Toyo Kitchens’ Compact Kitchen
10 November 2008
“Heaven and Earth”
When I was still in high school I was an incredible bookworm (still am, really, but I have a life beyond books now), and I remember my father, in an effort to get my nose out of my books, quoting Shakespeare to me. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” I think about that line sometimes when I do the weekly research for more topics to write about. I have said many times that I will n
ever be bored and never run out of things that interest me. I honestly believe I could live several lifetimes and never do the same things, and yet have a ball every time! But I digress. What I really want to do is tell you about another of my “oh, man, get a load of this!” discoveries on the Internet.
For a long time I have featured European-made kitchens, because of the innovation with which they approach all things culinary. Today I have an opportunity to go to a different continent and a different concept. Toyo Kitchens is, as the name would suggest, a Japanese manufacturer of kitchens, but they do have quite a bit in common with the European (mostly Italian, but there are others) kitchen manufacturers, in that they have kitchen designs that just absolutely blow my mind. In looking at these kitchen designs to write about, I want something different, and I want something that works. Well, sir!
This Kitchen Island from Toyo Kitchens’ Nobody Collection is really just the tip of the iceberg. What they have done with it is design something innovative, but something that is imminently practical, and that has a versatility that is nothing short of astonishing.
It’s more than a kitchen island. It is pretty nearly a complete kitchen. Let’s begin with the dark tear drop below the sink, which appears, at first glance, to be merely something decorative. Look a bit closer, though, and you will note that it is, in fact, a convection stovetop with three burners. There’s a large circular sink and plenty of storage space for kitchen items. They even have innovative corrugated-bottom drawers for an extra cutting-edge look whenever you open your drawers. And the island itself is in two parts to facilitate using it for pretty much anything that comes to mind. The second part of the island serves as a necessary food preparation area, but when the meal is ready, it can also double as a breakfast bar.
How practical is something this small? Well, be honest with yourself. How much do you really need in your kitchen? I have often said, and firmly believe, that my wife and I (we’re childless) could get along quite nicely for about 50 weeks per year with a coffee pot and a hot plate! We do have an oven and do use it, but not nearly as much as one thinks. And if we had something like this and an oven in the kitchen somewhere… Well, as I say, one really doesn’t need all that much.
Face it, more and more these days, people are eating takeout anyway. So, again, how much of a kitchen does a body really need? The other idea that popped into my head when I came across this concept is that it would make one slick second kitchen, especially for those who feel they would like to set this up in a bedroom or in a family room or Man Cave, which is another idea that is beginning to take hold these days. Something to eat, something to drink, a big-screen TV, and a football game. That’s not a Man Cave. That’s heaven on earth.
Joseph
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