Kitchens With Margot Guralnick
Finally, a group of countertop kitchen appliances that are not only unobtrusive but actually nice looking. Several pieces from product designer Naoto Fukasawa's minimalist collection for Muji are about to arrive in the US.
Above: "People shouldn't really have to think about an object when they are using it," says Fukasawa. "Not having to think about it makes the relationship between a person and an object run more smoothly."
A trio of his plug-in appliances—a toaster (shown here), electric kettle, and rice cooker—all of them in white with rounded edges, will be available at the new Muji store in Palo Alto, California, which opens on August 15. Several other Muji stores in the US will be offering the designs this fall, and they'll be available in the UK and other parts of Europe starting in late October; go to Muji to inquire about details.
Above: The pop-up toaster will retail for $95. Its temperature dial includes a setting for frozen bread.
Known for its devotion to simple, functional design, Muji is short for mujirushi ryōhin, which means "no-brand quality goods." The Japan-based global chain currently has 11 stores in the US (Palo Alto will be the 12th), and an online store.
Above: The electric kettle, $95, has a silhouette inspired by classic ceramic pitchers. It boils a cup of water in 80 seconds and has a hidden space under the base to coil the cord.
Above: Fukasawa cleverly incorporated a spoon rest into the top of his electric rice cooker.
Above: The rice cooker is 7.3 inches tall and 8.2 inches wide; $195, bamboo paddle included. "I like rounded cubic shapes because people find them friendly," says Fukasawa. He gave several of his appliances flat sides so they can rest against a wall.
Above: Fukasawa's microwave for Muji was released in Japan last year; there are no import plans yet but we're hoping that changes.
Above: The vertical toaster oven is another Fukasawa design that isn't available Stateside, but it and other Muji designs are available from sellers on eBay.
Go to Modern Muji on the Med to see hotel apartments in Barcelona with Muji furnishings. And browse our Shop section to see more of our Muji favorites.
Like the idea of tables and lamps with built-in chargers? Take a look at Power to the People: Ikea's New Phone-Charging Furniture.
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Kitchens With Meredith Swinehart
Bucks and Spurs, a new Stockholm-based design house, earned international attention earlier this year when their Railway kitchen won the Best Kitchen category in the 2015 Elle Decoration Swedish Design Awards.
The winning kitchen is part of the company's "Railways" modular cabinetry line, which also includes bathroom and closet cabinetry and indoor and outdoor sliding doors. The overall concept is a clean-lined Scandinavian system with a streak of the American West. In each piece of cabinetry, Bucks and Spurs paired rough-hewn oak boards with smoother ones to achieve a look they call "rough ranch."
Photography via Bucks and Spurs and Elle Decoration Sweden.
Above: The Railway components, which hang on a wall-mounted rail, have a Shaker-like flexibility. The rail is the only part of the kitchen that's fixed, which means that cabinets can be moved according to changing needs.
Above L: The entire kitchen system is made in Sweden, including the handmade oak cabinetry, Swedish limestone countertops, and Swedish leather details by Tarnsjo Tannery. Above R: Sliding wood panels hide and reveal drawers and open storage spaces.
Above: Drawers make use of simple box joints.
Above L: Oak inset on a diagonal is a nod to railroad ties. Above R: The kitchen styled for Elle Decoration Sweden.
Above: The Railways system began with sliding doors and cabinet frames made by woodworkers in Järna and Småland, Sweden. These frames later developed into the full modular furniture system.
Above: Bucks and Spurs pairs its modular cabinetry system with decorative finds from around the world, including artful embroidery by Brooklyn-based Coral & Tusk, whose aprons are shown here. This wood-and-copper ladder rail is an optional component of the kitchen and bathroom systems.
More kitchen systems from around the world:
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