The Dark Lake Cookline: A Modernist Culinary Crucible
A unique project challenged us to marry creative freedom with demanding technical requirements, resulting in a cookline that redefines kitchen design. Our mission was simple: create an uncluttered, modernist space that still housed every essential feature.
NRA & Timeout’s Restaurant of the year 2025
Form Meets Function
The client's encouragement to push design boundaries led to a concept centered around the "dark lake": a monolithic 20mm plate steel surface that forms the central worktable. This single-piece steel platform, with a subtle upstand to contain embers, creates a powerful visual, upon which the 110cm grill appears to float like a temple. Ceramic insulation beneath the tabletop manages heat, while the entire 2.8m long unit is surprisingly manageable thanks to its heavy-duty castors.
Hidden Strength and Clever Details
Integrating features without sacrificing the clean aesthetic demanded innovative solutions. The grill rest shelves—designed to lift on and off for service—are a feat of hidden engineering. They are cantilevered from a hidden gantry frame concealed behind a steel-faced back wall, lending the strength of the structure to the fittings that thread directly into the wall.
Materials and Atmosphere
The aesthetic is grounded in contrasting textures and dark tones. Black fire bricks tile the side wall, bisected by steel strips that not only divide the area but also form support brackets for a hanging tool rack, evocative of a classic batterie de cuisine. The unit neatly accommodates a wok station and integrates a wheeled-in Adande VCS1 fridge and charcoal store beneath the fire table, proving that heavy-duty functionality can be sleekly modernist.
This cookline isn't just equipment; it's a sculptural, movable workspace—a testament to pushing the boundaries of what a professional kitchen unit can be.