In the past year, the stand-alone compact kitchen concept has seen multiple incarnations. From the podlike Circle Kitchen to the obsessive Mobile Modules, from the outdoor Calancs Kitchen to the efficient Rubika, these concise designs are revolutionizing the way we think about kitchens–and, by extension, cooking. The cooking triangle has been replaced by the cooking spot, since these kitchen modules allow you to stand in one place and let the component parts move around you. Everything is meant to be within reach–without your having to dance your way around the appliances.

Carre Kitchen. Designed by Robert Schierjott and Ulrich Kohlfrom

Now student designers Robert Schierjott and Ulrich Kohlfrom have added their own interpretation to this idea with their Carre Kitchen, presented at the DMY International Design Festival Berlin 2010 as part of a university-wide project entitled 1, 2, 3… light kitchen!, which asked students from Burg Giebichenstein: Hochschule fur Kunst und Design Halle to design a kitchen taking up no more than 1 square meter of space (about 10 square feet). Composed of two modules, one fixed and one movable unit, Carre converts into different kitchens. The stationary piece holds a gas stovetop, kitchen sink, and prep counter. Add to that the transformable unit, which changes the shape of Carre to create six different plans that respond to the particular needs of your space (or your desires). Translucent drawers let you see what you have at hand, so you’re never in the dark about your culinary possibilities.

Via Designboom