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More than ever, the kitchen is a space for living. The beating heart of a home, it’s often a cornerstone of our homelife, where we spend time with family and friends. There was a clear emphasis on technology in many of the products on display at Eurocucina 2022 – the International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition, held parallel to Milan’s Salone del Mobile during Milano Design Week – but not at the cost of attractive designs or the use of natural materials, such as wood and stone. Kitchens are not only smarter than ever, they’re also overlapping more than ever with the living and dining rooms as places to cook, eat, relax, and spend time with friends and family.
Cesar was at Eurocucina 2022 with a kitchen that blurs the boundaries between areas of the home, merging dining, living, and outdoor spaces with elements that create a continuity between the three. Diverse colors and materials are the common thread running through this new kitchen concept, which approaches the kitchen as part of a unitary vision of the home.
Tangram was inspired by the ancient Chinese puzzle of the same name, which involves putting together basic polygons to create an endless variety of designs. But Tangram also adds curved shapes to the mix and avoids straight lines. Groove, a 3D finish available for the cabinet doors, and the Tangram sideboard both bring a fluidity to the design, while providing a convenient double-sided element to define the space between the kitchen and living area.
Cesar also showcased its Intarsio line, now available with a lacquered finish as well as timber. The space dedicated to this collection also featured a bleached elm snack top and The 50’s double-sided system, which reinterprets a ’50s-style bookcase through a contemporary lens, adapting it to new functions in both the living room and kitchen.
In the N_Elle, the essential proportions of the monolithic island in Breccia Imperiale marble are underscored through the special processing of the stone. Dubbed Ipogeo, this engineered material is the product of research by Margraf Innovation Lab for Cesar. The process enhances the natural veining of the stone, generating contrasts between polished and matte surfaces. It emphasizes the colors and unique details of the stone, as if the slab had just been extracted. The combination with the steel Rook table further enhances the chromatic and material contrasts with the marble slab.
The Unit collection has numerous features that make it increasingly smart. Unit Pocket brings together all needed kitchen functions in a single unit. Double-sided and single-sided versions are available, making it easily adaptable for the dining or living areas.
The Williamsburg collection, designed by Garcìa Cumini, creates a bridge between inside and out: the work surface integrates a ceramic top with steel sideboards, creating a functional, strong system that can be installed either indoors or in the garden.
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Signature Kitchen Suite, an LG Electronics super-premium brand of hi-tech kitchen appliances with elegant designs, was at Eurocucina in a booth divided into four sections: Seamless Natural Kitchen, Botanic Art Gallery, European Trendy Kitchen, and Conceptual Kitchen. Representing the Seamless Natural Kitchen collection was Solid Surface HIMACS. For the snack table integrated into the island, the Aurora Torano finish was chosen, marked by its wide veining, while the work island was lit by the brilliant white of Aurora Blanc, with its tone-on-tone colors.
A composite of acrylic, natural minerals, and natural pigments, HIMACS is a high-performance engineered stone that’s suitable for façades, bathrooms, kitchens, and furniture. Its smooth, non-porous surface provides outstanding performance, while the absence of visible joints makes it a material with excellent aesthetic qualities. These features make HIMACS the ideal material for the Seamless Natural Kitchen: “Seamless” because there are no joints, creating an overall effect of a homogenous surface that’s smooth to the touch; “Natural” because it reproduces the beauty of natural stone; and “Kitchen” because, being non-porous, it’s perfect for kitchens.
Marazzi has harnessed its large-slab technology to create an impressive new range of surfaces. Dubbed Puro Marazzi Antibacterial The Top, it comprises large stoneware slabs – 64 x 128 x 1/2” (162x324x1.2 cm) – that repel bacteria and microorganisms. “This is an attractive and functional innovation that further improves the safety of porcelain stoneware through new technologies incorporated into the production process,” says group CEO, Mauro Vandini. The silver ion treatment, used before firing at 2190°F (1200°C), means that Puro Marazzi Antibacterial The Top eliminates up to 99.9% of bacteria and microbes from surfaces. The antibacterial action continues over time and doesn’t affect aesthetic quality. The collection is available in six stone, marble, or concrete effect finishes: Concrete Look White, Marble Look (in Elegant Black, Golden White, and Statuario versions), Stone Look Ceppo di Gré, and Travertino Classico. “Enhancing the aesthetic and technological aspects of our large slabs,” continues Vandini, “this project reflects our company’s journey. The Puro Marazzi Antibacterial technology, applied for the first time to kitchen countertops, represents an attractive and functional innovation that further improves the safety of porcelain stoneware.”
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Gruppo LUBE’s CREO Kitchens and Cucine LUBE lines both stand out for their quality, design, functionality, and, in particular, eco-sustainability. All the models on display at Eurocucina were Greenguard Gold certified, a guarantee of exacting environmental standards.
With a range of doors and finishes available, the Flavor collection from Cucine LUBE is a versatile kitchen that can be adapted to any space, from classic to contemporary. The elegant Oltre Design Collection is both pleasing to the eye and touch. The model on display had lacquered doors, with an umber micro effect finish, alternating with slatted veneered doors, with a Raye black walnut finish. The shelf doors were bronzed glass set against a frame painted umber. It’s just one of the numerous possible configurations of this collection marked by attention to every detail. The new Immagina Wood is a kitchen that uses wood as its main element. It’s available with six different finishes – natural oak, white oak, gray oak, muscat oak, smoked oak, and black oak – all of which create a warm and welcoming feel, despite the essential design. Another product from Cucine LUBE is Agnese, a traditional kitchen with a timeless flavor in solid wood. The version on display was finished in camel lacquer with a pearlescent effect, while the bottom doors were lacquered open-pore garnet.
The very latest kitchen from Cucine LUBE is the Unica collection, which is both unique in name and nature. Elegant and eco-sustainable, the model on display had doors in Phagos Kapok melamine with a chiseled finish, Dove Gray melamine with a silk finish, and Fulvus Stone melamine with a natural finish. They were combined with the Koros Onyx countertop with an Ivory Opaco finish.
The featured products from CREO Kitchens were the Contempo kitchen and Tablet Wood. Both innovative and traditional, the Contempo kitchen on display had matt teal lacquered doors. The Glide pull-out top is an innovative solution for a young, smart kitchen. Tablet Wood was one of the most popular kitchens on show, with new features like the Swift pull-out top and new finishes like muscat oak with the wall units in flint gray aluminum and bronze glass.
For Antolini, innovation is always combined with the beauty of natural stone. While polished marble is long synonymous with luxury and elegance, the latest marbles from Antolini have a matte finish. This trend was previously investigated by the firm with its Matt and Lether finishes, both of which bring out the beauty of the material. Antolini’s brand of innovation is most clearly seen in Azerocareplus, a treatment that offers protection against stains and corrosion for marble, onyx, and soft quartzite, safeguarding the masterpiece designed by nature. The treatment makes the Matt and Lether finishes even more resistant, expanding their possible uses to meet the most varied requirements.
From kitchen to table – collaboration with designer Alessandro Spada has produced the first tableware collection in Irish Green marble. This material has become synonymous with the Exclusive Collection, the range that helped make Antolini an internationally recognized brand. Shades of green, white veining, and combinations with metal make this collection unique. Customized pieces are also available on request.
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The starting points for the design of Elementi, the new collection from Snaidero, were images of water eroding rock, a crack in a stone, and a blade of light cutting through darkness. With its essential, monolithic forms, Elementi is rendered unique by the use of exclusive materials. The Groove, a framed door with an angled cutaway for opening, is the hallmark of the range. With its slightly three-dimensional texture, the aluminum Diamond finish is one of the most hardwearing available. Fitted to the countertop, Tibetus is a thin anodized aluminum lighting frame that floods the whole island with diffused light without being intrusive.
Based on aesthetics and functionality, the new Add on range completes Snaidero’s product offering. A few examples are the Aria countertop with an integrated blade of LED light, and the retractable Sipario pocket doors, for closing off storage spaces with drawers and baskets. Snaidero showcased a new version of Frame that’s warmer and uses natural materials. Designed by Massimo Iosa Ghini, Frame has become a timeless classic. There was also a new version of Way, a minimalist, highly versatile line, ideal for the home office setting. Ola, designed by Paolo Pininfarina, blurs the distinction between kitchen and a work of art sculpted in wood. Launched in the ’90s, it has evolved over the years to become a modern kitchen with graceful, ergonomic lines.
The product of ongoing collaboration between designer Nevio Tellatin and architect Anita Brotto, Twins was the centerpiece of Key Cucine’s booth.
This kitchen consists of two large parallel islands – the twins, in other words. The islands keep the two main functions of the kitchen – water and fire – separate. But this idea is taken a step further, with not only water and fire separated, but also earth and air, with earth represented by the paneled pantry that forms a backdrop to the islands, while air is expressed through the kitchen’s connection to the rest of the house.
Tiffany quartzite, a metamorphic rock with green to blue veining, and heat-treated oak with golden hues contribute to the elegance of this kitchen, which harmonizes with the other rooms of the house.
Please refer to the individual images in the gallery to look through the photo credits
