Beyond the Buffet

While an artistic endeavor, this plate-as-table/table-as-plate design holds much practical potential. As demonstrated in the above film clip, the Bento Table can be endlessly reconfigured to serve a multitude of dishes to a multitude of people, making it a fabulous—if fantastic—furnishing for Thanksgiving dinner. nillylandao.com

Super Kitchen

During last week's London Design Festival, KitchenAid revealed a series of concept kitchens. This one, by Ellen Bernhardt and Paola Vella, is my pick of the lot. The pole-based system could be installed in virtually any space, as it's not dependent on walls. The brass supports are fitted with tinted-glass shelves, lending a note of color to the kitchen. The name—La Super Leggera ['The Super Light']—could refer to weight, massing, or even be an artistic reference: doesn't the design bear a certain resemblance to a musical staff? kitchenaid.com

An Appetite for Al Fresco, Day 4

It's a pity that this long, lean grill is only a concept design. Built to run the length of a traditional biergarten table, its linear form lets everyone in on the grilling action. Bratwurst enfilade, anyone? isabelle-enders.de

A Higher Plane

The dishwasher is a popular target for reinvention. Over the years, it's appeared as a drawer, integrated into the sink, and as an object of pity: a portable, roll-away appliance deemed unfit for discerning eyes. This incarnation—strictly a concept at this point—is designed by students Mohsen Jafari Malek and Behzad Taheri. Meant to ease the ergonomic difficulty of bending down to load the machine, its racks rise up, allowing above-counter access.

Design Without Borders

So: Many, many people are saying that something very terrible, really disgraceful—and sad!—happened #lastnightinSweden. Happily, this extemporaneous kitchen design was not the alleged transgression, as Ikea fully and extremely vetted the hacking project. At the heart of the system is a versatile metal bracket that enables a flexible framing system to accommodate an ad hoc mix of storage units and appliances. ikea-hacka.com

Tub Meets Textile

Water- and sun-resistant textiles for outdoor use have reached a performance pinnacle—so why not capitalize on that and bring them into the bath? The concept is being explored by designer Dominik Tesseraux and fixture manufacturer Bette. Upholstering an enameled-steel tub with a woven fabric: Imagine the possibilities! I think it's an idea whose time has come. bette.de

Water Wise

Ikea isn't all about Billy bookcases and futons. At last year's Salone design fair in Milan, I attended the retailer's impressive investigation into the future of the kitchen. More recently, it has launched a R&D facility in Copenhagen, called Space 10, where ideas for domestic design for all parts of the home are being explored. One project, the Cloud Burst, features a control knob that glows red when the bather has exceeded the recommended time allotted for a shower. In these increasingly water-stressed times, it's a concept worth exploring. space10.io

In With the New, Day 2

Talk about priming the pump: Christmas has barely faded from memory, and the vaunted Consumer Electronics Show opens today. An estimated 20,000 new products will be introduced at the expo, with more than a few targeting the kitchen. Perhaps next year, MK1 will be there: it's a highly dexterous—graceful, even—pair of robotic arms that employs 20 motors and 129 sensors to mimic the movements of a skilled cook. The plan is to offer this automated helper as part of a kitchen set-up that's equipped with appliances that have been specially designed to work with the 'bot. moley.com

In With the New

Let's start 2016 with an open mind, shall we? In the spirit of the new year, I'm going to focus on product concepts this week.

Designed by Carina Deuschl, the Xtend bathtub is both space-saving and portable. A collapsible carbon-fiber frame supports a padded textile liner. Making its debut at the imm Cologne show this month, the tub is a thought-provoking commentary on craftsmanship and the transient nature of life. carina-deuschl.com

From the Future

Despite the Audi marque, this is not an automotive accessory. What looks like a wheel rim has a dual function: Placing one's hands inside the ring activates a spray of water, as well as a black light that eradicates surface bacteria. Fraser Leid is the designer behind the Hudor faucet, which, understandably, remains a concept study. coroflot.com/fraserleid/profile

Bright Ideas

What gives the Cyclone cooktop its name are the seemingly whirling gas flames, produced by channeling the fire through curved slits—rather than the standard round perforations—of the burner cap. And there are other illuminating features, too. LED lights beneath the control knobs and at the tips of the grates glow with a variable intensity that reflects the heat levels of each hob. arcelikas.com

Watch [and Feed] the Birdie

I'm so happy—and so ready!—for a long holiday weekend that today's post falls into the Delirious Design category. Created by Curro Claret, the concept is perhaps better suited for a commercial bakery than a residential kitchen. Crumbs from sliced bread are funneled into a seed cup; it's a gesture that falls somewhere along the reduce-reuse-recycle scale.

Picnic 2.0

Prime picnicking time is fast approaching [yay!] which gives reason to consider an updated alternative to the wicker-hamper-and-blanket scenario. The Technopicnic caters to footloose gourmets who have separation anxiety when it comes to their electronic devices, as it incorporates USB ports, Bluetooth technology, and solar-powered lights. More corporeal comforts include seating cushions and a folding table. Still in the concept phase, I can see the equipment having applications not just in the camping and leisure fields, but in emergency housing, as well. atelierteratoma.com

Bending More Than the Rules

Think about it: Is a straight, solid slab really the most efficient way to lay out a kitchen counter? Olga Kalugina has devised an alternative format that offers integral storage bins and specialized work surfaces and task areas in a quasi-curvilinear array. Studying the features of the Accordion Folding Cook Table, I find myself appraising my own kitchen counter with a dubious eye. hettich.com

Appliance as Art

The always-engaging process of food preparation is a favorite subject for artists. It's a topic familiar to all, and lends itself to limitless conceptual and occasionally functional interpretation. Offered in a limited edition, the Juice Wind Mill takes an ecological approach to producing the breakfast beverage, letting prevailing breezes power the squeezing. Standing just over thirteen feet tall, the three-piece ensemble was created by Dutch designer Frank Tjepkema. tjep.com

Rising [or Lowering] to the Occasion

Every now and then, a theoretical product for the kitchen or bath rings true. One that I think has a reality-based future is this design for a combination sink and shower. Flexible water supply lines are key to its ability to slide up and down, its height adjustable to fit its function. With the micro-apartment trend gaining acceptance in cities, the space-saving aspect of this concept merits serious consideration. 'Lift', by Marta Szymkowiak, was an entry to the Jump the Gap competition sponsored by Roca. jumpthegap.net

Kitchen Sink Caddy

[This post's a shout-out to my car-crazed friends in Benton Harbor, Michigan; Pleasantville, New York; and Saudi Arabia—you know who you are.]

Giving new meaning to take-out dining, this Sixty Special Fleetwood was one of four Cadillac concept cars made in 1956. With the shotgun seat replaced by a refrigerator, hot plate, sink, toaster, and storage, I'll assume the driver never went hungry during road trips.

What Once Was Will Be Again

It's the final Flashback Friday of 2013, dear readers, and in a temporal juxtaposition befitting a New Year's Day hangover, we'll simultaneously look forward and back. In 1899, artist Jean-Marc Côté created fifty depictions of daily life in the year 2000. His take on the kitchen certainly foreshadows today's molecular gastronomy craze; the steampunkish 'appliances' look like they'd fit in at a hipster Williamsburg boîte.

If you're curious about the other facets of the future, you're in good company: no less a visionary than Isaac Asimov was captivated by them. In his book Futuredays, the science-fiction master muses on the entire set of Côté's illustrations, which in addition to the kitchen, include such now-realized technologies as wheeled houses, robotic floor cleaners, and variations on the computer, in addition to some questionably prescient pastimes as aerial tennis and deep-sea croquet.

Commending the Commode

It's World Toilet Day, dear readers, when the issue of global potty parity comes to the fore. This drawing, a detail from US Patent 2,220,482, shows Buckminster Fuller's 1938 design for a prefabricated bathroom. Bucky wasn't solely interested in architectural efficiency, though; he paid particular attention to the toilet component. His design was waterless, and contrived to shrink-wrap, err, 'deposits', for subsequent composting. Today the cause is carried forward by forces large [American Standard] and small [Loowatt] alike.

By A Long Stretch

It's been too long since a kitchen sink caught my attention, so I was very happy to come across this prototype by designer Jean Michel Policar. Funkily futuristic, it wouldn't be a surprise to see it installed in the galley of the Starship Enterprise.

Seriously, I like the way it commands the counter. Unlike less sprawling designs that have interchangable modules [dish drainer, cutting board, colander], it's possible to use all the features simultaneously. And isn't that the key to an efficient sink/prep area?