Eternal flame: Fold by Steininger.Designers

Everyone is familiar with the fascinating craft of folding paper into shapes, ranging from the classroom’s perenially popular paper plane to the artistically styled paper crane. It has taken the form of Friedrich Fröbel’s pedagogical finger exercise and even a Bauhaus course by Josef Albers. Throughout history, people seem to have always enjoyed folding paper.

In ancient times, it was still fabrics and other materials that were folded, but paper became the preferred medium after it first began to be produced in China. When paper arrived in Japan, it gave rise to the tradition of origami, which originally had a ceremonial and religious meaning. So-called ‘noshi’ figures were presented together with gifts as a way of wishing someone well or bringing them good luck.

The FOLD kitchen by Austrian designer Martin Steininger gives the impression that one of these wishes has taken concrete shape in the form of a cubist statement that makes an impact not only because of its surface made of tombac, a high-quality brass alloy, but, above all, because of its purist elegance.

The formal idiom of this monumental kitchen block is, in fact, actually modelled on the art of paper folding, which gives it a special lightness in spite of its size and bulk.

Whereas the kitchen was once used exclusively for the preparation of food, it now often forms the vibrant centre of our home and family life – a place of communicative interaction and shared enjoyment. The design of this gold-coloured focal point is not only beautifully styled, it is also highly functional and opens up surprising drawers and details on all its sides and in all its folds.

‘Aesthetics is function: it's helpful when the things we surround ourselves with are practical. The fact that they are perfectly manufactured makes them valuable.’ Contrary to the well-known design principle, for the minimalist Martin Steininger, function follows form. For the designer, the outstanding design of a product represents its intrinsic value; that it will function is for him something that goes without saying.

In the case of FOLD, form manages to perfectly conceal the kitchen’s technical refinements – a fact which raises the geometrical body, with its calm pose and bright, warm metallic look, well above its original purpose, transforming it into a sculptural object that would also be impressive in the foyer of a museum, in an event location or a prestigious hotel.

After all, the Austrian manufacturer STEININGER, with headquarters in St. Martin and showrooms in Linz, Vienna, Hamburg, London and St. Gallen, not only stands for luxury kitchens made from innovative materials, but also for overall aesthetic concepts that combine architecture, interior design, its own collections and prestigious brands into a customised whole.

In addition to natural stone and fine woods, Martin Steininger prefers to use raw concrete as well as rare metal alloys, which make his creations and rooms a sensory and tactile experience. In addition, he relies on the most modern production technologies as well as refined craftsmanship, because, in the end, this is the only way to make each object unique. For FOLD, too, the alloy is precisely prepared using a computer-based process to within a fraction of a millimetre and finished to perfection by hand.

What already sounds perfect in itself is made even smarter by a further innovation. The integrated high-tech work surface M.POD is an intelligent 32-inch touchpad with which the most diverse functions can be controlled centrally and intuitively. The kitchen unit accordingly has everything under its control, from cooking apps, video cookery courses and digital shopping lists to changing the lighting mood within the home or even selecting the right background music.

To make sure nothing gets burned between ‘Eternal Flame’ and the crème brûlée, this oversized I-Pod is constructed from specially hardened and optically bonded safety glass, and can therefore withstand all the rigours of the kitchen environment. And the smart DJ console can also be used in workspaces outside the kitchen to act as a screen or touch panel for a wide variety of tasks.

This divinely convenient idea opens up a wealth of possibilities and areas of application – and this is exactly where the philosopher's stone is to be found, because the true luxury of an object lies not just in its premium-quality workmanship, but above all in the perfection of the overall concept. As with the masterpiece of origami which is FOLD.

© Architonic