Alessi pairs up with Valcucine to create a highly adaptable all-in-one kitchen unit designed by Wiel Arets. Rachel Lee-Leong reports.
April 18th, 2012
Tucked away in the basement of the Valcucine showroom at Corso Garibaldi, Milan, LaCucinaAlessi by Valcucine is a sight to behold. A freestanding monolithic Corian unit in Glacier White, the kitchen by Wiel Arets is impressive for its purity of form and highly refined details. More than this, it is a thoughtful response to the way people use their homes and kitchens today. The Dutch architect tells us more:
“The kitchen is, in a lot of new apartments and houses, getting a very prominent position. It should be functional, but it should also have a different position. Maybe you use it in a different way. The question is, ‘How can I make a kitchen that I can use for more than one programme?’
This kitchen is not a traditional kitchen – not a place where you only cook. Here, it is a sculpture in the room. Normally, the kitchen only has one side. You look from the front and that was it. Here, there are four sides. You may stand on one side and store things in the kitchen. On the other side, you can use the storage for the living room, the dining room, maybe even the bedroom. The kitchen is a space for relaxing. It is also a space for communication.
Also, for me, hygiene is very important. So, there are no joints; this kitchen is one smooth surface.
I’m born in Holland – people are very pragmatic, but we also think rooms should be used in free ways. So the kitchen should not be too specific. I have to imagine how someone from Asia or America would react to the product. And I think the idea we have is very adaptable in those countries.”
Valcucine
valcucine.com
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
When it comes to working in an office, hell really can be other people. With a growing number of people working in open plan offices, the noise levels they each experience are on the increase – but is it all in your head?
We sit down with Lisa Vincitorio and Laelie Berzon, founders of Something Beginning With to learn about their design obsessions.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Extrapolating the typology of farmhouse architecture, Cameron Anderson Architects (CAARCH) has drawn on the local architecture of Mudgee in both form and materiality to deliver a surprising suite of buildings.
Woven Image refreshes its popular, multi-award winning Embossed Acoustic Panel collection with a new range of colours that bring warmth and comfort to commercial interiors.