Sheer Kitchens
8 April 2008
“Don’t Turn on the Lights, ‘Cause I Don’t Want to See!”
Ah, kitchens, kitchens, kitchens…
I started writing these blogs with my buddy, and that’s about all I do these days—search high and low for something to say about cabinetmaking, mostly as it applies to, yup, kitchens. But this time around I think we’ve come up with something that just blows the whole damned thing clean out of the water. At least it does if you’re a cabinetmaker!
Made In Italia
Sheer is an Italian manufacturer that has come up with a kitchen that really puts cabinetmakers out of business altogether. We’ve pictured it above, but believe me, you really have to go to their website to get the full effect of what they have created. On the one hand it is a futuristic concept that is not going to fit into most homes—for which we cabinetmakers fervently give thanks—but on the other hand it is, for those with a modern home, and the courage to do something different, a dynamite solution to an age-old problem.
Space Required?
This kitchen requires so little space that I could easily drop it into my own postage stamp of a kitchen and have room left over for… pretty much everything. On the one hand the counters would be gone. And a fair amount of storage space. But as I have already pointed out in previous blogs, a fair amount of the kitchen storage space we now have contains items that have not seen the light of day for fifteen years.
Where Does All My Stuff Go?
With a kitchen like this, we would clearly have to give up a fair amount of other things, but I’m reasonably convinced that the most of that stuff is just stuff. People like ourselves (we’re childless) could easily get by during the week with a hot plate and a coffee pot. The only cooking we really do is on weekends, and the most of that is pretty plain fare. I’m telling you, it’s a tempting concept. But, hey, I’m a cabinetmaker. I shouldn’t even be telling YOU about this!
The Kitchen of The Future Has Arrived?
The whole thing appears to be state-of-the-art, both in design and in the carbon fiber they used for much of the construction because it’s lighter and more resistant than stainless steel. When it’s closed, it looks like some sort of giant egg, but when you’re ready to cook, the top can be raised to the ceiling, and it then doubles as a ventilation hood, with lighting for the cooking area. The stove has four burners and plenty of food preparation space, believe it or not. They have a steel pull-out table and two trolley tables, one for kitchen equipment storage, the other for waste collection. There’s also a sink at one end.
Completely Self Contained
The unit to the left in the first picture is a self-supporting wall unit which can be closed completely with a motorized roller shutter. Inside it are four folding chairs of aluminum and natural leather. This unit is also the area where one finds the oven, microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher. And they have provided plenty of storage space for glasses, plates, bottles, and pots, along with two large drawers for pans and kitchen equipment. They’ve even thought of a folding pantry.
For those with a taste for the modern—and who are willing to stock a kitchen with only those items they actually use—this might be just the ticket. Just don’t tell our cabinetmaker friends who told you!
Joseph Jetson
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