Affilato Hide unit has a sink and cooking area with lights, it can be closed like a wardrobe to keep the kitchen uncluttered

Japanese kitchen manufacturer Sanwa has designed a set of four kitchen units tailored to those with limited living space.

The Affilato Hide unit is created particularly for small apartments, and conceals a sink and cooking area behind a pair of steel folding doors. When not in use, the furniture can be closed away, much like a wardrobe.

The freestanding Ceragino kitchen is similarly tailored to limited space, designed for open-plan living areas where it can function as either an island or wall unit. It’s an answer to the need for creating a comfortable space according to a veritable minimalist philosophy: doing away with all that is not strictly necessary.

Sanwa’s larger Kanade kitchen includes standing and overhead units. It pairs worktops covered in thin ceramic panels with cupboard doors coated in synthetic leather – which has been processed with antibacterial and antifungal treatments.

The Zan units follow a similarly minimal design but are fabricated from stainless steel covered by thin aluminium panels with a streaked finish inspired by handmade washi paper. Zan combines technological details with the cultural traditions of Japan.

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Ceragino is a free-standing piece for the smallest spaces

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Kanade kitchen is the largest in the collection, it has overhead and standing units designed in a laconic way

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Ceramic panels and synthetic leather make the kitchen design bolder and more textural

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Zan kitchen is like Kanade but it's made of stainless steel