August 17, 2011

If you cook in a tiny kitchen – you know too well that an open oven door makes the place non-navigable. It is also unkind to a human body. But what choice do we have other than performing our daily acrobatic etudes with hot dishes, and getting on with our lives… Well, this clever invention from Neff puts the end to this nonsense. A slide-away door, fitted on the new models, is a godsend for small spaces. By sliding neatly under the oven as you fully open the door, it provides easy access to the appliance. And if you look closer, you will notice that the handle rotates towards you in a smooth, circular motion. And once the door is fully open, it stays visible and easily accessible at the top of the door. Smart stuff!

(HT KBculture)

August 16, 2011

When it comes to air purification, house plants still remain the safest and the most visually attractive option. That is why French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and Harvard professor David Edwards employed the power of plants to create Andrea, the eco-friendly air purifier. The idea is simple – air is sucked into the device, where it gets filtered through the plant, soil and water. After that it gets recirculated back into the room. No filters to change, no components to clean. Just a beautiful, quiet machine that takes as much space as an average planter. Andrea is low on energy consumption and works with any plant.

(HT Dornob)

August 9, 2011

Mono dishwasher, designed by Daniel Simonini, is smaller than your average dish rack. Yet it can hold 4 plates, 4 glasses (or cups), and a set of flatware. Inspired by sea sponges, the piece has a smooth exterior and slick design that can agree with any space. But the best feature, in my opinion, is the fact that the pressurized water, used for cleaning the dishes, is also employed to power the device’s battery making it carbon-neutral. Perfect for an eco-friendly urban apartment.

July 6, 2011

Dishwasher is a notorious space eater in the kitchen. That is why designers come up with more and more ideas on how to combine it with other things. Here is another interesting concept – a dishwasher hiding under the drainboard of the sink. How intuitive and simple. It is on the small side, so there are some minor sacrifices, but, according to the manufacturer, the appliance can easily accommodate up to five place settings, including dinner plates up to 11 inches. So, just like in science fiction, you can dump your dirty dishes in the sink and press the button.

June 23, 2011

A dish rack is the worst space offender in the kitchen, if you ask me. Even if it is cool and designy, it still takes a lot of precious counter real estate. The mission of this product is to change all that by eliminating the need for a dish rack altogether. Andrew Parsons of Canada’s Humber College developed a concept for Electrolux, called Breeze. It is a portable dryer that helps you quickly dry your hand washed dishes. The principle is simple – a digital pulse motor concentrates air to a thin stream that blows the plate dry when once moved through the machine. The air travels at a speed of 400 MPH (644 km/h) and leaves your dishes dry and, since you’re not using towels, bacteria free and safe. Brilliant!