Haldane x NØDE: The Art of the Outdoor Kitchen

What happens when an outdoor kitchen is treated less like an appliance and more like a piece of sculpture? (And yes the reptiles in the photos are real).

PHOTOS Inge Prins

The answer is the Île Noire Edition, a limited-edition collaboration between South African furniture designer Haldane Martin and Cape Town metalworking studio NØDE Design.

Based on Haldane’s Galapagos outdoor kitchen island, the Île Noire Edition takes the original’s sculptural form into darker, more tactile territory. While remaining fundamentally a functional piece of outdoor equipment, incorporating everything expected of a serious kitchen, including an integrated sink, tap and cooking elements, the Île Noire Edition foregrounds the qualities more usually associated with collectible design – material, craftsmanship, texture and individuality.

“It’s sculptural, extravagant and made in premium performance materials. If you’re conventional, this one is probably not for you…” says Haldane.

Its defining feature is its skin: an entire body of aluminium, hand-carved by Nøde artisans into a richly textured landscape of ridges, grooves and shadows. The result is closer to a topographical drawing translated into three dimensions than a conventional industrial finish. Finished in deep matte black, the surface changes character as light moves across it, alternately absorbing and reflecting its surroundings.

Like the remote Pacific ocean archipelago it’s named after, the range has been engineered to withstand the elements. A substantial 20mm Dekton engineered-stone worktop is supported by a frame of marine-grade stainless steel – a material valued for its resistance to demanding environments, including applications in marine and aerospace contexts. Hard-anodised aluminium panels complete the construction, while the kitchen can be configured around your own preferred appliances. Customisation is also central to the concept and each Île Noire Edition is made to order, allowing the island to accommodate your lifestyle, appliances and aesthetic preferences. haldane.co.za | studio-node.co.za

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