Whilst we embrace the nuanced, comforting iterations of minimalism that are emerging from Japanese and Scandinavian traditions, there has been a call to accentuate this artisanal quality with Italian innovations that spring from desire and imagination.
This year’s EuroCucina at Milan’s Salone del Mobile highlighted this focus by revealing calibrated surfaces, made from fine materials and boasting increasingly cutting-edge technology such as internal fittings, hinges and sliding systems.
In addition, the contemporary kitchens revealed a sophisticated geometry as well as enclosed surfaces that included entire living systems, portable workstations, portable ‘rooms’, and a focus on moving away from traditional cabinetry.
Surface trends included oxidised pine and liquid bronze metal, as well as colours that blend with the new architecture of the kitchens – including dry hues of steel alternates and palettes ranging from warm grey to brown, with pops of old rose and Terranova red.
The Ceragino kitchen by Japan-based company Sanwa blends renowned traditional craftsmanship with Italian ceramic artistry. Amplifying its highly-coveted model is a new finish with a rust matt effect, which is obtained through a special treatment that gives the surface a realistic appearance, reminiscent of oxidised metal. The technical characteristics of Ceragino remain unchanged: the 45-degree cut on the edges of the tiles, realised with a particular technique typical of Japanese craftsmanship, makes it possible to obtain a smooth, continuous surface, for a clean design imbued with lots of character.
Designed by Fabrizio Crisà, Lullaby is the new ceiling hood by Elica that was designed to showcase its materiality and lighting qualities. It’s proposed as a large 120-centimetre shelf in natural oak wood with aged effect, suspended in the air, hiding the extractor system that’s located above. The visible part, facing the cooktop, is dedicated to air extraction through the three-metre edges of the large light panel with 30-watt LEDs.
Light is the main element of Lullaby. Its even and well-calibrated diffusion creates depth and mood because the intensity can be adjusted, and the correct tone of white can be chosen.
This dedication to the beauty of natural materials is also reflected in the exceptional design of Boffi’s K collection by Norbert Wangen. A new spin on the idea of the ‘kitchen cube’, it challenges the idea of the compact kitchen. Available in different sizes – K5, K6, K7 and K2.2 – the kitchen enhances the dining experience, from creation to completion, in one social space; an elegant and rational response to the requirements of open-plan, multi-purpose living spaces.
Each kitchen is characterised by a complete block with a sliding stainless steel or wood top; when opened laterally or along the back, it reveals an elegant table that can be used either as a snack bar or dining area. The block contains a hob and individually welded sinks with stainless steel fittings. The rectangular structure encloses an oven (or ovens), refrigerator, dishwasher, cupboard and drawer space. The K5 kitchen (the largest of the three) has an open cooking area with a fixed stainless steel top and a sliding part in solid elm wood, while the K6 kitchen has a more compact design. It is characterised by a fully integrated hob and a sliding worktop along the backside that creates a comfortable large dining table. The K7 kitchen follows the form of the original K2, with a wider depth that guarantees more work space and greater usability for different operational functions.
And, of course, we can expect nothing less than a futuristic vision from the design leaders at Pininfarina. At Salone the company held the world premiere of Vision, an innovative kitchen designed for Snaidero.
The distinctive hallmarks of Vision are the interaction between volumes and surfaces, the lightness conveyed by the unique design of the base units for islands and peninsulas, and the craftsmen-developed stratified and shaped solid ash wood. Door surfaces are treated with a new metalescent lacquer, which delivers a special and elegant impact. This finish was created to reproduce the visual effect of metallic surfaces, while ensuring the tactile warmth of a lacquered finish. It also allows metals to be ‘bent’ into a wide variety of three-dimensional forms.
What’s in store
Both professional and home cooks agree that the key to any functional kitchen for daily living is in is ability to store essentials in style.
Snaidero’s Way Materia is the result of an evolution of the brand’s ‘Way’ concept. With a focus on pure lines and clean design, the revolutionary design employs ceramic slabs of pure porcelain stoneware in large sizes and reduced thicknesses, and is ‘Made in Italy’ from cutting-edge technologies.
Way Materia features Laminam ceramic fronts with large porcelain stoneware surfaces that are just three millimetres thick. And don’t let its soft colours and delicate nuances inspired by wet plaster fool you: it’s fully functional and offers a perfectly hygienic and antibacterial surface which withstands chopping with sharp blades, hot liquids such as oil and wine or scalding pans straight from the stove. Staining is a thing of the past, and cleaning requires only a quick wipe with a sponge soaked in warm water and a squeeze of detergent.
The volumes of Way Materia allow large items to be stored and the large cabinets integrate over-column elements, a solution that allows full utilisation of vertical spaces measuring up to 274 cm.
Designed by Stefano Cavazzana for Zampieri, the Irori open storage system was inspired by the Japanese sunken hearth from which it got its name. Inspired by this tradition, Cabazzana’s design blends tradition and innovation and creates a tribute to beauty and pureness of lines and materials.
Irori’s wood elements are created using the Shou Sugi Ban processing technique, a centuries-old Japanese method of wood treatment that uses superficial carbonisation: finishing wood using fire. A round tube designed to resemble a bamboo cane is used for all metallic furnishings, and the system can be creatively expanded or reduced according to the desired dimensions.
For those looking for capacious amounts of storage in a more pantry-like style, the Lounge kitchen system by Veneta Cucine offers a new, more evolved interpretation of the concept of maximum functionality.
The key elements of Lounge relate to its new proportions – the storage space is increased thanks to the extra dimensions of the wall units and cupboards (the height of the plinth has been reduced to 8 cm) – and the new design standards which have made its styling even more modern and sophisticated, with the use of new and perhaps unorthodox materials: refined woods or special machining, semi-matt or glossy lacquer finishes; and the new liquid metal finish and the Fenix laminates, decorative elements and steel.
Its real secret? The design is enhanced by Scrigno, a system of column units whose doors open into the lateral panels to reveal household appliances or create a new type of pantry unit. These column units are designed principally to hide accessories and household appliances from sight, but they also house a specially-fitted area with two shelves and LED lighting, a tower fitted with electric sockets, a removable steel shelf and a 120-cm base unit with two drawers and an internal basket. A range of different compositions can be created by combining one- or two-door Scrigno column units.
For a touch of Scandinavian chic, Nisse Strinning’s classic Swedish shelving is a storage all-rounder for String. It now features new accessories, including bottle trays and a wine glass hanger rack, allowing the iconic 1949 design to take on the home bar. Designed by Anna von Schewen and Björn Dahlström, the new accessories in the String+ range bring totally new functionality to the String system: for example, wine glasses can be stored in a filigree hanger rack mounted to the underside of the shelf. Hanging upside down, the glasses are held by several rails. Based on the ladder-like wire panels of the classic shelf design, the rack can be mounted to all metal shelves. The new bottle tray provides safe and easily accessible storage for beverages.
Haute tech
Heating things up, high-tech advances are making life easier – and more inviting – for kitchen amateurs.
Even the jet set can’t make excuses for having takeaway numbers on speed dial, now that Dolce & Gabbana has debuted its new collaboration with Smeg to create home appliances that aspire to be works of art. Celebrating the beloved Italian region, Sicily is my Love is a tribute to Italy’s roots, its traditions and popular festivals in the form of a new free-standing kitchen set and cooker hood with a coordinated FAB28 fridge.
Also taking style to new heights is the new cooker hood from Miele, Aura 3.0, which is designed to be used above a cooking island. For the first time a Miele cooker hood has a completely round shape, which makes a visual impact that’s just as elegant as it is surprising, the 70-cm diameter canopy in brilliant white conveying the impression of a shallow dome.
The all-round dimmable LED ambient lighting provides an atmospheric glow – complementing the LED hob lighting, that places hob activities in exactly the right level of light.
As a recirculation cooker hood, the Aura 3.0 is also best-suited to highly insulated buildings, in which clean air is recirculated back into the room. First, grease particles are removed by a ten-layer metal filter, after which the odour molecules are absorbed by the Longlife AirClean filter. The metal filters can be easily cleaned in the dishwasher as their stainless steel outer layers are permanently protected from discolouration. The hood can even be controlled by the Miele@mobile app via smartphone or tablet.
To make cooking a breeze, Bosch’s new induction hobs with integrated hoods feature a hob and cooker hood perfectly combined in a single appliance. In these new models, the hood is perfectly integrated into the hob, making it invisible. This arrangement also creates further space beneath the hob for pots and pans, so they are always within reach, and makes it possible to extract steam and food smells immediately. The integrated ventilation module requires only minimal manual cleaning, and all parts of the cooker hood can be removed from the hob and washed in a dishwasher. The hobs can be installed anywhere in a kitchen: on a kitchen island or underneath a window.
Gaggenau also brought a variety of top-tier professional grade innovations to Salone.
Awarded the coveted gold award in the 2018 iF Design Awards, the newly launched Vario cooling 400 series includes a fully integrated, built-in modular range of refrigerators, freezers, fridge-freezers and wine climate cabinets which can be partnered to meet an array of interior needs.
An expanse of handle-less doors with individual furniture fronts, and stainless steel or glass doors for wine climate cabinets, presents a statement in any private kitchen. The door opens to reveal a complete stainless steel interior and dark anthracite anodised aluminium elements. Imperceptible clear glass shelving and solid aluminium door racks are further complemented by a stunning atmospheric glow from the warm white, glare-free LED lights.
Push to open the handle-less door and the mechanism will open the portal for you! Even the door’s ice and water dispenser anticipates your needs and automatically activates the light and touch keys as you approach, thanks to its ingenious proximity sensor.
Perhaps literally, the highlight of Salone’s tech innovations was Gaggenau’s world-first backlighting concept for the Vario 400 series dishwasher – a world-first. The interior of the dishwasher is illuminated instantly, greatly enhancing both its overall aesthetic and the user experience. The new design uses six LED panels placed on the back wall that light up at the same time as the two existing LED lights at the top front of the appliance, perfectly illuminating the entire interior from every angle.
The Vario 400 series cooktops will allow you to prepare even complicated gastronomic dishes with confidence. Thanks to the precise finishing of stainless steel that’s just 3 mm thick, it is possible to achieve perfect alignment with the combination of modular cooktops and ventilation systems: induction, gas, electric hot plates, steamers, Teppanyaki and fryers can all be easily combined with a telescopic top or table ventilation unit to create even the most extensive configurations.
Bright ideas
Finally, in every good home there is always room for a bit of eclectic spirit that takes inspiration from the old and the new. Whether it’s a colour or special design that captures your heart, or a style that recalls a romantic French dinner in the heart of Paris, there is always room for a personal touch.
That’s why this could be the anniversary collaboration of the century: to celebrate its 110th anniversary, La Cornue collaborated with artist Kongo to transform six of its masterpieces into works of art.
Kongo has transposed his language and signature graphics onto the cooker enamel, bringing a whole new way to express himself and his repertoire and creating a brand-new aesthetic for the cookers.
It took over a year of dialogue between the two realms to bring to life this unprecedented worldwide collaboration: six exceptional cookers that truly express both traditional expertise and modern graphic styling. While the six cookers form a coordinating set, each one is a masterpiece in its own right. With beautiful colours, various thicknesses of enamel produced through several stages of firing, and graphics created using a stylus pen, the eye is drawn to the materials used. The intricately precise design and details make these pieces true works of art. To highlight the unique, limited nature of this collaboration, each cooker bears the artist’s signature on the left-hand brand plate, whilst the year 2018 is inscribed on the right-hand plate.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Fantin introduced Frame, a collection of new freestanding kitchen islands made with metal and available in 40 colours. The pieces feature a minimal, clean design and light, thin legs but have a ‘structural solidity’ that allows them to anchor the kitchen. Pieces in the collection also include cupboards of various sizes, tables, and a kitchen workstation that is available both without accessories and with a sink, an induction cooktop and an oven.
Officine Gullo’s new Soft Grey & Nicheled Brass project is characterised by a central island with important dimensions that make it the cornerstone and soul of the kitchen itself, and by a clever and functional wall unit.
The island, which is characterised by a top made of peacock eye marble and by an edge made of nickel-plated bronze, contains a cooker with one single oven equipped with four burners, coup de feu, barbeque and fry top; above it, there is a professional island hood. Moreover, the top is equipped with a nickel-plated sink with a zip tap mixer, a socket power tower and built-in waste sorting unit. The frame of the island is made of high pressure stainless steel, painted in a matt Agate grey colour.
The wall unit includes two professional fridge and freezer towers with doors made of metal, an extractor door made of lacquered wood with chrome plated baskets, a cupboard with two hinged doors made of lacquered wood, and lower drawers. The upper part of the wall unit is equipped with compartments with wooden doors and with a bottom-hung opening.
