Steal This Look: A Low-Cost Kitchen for Serious Chefs

Spotted on Dezeen: a low-cost kitchen by Tank Architects of Tokyo designed for a couple with a passion for cooking but a limited budget.

The owners of House K wanted a kitchen with enough space for serious culinary experimentation. The solution? Humble materials like concrete blocks and larch plywood topped with polished stainless steel countertops, which add a finished note to the otherwise rough-looking space. Here, the kitchen itself and some ideas for recreating the look.

Photography by Eric Bossic.

Above: The kitchen’s minimalist elegance makes a virtue out of economical building materials.

Above: A stack of concrete blocks creates a slim counter that divides the space.

Above: The polished stainless counters bounce light into the kitchen.

Above: Concrete Blocks are $1.28 each from Home Depot.

Above: Stainless Steel Counter Tops are available in standard sizes from A Best Kitchen; a 24-by-25-inch length is $388. For more visit our previous post: 10 Easy Pieces: Remodelista Kitchen Countertop Picks.

Above: The architects used larch plywood for the shelving, which can be hard to source in the US. One alternative: Birch C-3 Plywood in a 3/4-inch thickness for shelving; a 4-by-8-feet panel is $45.97 at Home Depot.

Above: Elements of Design Single Handle Faucet in polished chrome; $193.17 at eFaucets.

Above: Smeg Classic Design 24-Inch Gas Cooktop; $645 from AJ Madison.

Above: Nutid Free-Hanging Extractor Hood in stainless steel; $1,299 from Ikea.

Above: The exposed light sockets can be created using a Standard Porcelain Lamp Socket; $9.49 each at Aubuchon Hardware.

For more designs that make use of concrete, see our post, Concrete, from the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory. And if you’re thinking of using concrete outdoor paving, see Gardenista’s post: Eco-Friendly Paving Solutions for porous concrete.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on February 21, 2012.