Would the Blum lift-up doors work?
Also, if you haven't seen this blog there may be some inspiration for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen clarity

What about full-height pocket doors (where the door folds then slides IN the kitchen cabinets) ?

There is hardware from Hettich that allows that, I think that I've seen an Italian kitchen using this. I'm not at home now but I'll try to find the magazine where I've seen it.

Are you in France ?

Hi thanks for the replies - not sure lift up doors will allow for such a tall door - would need to be about 1 meter or 36 inches tall. These seem to be for above counter cabinets?

the pocket doors might be the answer - the Italian kitchens seem to have the most advanced styles but I've not seen anything yet the exactly fits the bill.

yes I live in the south of france in fact very near to the italian border...could be an excuse for a trip!

jules, within ten days the information you need will appear.
For the wall cabinets, Aventos HF is the Blum product.

What are you going to so to minimize the view onto the faucet?
When are you starting the build?

There are some experimental kitchens you should see while you're in the planning stages. I'm just too tired to find them now. Most are European, especially German and Italian. One has uppers that slide down and cover the sink and stove making it all look like one bank of cupboards. Another has everything in armoires, including the oven and dishwasher. That one has a "work bench" island with a sink, but there's no reason not to put a sink behind doors too.

Okay, the latter is Bulthaup.

Scroll down here for some interesting things to look at.

There are some interesting ideas here.

I'm sorry I can't turn up the others for you now. But keep looking around the web. Look at the construction design. The finish detailing can be anything from very traditional to futuristic--it's the way the elements are strung together that's worth looking at.

Also check Apartment Therapy which has some very clever ways of using space.

You might look at having tall doors that cover the cabinets and counter - perhaps pivot to the sides or slide sideways on a ceiling track. Perhaps having pantry or storage on the doors?

I don't think big lift up doors or doors that use tracks at counter level will have a long and happy life.

The closest I've found is from a company called boffi who do what they call an on off kitchen - looks very neat and probably very expensive. Be interesting to see if a carpenter could build something similar.

You can take ideas from small kitchens and enlarge them to fit your own needs.

Here's one to look at.

There are some ideas you might like here.

I think the one with the cabinets that came down to cover the works was on Trendir or a similar site. I don't see it on Trendir now, and the threads with the links here are long gone.

There are all kinds of moving doors that are more likely used in commercial spaces than the home. If you don't have a lot of budget constraints you could certainly do that. The kind of screen you're talking about has been done. Think snack bar. Outdoor service hatch. For sideways think Fellowship Hall or Conference Center. Also, talk to people who do high end TV installations. There are all kinds of things that drop down and pop up. People generally like being asked to share their expertise, so ask!

There was a thread on here a few months ago that led me to some web sites for exactly what you are looking for. Repost using hidden kitchen or something like that and see if you get more feedback. I tried a google but didn't find it right away. I can't take the time to search more right now as I'm heading out the door for the day. The hidden kitchen that plllog posted is on the same order but the ones I remember were more wood type furniture and when it was closed looked like furniture.