The designer in me is always intrigued by what is to come. What is the next trend. How do we improve upon what is available to us today. While I find the following kitchen fascinating due to its ingenuity, innovation, and what is defined as truly green (ecological…not just green-washing) its aesthetic needs improvement (of course). However, like all great ideas and prototypes it has to start somewhere. In concept this is brilliant and I am excited to see where it lands aesthetically in the kitchen of the future.

The Ekokook is a sustainable kitchen, and by sustainable it is more than just energy efficient and made of recycled products, that truly defines reuse and respect of our environment. The Ekokook kitchen from Faltazi uses three built-in microplants to recycle water and break down waste.  Based on its various compartments there is a zone for washing, food storage (both dry and cold), prep tables appear from what seems to be with George Jetson ease, a steam oven (yes you can cook with steam and I’m not talking the steamers of vegetables we currently nuke in the microwave), a gas burner, and there is a hood used for extraction. This kitchen by design is efficient, compact, and supports the concept of  cradle-to-cradle by reusing every resource.

Will the kitchen of the future look like this? Probably not. Will the kitchen of the future incorporate the concept and function of the Ekokook? I hope so and would like to say most definitely. While I’m not sure how quickly it will hit the mainstream you can bet on finding elements of this design in cutting edge European homes first and it will eventually find its way to the United States in homes that are “off-the-grid”. In time some of these elements, I hope, will find their way into everyday appliances, fixtures, and features of the modern day kitchen (of the future). Do I want my own kitchen to look like this? Absolutely not, though I would be more than open and willing to incorporate some of the same functionality.

I like the words that Faltazi uses to describe this kitchen as stated in the July/August/10  issue of icon (an ASID magazine and newsletter for those of you that are not familiar), “All the air, water, wind and sun that reach a habitat must be seen as scarce resources to be captured and used.” This is so true despite the fact that some live in areas that they may not feel the affects of our dwindling natural resources the fact is…they are dwindling, and quickly dwindling. Faltazi goes on to say, “Each drop of water must be collected and used to the utmost before being evacuated to external networks.” Quite insightful and highly interesting. If you are a bit of a gadget geek like me and you often find yourself with your eyes wide and mouth open in amazement at what technology can do today you really should check out more information on the Ekokook at www.ekokook.com (tip, select EN for English on the left toolbar of the website).

At the end of the day Faltazi has incorporated some of the elements we have available to us today, such as recycling and composting, and taken it a few steps further by making all components convenient, compact, and at hand. With the Ekokook concept and design no longer can a person say that recycling, reusing, and being environmentally responsible isn’t convenient.