Is cooking your passion or a family staple?duty? What if you diversify your routine? Watching the underwater world calms your nerves, helps you concentrate, and gives you the opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle. Finally, an aquarium is simply beautiful. Our article contains the most interesting examples and expert opinions Find peace of mind, decorate your home, and get closer to nature. An aquarium solves several problems at once. But if a piece of the sea in the living room or bedroom is no longer surprising, the fashion for an aquarium in the kitchen is only gaining momentum. Experienced aquarists frown: “Pets are not an object for decorating experiments.” And designers are trying to combine a comfortable and beautiful home for colorful fish with a practical and functional interior.
Kitchen ekošik from Holland
"Oceanic cuisine" is what he called hisunusual creation by Dutch designer Robert Kolenik. He was the first to come up with the idea of placing an aquarium under the tabletop. It took 3 years from the 3D concept to the development of the finished sample. Technologically, the task turned out to be very difficult. But in the end, everything worked out. Robert Kolenik, designer Kolenik eco chic design: A young Dutch designer by profession is an economist. In Europe, he is known as the founder of the new "eco-chic" style. His spaces combine large funds with ecological design: functional minimalist interiors are created from exclusive materials with the addition of ultra-modern equipment and high technology. Robert's lack of an architectural diploma is more than compensated for by his live experience - he began working in his father's construction company. Now his own company designs private and public spaces with a touch of ecological "glamour" throughout Europe. In 8 years, he has managed to complete dozens of fantastic projects, including the Flatcher hotel in Amsterdam, Restaurant Club Touch, Cocktailbar Go Ten and many others. kolenik.com A glass island with tropical fish inside is, in practice, a very functional interior element. The island has become the visual and semantic center of the dining area, immediately attracting attention. It seems that the aquarium is completely transparent, and the tabletop “floats” above it. In fact, this is not so - the water tank is made in the shape of the letter L. On the back side, it has all the necessary kitchen cabinets, and the desired effect is created by mirrored back walls and water, working as a magnifying glass.
Robert Kolenik, designer:— In fact, the secret is in the combination of good quality materials and strict mathematical calculations. The design itself is very simple. The difficulty is in assembling it together reliably from an engineering point of view, practically and effectively. Cleaning the aquarium and feeding the fish is very convenient and simple: you just have to press a button — and the tabletop rises. kolenik.com
To make the tabletop light enough for reliable operation of the lifting mechanism, we had to use artificial Corian stone - it allows us to reduce the weight of the finished surface.
Our opinion:— Despite all the beauty, the design has its drawbacks. Firstly, the owners will have to constantly watch themselves and try not to hit the surface. The tank itself will not break — it is made of tempered thick glass. But regular vibration, which can be created even by weak kicks, is contraindicated for fish. Secondly, the price. The sample you see in the photos is about three meters long and one and a half meters wide and costs 75 thousand euros.
Aquarium-apron
Another fresh trend:aquarium - kitchen apron. In addition to creating a spectacular appearance of the kitchen, such an aquarium is very convenient to maintain. All communications are close, and the tank can easily be equipped with automatic water cleaning systems.
But there are some downsides here too.Even the most expensive closed aquarium should not be placed in close proximity to the hob and radiator. Aquarium inhabitants react very sharply to changes in water temperature, and quite a lot of heat is released during cooking. It is generally contraindicated to place an open aquarium close to the stove and hood - fat will definitely get into the water.
Our opinion:— If you want to place an aquarium along the entire length of the kitchen, keep in mind that long tanks should be quite wide. That is, you will lose at least 10 centimeters of useful space. Most likely even more. And only owners of premises with a significant area can afford this.
Living wall and not only
The most practical solution and one of the mostinteresting in an aesthetic sense is an aquarium - a window in the wall or even an aquarium-opening. Modern engineering systems allow you to make the tank part of the wall. This technique increases the space, creates a spectacular play of light, attracts attention.
The only thing you shouldn't forget islighting. Many fish and algae will look completely different "upon the light" than in a pet store. In addition, you will need additional lighting and some advice from a specialist, both on the characteristics of various types of aquarium inhabitants and their lifestyle, and on supplying the structure with a supply line to communications. It is better to entrust such issues to professionals.
