Today, we are going to share the second part of the trends of kitchen emerging at the recent EuroCucina fair.

FTK: TECH TRENDS

At FTK -Technology For the Kitchen, a side exhibition of EuroCucina dedicated to built-in domestic appliances and their evolution through prototypes and “concept cars” - nearly all brands have presented smarter, more versatile, multifunctional and sustainable products.

Sustainability is in fact a common theme to all exhibitors, and all are engaged in contributing to the planet's safeguards by investing in new production processes that, for instance, will build appliances with 50% recycled plastics, or by making them ever more energy efficient and more sustainable through smart lighting and specialised technology.

In the cooling business, almost all of the products now have multiple compartments, each specialised in the preservation of specific food items in order to keep them fresher for longer and avoid food waste.

The cellar compartment has a temperature between 8°C and 12°C for cheese and cured meats, while the chiller drawer keeps a 0°C temperature, ideal for meat or fish. The crisper drawers, where fruit and vegetables are stored, can adjust humidity levels.

Refrigerators and freezers can be remotely managed though dedicated apps on one's smartphone. Functions, temperatures and other settings can be easily adjusted remotely.

Veneta Cucine

Lounge is a contemporary and sophisticated kitchen system featuring fine woodwork, glossy or matt lacquers with liquid metal finishes, Fenix laminates, steel and also glossy and matt lacquered glasses, wood grosgrain or matt lacquered caneté with a metal finish.
→www.venetacucine.com

Arrex

The AL 32 has a minimal, rigorous design, enhanced by the smooth, matt glass doors of the cabinetry nicely framing the sink zone. The frame of the central island, featuring a table with a transparent glass support, is in recycled aluminium for the grey anthracite finish, and in multilayered HPL for the concrete finish.
→www.arrex.it

Scic

The new edition of the Labirinto kitchen is characterised by a simple, precise design and a special attention to the choice of materials. The use of stainless steel combined with Canaletto walnut wood for the open shelves gives it a distinctive look. The key element of the entire kitchen is the smoky quartz top by Antolini, with its natural, metallic iridescence going from brown to grey and enhanced by some clever backlighting.

→www.scic.it

INSIGHTS FROM FUORISALONE

Rationalism or Excess
There seems to be a dichotomy in principles in the furniture industry, between a strong penchant for rationalism and outright excess. On one hand the objects - furniture, chairs, fixtures - conceived to solve space issues and make our daily lives easier, and on the other hand the ostentation, the excess, the “too much”: too coloured, too soft, too rounded. Anything goes to get noticed!

Sustainability
Once again the unrivalled star of both Milano Design Week and Fuorisalone, sustainability is the key point for furniture and accessories makers alike. The concepts behinds sustainability and the circular economy have been re-interpreted by designers and marketers, resulting in the most creative projects and virtuous up-cycling ideas, promoting the recycling of raw materials and making for greener urban landscapes. Where the use of recycled materials is impossible, comes the engagement to drastically cut CO2 emissions by participating in the Carbon Neutral Project or compensating through the planting of new trees.

Technology innovation
On with technological innovation for the virtuous recycling of the many materials deriving from wood or fibre scraps, and on with the widespread use of 3D printers that are becoming better and better at making the best use of the most diverse materials, like, for instance, concrete.

The diktat of quality
Any research on new materials must go hand in hand with the quality of processes to ensure a longer lifespan for products, resulting in less waste in the future.

ARAN


Imagined by chef Davide Oldani and created in collaboration with designer Attila Veress, the CUCINAnD’O kitchen offers a retractable doors system on the entire length of the kitchen wall. The minimalist look of the central island underlines the attention to responsible consumption of which Oldani himself is a fervent proponent. The basic idea of his anti-waste cuisine is that, in order to avoid wasting food, it is important not to produce any surplus in the first place.
→www.arancucine.it

STOSA CUCINE

Metropolis is the first kitchen of the Stosa range to be entirely made of Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certified cabinetry. The FSC guarantees the wood employed in certified products come from forests that are subject to very strict environmental, economic and social standards.
→www.stosamilano.it

KITCHEN FORM AND FUNCTION

The evolutionary process of the kitchen has progressively done away with the most distinctive elements of tradition to the advantage of more linear and sculptural single-blocks layouts. These have become the modern home's altars upon which the culinary rituals are performed and the resulting food eaten. The trend is that of pure, essential lines that can soften occasionally, but always for the sake of functionality.

MATERIALS AND COLOURS

Experimenting with materials emerges as the main theme of this year’s Eurocucina. Technological innovation provides ever harder materials for worktops, more resistant to abrasion and chemical agents, but also to bumps, UV rays and thermal shock. The new finishes, like glass, often come texturised, reproducing the looks of natural materials such as marble and wood, which, together with quartz, are the new stars of the kitchen. New designs offer a combination of them to make the reference to nature even stronger.

Also, there is an extensive use of concrete, in some cases an imitation of, and of stainless steel, often in a “total look” version.

Nature inspired the stone, marble and wood finishes, enhanced by glossy polishes that seem to have supplanted the matt coatings. As an alternative, especially for cabinet doors and worktops, porcelain stoneware with a marble effect are all the hype.

Nature also inspires the choice of colours: neutral palettes combined with textured finishes constitute the new trend. There’s a wide variety of greys and greens, from sage to jungle-green, to warmer and velvety shades, evoking the spices used in the kitchen. White remains a great classic, but more on the ivory side, as well as matt black.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability continues to be one of the top trending topics. In order to satisfy an ever more environmentally conscious and demanding clientele, brands offer products and materials obtained through sustainable processes and with a low carbon footprint as well as an increased lifespan.

Related Article:
<Kitchens, Ever More on the Living Side Part 1>

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