The creation of the Cooking Table by ALNO was based on the concept of combining the hearth and kitchen table as the focal point of home life once again. Two young and talented designers have implemented their concepts and created "dream islands" for the modern kitchens.
The development of the ALNO Cooking Tables was based on an idea by Dieter Zimmer, Professor of Design at the Muthesius College of Art in Kiel, Germany. From his earliest childhood memories, the kitchen was the heart of the home. Everything took place around the cast iron stove and the kitchen table; two inseparable poles, with Grandma moving to and fro between them. The kitchen was for baking and frying, cooking, eating and talking. From time to time a guest joined this hub of family life, or perhaps children played or drew at the table. As far as Professor Zimmer is concerned, the rules that applied to large families then still apply to small families today. Only the scales have changed. So the task for his students in the summer of 2005 was easy to define: Create a new kind of kitchen-island combining cook-top and table as one.
The students were deeply involved with the construction, manufacture, shipment and installation, but also with the versatility of the various designs. The results, according to Professor Zimmer, were striking: "In all my 25 years as a teacher, this is the first time I have ever seen work of this standard by students."
ALNO became interested in the project and invited two students and their creations to a company presentation. Both received an invitation to join the ALNO Design Lab for a semester of work experience. Arne Bollensen and Andi Kern laid the foundation for the ALNO island fantasies and two modern and practical cooking tables, a fusion between table and hearth was brought to life.
Please note that the ALNO Cooking Table is only available in its European version at this time.
ALNO USA: http://www.alno.com
LongIsland by Andi Kern
LongIsland is a sophisticated combination of professional cooking and elegant dining. The cooking table, which can be positioned anywhere in the room, combines a fixed cooking block with a sliding tabletop. Supported by a base frame, it can be moved freely to the right or left. The practical worktop, for instance, becomes a table for five in moments notice. A four-zone electric cook-top is flush-fit in the stainless steel cooking block. The tabletop is available in wood veneer or laminate. The choices are bamboo/oak, walnut/zebrano or white/mango.
Flexibility is in the foreground with the Liberty Island: the mobile cooking element with glass cover and mobile container can be positioned against a dining table, either indoors or out. When opened, the glass cover protects against splattering while cooking; closed, it covers the dual-zone induction cook-top. The mobile container is used for storing cooking utensils. When not in use the cooking element can be attached to the mobile container.