The Permanent Observatory of ADI Design (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale) has selected the Riciclantica Outline kitchen by Valcucine, designed by Gabriele Centazzo, for publication in the ADI Design Index 2023. This is a prestigious annual selection of Italian design products and services, curated by the Association for Industrial Design (ADI) in Italy. The best design projects selected in the ADI Design Index 2023 and ADI Design Index 2024 will compete for the prestigious Compasso d’Oro 2024 award.

The design philosophy of Riciclantica Outline combines the compositional lightness of Riciclantica with its special functional blocks, which can be combined thanks to suspended elements available in various types. These versatile solutions can be configured according to needs, playing with functions, forms, and materials.

Defining the different modules is the metallic profile running along the edges of the surfaces, the stylistic hallmark of Riciclantica Outline. Offered in a black anodized aluminum finish, it enhances the design concept, outlining geometries in space. Riciclantica excels in dematerialization, highlighting the pursuit of maximum thinness, making the world’s thinnest door with only 2 mm thickness.

Tradition and modernity combine harmoniously in an ancient Walser cabin of 1754, located in the characteristic village of Alagna Valsesia in Piedmont (Italy). The interior renovation was carried out by Planners One that managed to preserve the charm of the typical mountain house, while equipping it with technological solutions capable of satisfying contemporary needs. Kitchen is inserted inside a single room of approximately 16 m2, which serves as an entrance, dining and living area. The intervention saw the recovery of original internal structures from the Eighteenth century, such as the “block -bau” wooden wall and the door that gives access to the sleeping area.

Cooking in a functional and efficient environment
The kitchen is completely tailor-made as, due to the dimensions of some elements in ancient recovery wood used for the coating, it was not possible to obtain a classic modularity, except for the 60 cm fridge/oven column. Furthermore, the development of the kitchen is angular (but not at a right angle) and includes all the main appliances. The cooking area is characterized by a 60 cm induction hob with 4 inductors and 9 power levels (plus booster); above it there is the built-in extractor hood with adjustable LED lights and anti-condensation system. The oven is a 60×45 cm combined microwave with 20 automatic programs and the function that facilitates cleaning through the use of steam. As regards food storage, the kitchen is equipped with a built-in under counter refrigerator.

Advanced technologies Despite the rustic character of the kitchen, there is no shortage of advanced technological equipment, such as the "frame television" (which hangs on the wall and, reproducing paintings and photographs, looks like a painting avoiding the "black stamp" effect) and the Bluetooth speaker for sound diffusion. In the kitchen there are also LED lighting fixtures (the result of a light design project), an electric radiator that can be managed remotely and a wood-burning fireplace with an air ducting system to also heat the bathroom and bedroom.

Attention to detail The entire project is characterized by great attention to detail. The wooden covering of the doors and drawers, for example, was created by recovering (and then treating) ancient shutters from a Nineteenth-century Alpine farmhouse in an adjacent valley. Furthermore, the top is a single piece in flamed and brushed Luserna stone with an exposed hand-hammered edge.

The Permanent Observatory of ADI Design has selected Riciclantica Outline, designed by Gabriele Centazzo for Valcucine, for publication in the ADI Design Index 2023. This is a prestigious annual selection of Italian design products and services, curated by the Association for Industrial Design (ADI) in Italy.

This initiative aims to showcase the best of Italian design, both in terms of products and services, providing recognition to the industry’s excellence. The best design projects selected in the ADI Design Index 2023 and ADI Design Index 2024 will compete for the prestigious Compasso d’Oro 2024 award.

The design philosophy of Riciclantica Outline combines the compositional lightness of Riciclantica with its special functional blocks, which can be combined thanks to suspended elements available in various types. These versatile solutions can be configured according to needs, playing with functions, forms, and materials.
Defining the different modules is the metallic profile running along the edges of the surfaces, the stylistic hallmark of Riciclantica Outline. Offered in a black anodized aluminum finish, it enhances the design concept, outlining geometries in space.

The Oasi project designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti for Aran Cucine enters in the selection of the ADI Design Index 2023. Edited by the Association for Industrial Design (ADI) in Italy, the volume brings together the essentiality of Italian design through a careful selection of products and projects that compete for the Compasso d’Oro Award, the most authoritative global design competition since 1954.

The presence in the ADI Design Index yearbooks, in addition to recognition for the excellence of the sector, represents a stage of the Compasso d’Oro Award which Aran Cucine approaches with Oasi, the experimental kitchen module characterized by the presence of a tree at the center of the island and wall-mounted composition  to exploit the verticality of the environment.

Following the principle of circularity, it is possible to rotate around the free-standing cell to appreciate what for Aran Cucine becomes the emblem of the so-called slow life: all the phases of food processing – from conservation to preparation, up to consumption and its recycling – and daily activities are facilitated by this new domestic architecture.

A Valcucine kitchen was choosen for the renovation of a historic appartment in Milan. The project selected a tailor made designed kitchen in Tech Ceramic, integrating a practical, essential, and efficient style that reflects the spirit of its owners.

«The architects from the Biroarchitetti studio, in charge of the apartment project – the company explained – collaborated in complete harmony with our Milanese partner, Valcucine Milano Brera | Spotti, who projected this refined-designed kitchen. The main goal of the project was twofold: on one hand, to optimize the interior spaces to create new environments that met the needs of the owners, and on the other, to create a contemporary apartment with a strong identity.»

The renovated living area opens up from the entrance, with a study on one side and Valcucine Genius Loci kitchen, directly connected to the dining room, on the other side. This refined-designed kitchen in Tech Ceramic was conceived with a deeper base to provide a broader workspace and increased storage, finally complemented by the company Aerius Wall Unit system in elegant Blackboard Glossy Glass. «The Tech Ceramic Cement finish – Valcucine adds – used for the topwork reveals numerous properties: it resists heat, scratches, abrasions, and stains. It is also easy to clean, non-toxic, and hygienic. Besides, the special glass layering technique used for Tech Ceramic gives the dematerialized surface a superior impact resistance compared to other ceramics available in the market».

In Tamins, Switzerland, Abimis creates a first version of the Ego90 kitchen for a private residence. Ego90 is a combination of ‘soft’ and comfortable shapes and a square, clean and well-defined design, a new proposal that expresses the ideal fusion between a kitchen with a domestic soul and one with a more professional layout. Compared to the distinctive flush-fitting radiused doors integrated into the structure, Ego90 is characterized by right-angled doors, preserving the other features of the iconic line.

Studied and defined in every detail together with the property, Ego90 is presented here in a refined island version – made to measure as always and entirely in AISI 304 stainless steel – with truly important proportions. The layout was thus designed to transform the kitchen into the fulcrum of the domestic space and encourage movement, accessibility and moments of conviviality: Ego90 occupies, in fact, a central position within the large environment that hosts it, an open and welcoming which also includes the dining area.

The strong predominance of white gives a clean and bright image of the room, while the light wood with Scandinavian references of many of the furnishings and accessories gives it warmth and elegance. In this context, the steel – with a hand-orbited finish – of Ego90 creates a fascinating contrast with the rest of the surfaces, accentuating the contemporary character of the entire kitchen project.

Smeg received the DesignEuropa Award for its BCC Full Automatic coffee machine. Organised by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the DesignEuropa awards recognise and reward great products and designers in the field of industrial design. The finalists stood out from almost 700 applicants for setting new standards in design, as well as prioritising sustainability and social impact.

«The BCC machine represents a perfect synthesis of Smeg’s vision – the company said – a product with an iconic design that conceals advanced technology. It is the dialogue between technology and design that makes the product empathetic and user-friendly, so that the user can use it at any time of day».

BBC by Smeg is an automatic coffee machine with a milk system. It features thermoblock heating system that ensures a faster preparation time for the machine and precise temperature control of the water for coffee extraction; built-in coffee grinder; foam for every drink thanks to the integrated milk system; pump pressure 19 bar for an always correct extraction of the espresso. The machines, available in White, Black and Emerald Green, can prepare 5 coffee drinks, 4 milk drinks and ha the hot water function.

The Sign kitchen by Ernestomeda, designed by Giuseppe Bavuso, architect and art director of the company, is enriched with solutions that complete its potential, both in functional and design terms. These are elements of various kinds, from wall units and boiserie to storage elements to organize the spaces inside the drawers, up to tables that “hide” equipped compartments: thanks to their flexibility, they allow you to maximize the space available in the kitchen environment.

Among these elements, we can find Fit equipment, designed for organizing spaces in the kitchen and represents a precious element for those who want to maximize efficiency and functionality. These intelligent solutions allow to make the most of every centimeter of space available within the various elements that make up the kitchen, thus keeping it tidy, clean and aesthetically pleasing.

The Surf system of modular internal drawer equipment is another interesting element. It was designed to offer a complete, customizable solution for organizing kitchen drawers efficiently. Its modularity allows to create a more functional and organized work environment and is the ideal solution for those who want to maintain order and efficiency in the kitchen, thanks to a vast choice of customizable elements for the most varied needs, such as knife holders, spice racks, capsule holders, jar holders and film holders.

We would like to mention also Move-on Plus, a peninsula characterized by the practical sliding top, also available as a snack top. The top “hides” an equipped compartment underneath, useful for storing the most varied utensils that accompany preparations in the kitchen. Thanks to this proposal, Sign is able to vary the volumes of the environment, acquiring new space useful for containment.

Monolith, the extraction system of the Elements collection by Falmec, received the Big See Product Design Award 2023. The award, which works to enhance the creative force in South East Europe with 2,000 award-winning projects from over 21 different countries, highlights the culture of innovation and collaboration. Every year it recognizes the creative and entrepreneurial prestige of international companies in the design, architecture, fashion and tourism sectors, according to the principles of ergonomics, aesthetics, sustainable ethics and business potential.

Monolith is a multifunctional solution, composed by a 90 cm hood module that can be combined with additional 30, 60 and 90 cm container modules. The latter are designed for natural beech wood accessories such as utensils, cutting boards and spice racks, electrical and USB sockets.

The hood unit and the storage modules are made of aluminum in an elegant matt black finish with a satin glass front, both on the front and rear. The entire system is also equipped with ambient light, creating a pleasant light line along its base. Suitable for both induction and gas hobs, Monolith guarantees easy installation and features a powerful and silent 800 m3/h brushless motor (A++ energy class) controlled via an ergonomic touch button panel.

Some Miele induction hobs received two important design awards: the iF Design Award and the RedDot Design Award. Two hobs with an integrated extractor (TwoInOne) and a full-surface induction hob were each double winners.

The TwoInOnes are both powerful and quiet in operation. Their reduced design is characterised by the central air intake with a grille set in the ceramic glass screen. This feature, in particular, convinced the jury of the Red Dot Award and allows pots and pans to slide freely. The grille on the rectangular air intake blends in seamlessly with the design of the hob. Depending on the model, the grille is either completely black (KMDA 7272 Silence) or has discreet brushed stainless-steel slats (KMDA 7473 Silence).

A further recipient of the iF and the Red Dot design prize was the KM 7897-1 FL Diamond full-surface induction hob. As many as 6 pots, pans and oven dishes can be placed anywhere on the 90 cm wide hob unit and move around freely. This guarantees untold freedom during cooking. Moreover, the ceramic screen on the hob unit features a special coating: DiamondFinish is one of the hardest surfaces on the market and hence particularly scratch-resistant.