The All-Bamboo Kitchen: Ask og Eng's Sustainable Kitchen Design

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When you design and produce kitchens for a living, you get to use your own quarters as a testing ground. Kine Ask Stenersen and Kristoffer Eng are the couple behind Ask og Eng, the Oslo, Norway-based workshop known for its artful Ikea hacks: they specialize in making bamboo fronts for Ikea kitchen cabinets.

The duo have also begun to create their own fully custom kitchens. After living with one of their very first Ikea upgrades, they recently decided to replace it with a bespoke design that showcases their newest bamboo finish. See Ikea Elevated for a look at their initial line, and join us for a tour of their kitchen.

Photography by Kine Ask Stenersen, courtesy of Ask og Eng.

the couple and their two young sons live in drammen, norway, in a \1930&#8\ 17 — Above: The couple and their two young sons live in Drammen, Norway, in a 1930’s wooden house that they’ve made their own by taking down walls, installing French doors and windows, and exposing—and sanding and oiling—the original pine floor. The dining table is an Ask og Eng bamboo design, the A3.

Drammen is a 40-minute commute to the Ask og Eng workshop and showroom in Oslo. Kine and Kristoffer both grew up in Drammen—he’s an architect and she studied environmental geography (and brings a green mindset to their collaborations). Five years ago, they moved here from Oslo to be close to family, and say that it’s thanks to Kristoffer’s engineer fatherm and his know-how and many tools (plus relatives ready to help with childcare), that they were able to get their company off the ground.

&#8\2\20;the kitchen is visible from the living room, so we wanted it to re 18 — Above: “The kitchen is visible from the living room, so we wanted it to resemble a piece of furniture,” says Kine. The cabinets are made entirely of bamboo inside and out; they extend from wall to wall—nearly 23 feet—and are in a just-introduced, vertical-grained Ask og Eng finish called Rye.

Their former kitchen, which they had “sawn, sanded, and oiled” in their garage, got disassembled and most of the parts have found new homes in other projects; many of the furnishings and appliances stayed put.

step stools enable vilmer, 5, and artur, \1, to reach the counter of jura gray, 19 — Above: Step stools enable Vilmer, 5, and Artur, 1, to reach the counter of jura gray, a durable limestone patterned with fossils and shells. The induction cooktop is by Bora of Germany. The light at the end of the counter is the Accent Swing Wall Lamp by Remodelista favorite Wo & We of Lyon, France.

kristoffer assists in waffle batter production. 20 — Above: Kristoffer assists in waffle batter production.

like all ask og eng kitchen designs, the drawers have cutout pulls and are fitt 21 — Above: Like all Ask og Eng kitchen designs, the drawers have cutout pulls and are fitted inside according to use.

Some of the advantages of working in bamboo, the couple say, are that it’s a fast-growing grass that’s lightweight and strong. They get their raw material from certified plantations “to be sure it’s not only sustainable but produced responsibly.”

a birch hook rack keeps crucial kitchen tools off the counter. discover mo 22 — Above: A Birch Hook Rack keeps crucial kitchen tools off the counter. Discover more of the many uses for peg rails in our book *Remodelista: The Organized Home*, and for sources see Object Lessons: The Shaker Peg Rail.

all of ask og eng&#8\2\17;s drawer and cabinet fronts are made of bamboo th 23 — Above: All of Ask og Eng’s drawer and cabinet fronts are made of bamboo that’s been sanded, treated with pigmented oil, and sealed with a hard wax oil from Osmo to make them water- and spill-resistant. The sink has a Quooker faucet in patinated brass.

Of the overhead storage, Kine says, “The room is very sunny but we have a lot of dark periods here. To keep the space feeling open and bright, we decided against wall-hung cabinets and instead used our A7 Cross Shelf.”

to protect the limestone, there&#8\2\17;s a collection of cutting boards on 24 — Above: To protect the limestone, there’s a collection of cutting boards on hand.

kine and artur. the couple were able to reuse appliances such as the dishwasher 25 — Above: Kine and Artur. The couple were able to reuse appliances such as the dishwasher, concealed here behind a bamboo front.

neff wall ovens are incorporated into a pantry wall. the ask og eng a 7 cross s 26 — Above: Neff wall ovens are incorporated into a pantry wall. The Ask og Eng A-7 Cross Shelf comes in large (shown here) and small (shown over the counter).

there&#8\2\17;s a breakfast table and &tradition&#8\2\17;s rice pap 27 — Above: There’s a breakfast table and &Tradition’s rice paper Formakami Pendant tucked into a corner next to the fridge.

gubi&#8\2\17;s now classic semi pendant from \1968 hovers above the dining 28 — Above: Gubi’s now-classic Semi Pendant from 1968 hovers above the dining table. (See the light in brass in A ‘Dreamiest Dream Kitchen’ in Yorkshire, England.)

the kitchen viewed from the living room. explore the rest of the house on 29 — Above: The kitchen viewed from the living room. Explore the rest of the house on the Ask og Eng Journal.

Here are some other standout kitchens that designers created for themselves:

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Kitchen of the Week: At Home with a Couple Who Design Kitchens of Sustainable Bamboo

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