The Chef and the Cutting Board

Few pieces of kitchen equipment see as much action as the cutting board. Arguably, it is one of the first things we acquire when assembling our batterie de cuisine. And yet, for all of its heavy lifting, it too often lacks the dexterity and fluidity that mark other high-use tools. ‘I use it daily,’ we think collectively, ‘but where do I store it? How do I move it with ease to convey ingredients, wash it, return it to its hold, etc?’ These questions - or annoyances - confront each of us daily (or at least close to it).

It’s part of a bigger question: how can we make the mundane things we do everyday feel simple and natural – and when possible – artful?

So much airtime is given to function in our homes, but when it comes down to the brass tacks of what has the most impact on our daily dance in the kitchen, the humble cutting board is overlooked. What elevates this from an unwieldy necessity to a nimble tool?

It’s not whether it’s oak or walnut. Round or rectangular. And, turning cutting boards into an ouvre, where they double as art pieces for display, isn’t a long term solution (c’mon, some of our essential cutting boards just aren’t that pretty). It’s actually not about the board itself. What turns the cutting board from lumbering to being quick on its feet is its surroundings.

Henrybuilt’s system maximizes the dexterity of the cutting board by considering it as part of the whole space. We address where it lives, how it moves, how it can be used. Ultimately, how it can be a multitasker. The cutting board isn’t more clever, but the kitchen it lives in is.

Custom-designed landing zones keep the boards at hand but out of the way - tucked in a bar block near the sink.

Or, placed in a specially fitted hold directly under the counter.

Visible, grab-able, but not eating into valuable countertop real estate.

Just where you want it them to be.

Moving from simply standing firm like a sentry atop a counter to gliding on perfectly-sized grooves alongside a sink basin or over a cooktop, cutting boards go from being an unwieldy work-around to a completely integrated function of everyday kitchen work.

It’s about designing and creating intentional kitchen components that, together, enhance the moments we spend in the room, making the routine activities of our daily lives more satisfying and pleasurable. A kitchen that is a finely tuned workshop. A system where the use of every tool, including the humble cutting board, is elevated – and artful.