We are loving the anti-kitchen kitchen trend we’ve been noticing of late. Instead of installing monolith walls of built-in cabinets and big shiny appliances, some designers are choosing to treat the room more like a living or family room and selecting finishes and furniture-like units to match.
A while back, Swedish kitchen company Nordiska Kök reached out to us about such an aytpical kitchen, a recently completed project in an elegant apartment in Stockholm’s Östermalm district. The clients, parents to three children, wanted the kitchen to be the heart of the home, but relocating it to the center meant it would now be visible from both the living room and the TV room. The solution: downplay the standard trappings of typical kitchens and elevate its design so that it blends in seamlessly with the other spaces.
Of course, the room still has to be functional. “We live a busy life, the children have many activities, and we often have friends at home,” says the wife, an interior designer. “It was important for us to have a natural gathering point at home, where homework and cooking can be done. We love to entertain, and my goal was to get a real kitchen island to be able to present food and drink to guests who can then move freely in the apartment.”
“We have renovated all the homes we have lived in,” she continues. “It’s fun to see my own development as I become more daring each time.”
Join us for a tour.
Photography by Kristofer Johnsson, styling by Caroline Sandström, courtesy of Nordiska Kök.
Above: The view from the living room into the kitchen. For cohesiveness, the same warm off-white paint—NCS 0500—was used in the three rooms (living room, kitchen, and den) that form the home’s “social hub.”
Above: Herringbone floors throughout add warmth to the minimalist design.
Above: Black accents—a Serge Mouille ceiling light, wall lights by Serax, and stools by Mater—punctuate the otherwise pale room.
Above: The rounded lower cabinets and countertop, more akin to a sideboard than kitchen built-in, reference a curvy sofa in the living room. The faucet is by Dornbracht.
Above: Soft floor-to-ceiling curtains are another unusually elegant touch in this kitchen. And note how unobtrusive the Gaggenau cooktop is; it even has a built-in fan in lieu of a more prominent range hood.
Above: A Tabouret Méribel Stool by Charlotte Perriand sits next to a floating wall unit.
Above: Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Table and Capitol Complex Chairs from Cassina make up the breakfast nook.
Above: Hidden from the living room view is a wall unit that conceals the refrigerator and freezer.
For more minimalist kitchens, see:
- Kitchen of the Week: A Minimalist Design by an Annabelle Selldorf Protégé
- Kitchen of the Week: At Home with the Ultimate Minimalists, the Creators of Cereal Magazine
- Kitchen of the Week: A Minimalist, Wabi-Sabi Kitchen in a Contemporary Tokyo Apartment
N.B.: This story originally ran on October 7, 2021 and has been updated.
