Object details
| Designer / Studio | Thomas Kaiser |
| Brand | höfats GmbH, Germany |
| Materials | Cast-iron plancha; bioethanol burner |
| Award | EPDA 2026 Top Design, Home / Kitchen Appliances |
| Explore the design | hofats.com |
A barbecue usually has a cook and an audience. One person stands at the grill while everyone else waits at a distance for the food to arrive.
CIRCLE, designed by Thomas Kaiser for höfats, rearranges that relationship. It is a tabletop grill fuelled by bioethanol, and its round form places every guest at the same distance from the flame. It received a Top Design distinction for kitchen appliances at the 2026 European Product Design Award.
The geometry does most of the social work. With no front or back, there is no natural place for one person to take charge. Cooking becomes something shared at the table, closer to fondue than to a garden barbecue.
That comparison is literal. Over the fire sits a cast-iron plancha with several heat zones, so different foods can cook at once. Optional accessories extend the same base to raclette and fondue.
höfats describes CIRCLE as safe for indoor and outdoor use and as the first bioethanol-powered tabletop grill. Fuel without charcoal or gas lets the object sit on a dining table rather than stand on a terrace.
CIRCLE is as much a seating plan as a grill. Its circle invites people to gather and lingers as a sculptural object when the meal is over.
View CIRCLE on the European Product Design Award winner’s page →
Image: höfats GmbH.
