NOKOTA outdoor kitchen | 2019

The Nokota Outdoor Kitchen was designed with commodity in mind. Nokota is a portable kitchen perfect for “glamping”, tailgating, or just backyard fun. This project began from a napkin sketch and became reality through several design explorations and prototypes.

The success of this product will be measured againts key factors: Ease of use, maximized work surfaces, portability, and buy-it-for-life construction.

Storage/Bench Mode

Table Mode

Kitchen Mode

Design

The biggest challenge with the kitchen system was to keep it lightweight. We understood that the product was going to be large, bulky, and demanded durability for the market. We opted to use Aluminum for a lightweight approach and added wooden (bamboo) touch points. The wood and Aluminum ended up balancing each other out nicely.

Prototyping became costly, mostly due to the cost of Aluminum welds. This factor led us in the direction of using a combination of welding and rivets. The rawness and honesty if rivet joints allowed to us to embrace the look and feel of the product, paying an homage of inspiration to vintage war airplanes.

We designed the system to include a table that elevates the box’s work surfaces to a familiar countertop height and nests snugly over the form when stowed. Implements, ingredients, and cleaning supplies are immediately available with no rearranging or digging necessary, due to the considered arrangement of shelves, drawers, and hangers, all designed for an efficient and natural workflow.

Dual pull-out cutting boards expand work space even further, at a proximity appropriate for fine motor tasks.

Compartments and drawers were carefully sized and arranged to accommodate each category of essential good. We provided enough room to allow for a wide range of choice in these goods, while still maintaining an economy of space appropriate for the portability required.

Branding

The design team performed several branding exercises with the client in order to dissect the product, and what it represents.The product needed a classic identity, with a connection to the outdoors, as well as to food culture.

The wild frontier was used as inspiration, in particular the wild horses of North Dakota: The Nokota Horse. The logo itself is an abstract interpretation of the Nokota product, as well as the Nokota wild horse.