving area for the subsequent dining table. This is due to the fact that the dining group is located very close to the kitchen, making sitting places behind the island unnecessary.

Access to all storage areas is implemented using the TIPON BLUMOTION (BLUM) touch-opening system — no unnecessary details on the fronts, not even handles. All the internal hardware is from BLUM (Austria). A mini bar is located within the island.