designing a 'zero waste kitchen' to protest: cook, eat and live sustainably

the project designed by ivana steiner provides a kitchen, made of recycled stainless steel and recycled glass, that works without producing waste. the current climate crisis and fridays for future — a youth-led and -organized movement for new sustainable concepts — have moved the designer to deal with the question ‘how a kitchen that meets zero waste requirements should look like?’. apart from the sustainability, ivana sought to form a design object that is visually appealing, combined with a political message.all images courtesy of ivana steiner

zero waste kitchen

drawing from margarete schütte-lihotzky’s frankfurt kitchen — a milestone in domestic architecture with a low-cost design that would enable efficient work — almost a hundred years later, ivana steiner introduces a new concept that actively contributes to climate protection through a resource-saving lifestyle. the ‘zero waste kitchen’ has a long shelf life of 150 years; every steel can be recycled several times without the material changing; steel that was once a washing machine, bicycle, or beverage can, is transformed now into something new.
extending panels

the ‘zero waste kitchen’ functions as a large table around which users can gather to cook or eat together. the structure consists of an elegant form made of stainless steel with areas for glass containers, baskets for regional fruit and vegetables, a worm box, storage space for multi-purpose glasses for dairy products, linen bags and pouches, and a vertical herb garden, where a daylight lamp is needed for the plants if the kitchen is too dark. the humus comes regularly from the worm box and can be used for the herb garden. the only ingredients that cannot be decomposed in the worm box are bones, citrus fruits and garlic.
printed cotton bags in different sizes

furthermore, a tumble dryer is essential for the ‘zero waste kitchen’. this is important because the kitchen uses no rolls and serviettes while working only with textile wipes that can be washed and dried regularly. meanwhile, the food is not packed but stored in glass containers. the ingredients can be transferred to a glass container with scoops or funnels that one brings with them. the zero waste concept is based on a minimalist lifestyle where users only keep things that they use every day.
food containers

the kitchen has two sinks where water can be let in and so the dishes are first washed with water in the dishwashing liquid and then washed in the second sink with pure water. compared to the dishwasher, the water consumption is lower or similar, but the electricity that is needed to heat the water is saved. there is a water jug that is supposed to collect the rest of the water and so that the herb garden is watered.
clothes horse for textiles

‘zero waste’ is an ambitious project with a radical concept that aims to reduce waste. the average european produces 580 liters of waste a year. perhaps not everyone can achieve zero, but less waste would move a lot. as the kitchen serves as a political instrument for sustainability, the designer borrowed the fridays for future slogans — ‘there is no planet B’ or ‘don’t meld my future’ — and stamped them on the refrigerator door and on the textile bags. elements are built up to 60x60cm and can be bought individually and built into existing kitchens.
vertical herbs garden
double sink with water can
compost with worms

printed cotton bags

textile for products, surfaces and hands instead of kitchen roll

returnable bottles

bottle detail

project info:

name: zero waste kitchen

designer: ivana steiner

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina petridou | designboom