Milan Design Week: day 3 report
Day three at Milan Design Week sees us at EuroCucina where the focus is on kitchens.
Kiwi brand Fisher & Paykel started the day with an experience hosted by Peter Gordon featuring food inspired by New Zealand.
London-based Kiwi chef Peter Gordon kicks off the festivities at Fisher & Paykel.
A highlight of Peter Gordon’s experience was the Manuka honey infused marshmallow.
Kartell launched several new lines including the Wood Range.
Kartell’s new bio range is a sustainable and biodegradable range of pieces in six colours.
Bosch launched customisable options for a range of their appliances.
De Castelli uses stunning application technology for ombré finished panels on their metal finishings.
Grundig’s range hood above projects the controls onto the kitchen bench surface below.
We focus on EuroCucina, Milan Design Week’s kitchen focus. We attend Fisher & Paykel’s first stand at the event (opened by chef Peter Gordon), Kartell, Bosch, De Castelli and Grundig.
Day three - 19 April
The event is so vast and so popular that today feels like we’re not even scratching the surface, despite trekking through five halls!
Most of the day was spent discovering new technology and design in the EuroCucina halls (the Design Week’s kitchen area) before a whirlwind tour through Halls 16–20. We had hoped to spend the next few days discovering the design districts, but alas, there will be one more trip to Rho.
Fisher & Paykel
For the very first time, the Kiwi brand has a stand at EuroCucina. To celebrate it with a bang, London-based, superstar Kiwi chef Peter Gordon curated a gourmet breakfast, which we attended. Highlight? The Greek yoghurt with pear compote and Manuka honey, along with a Manuka honey-injected marshmallow we got to toast over the element.
The Fisher & Paykel design team showed off their range of new refrigerators and freezers, with flexible chilled compartments which are able to be adjusted to suit the way you cook and shop. Cooktops can be flush mounted with the bench and can be offered in gas/induction combinations for even the fussiest chef.
The design team has spent many hours talking to specifiers and designers to understand what is important to them, resulting in minimal tolerances between carcass and appliance and complementary oven/steam oven/coffeemaker/microwave combinations, which fit effortlessly next to each other.
Through its growing stable of experience centres worldwide, Fisher & Paykel is constantly innovating and listening to what their users want, resulting in an ever-evolving collection.
Kartell
Love at first sight… again! Last year’s stand was vibrant and chaotic – in comparison, this year was colourful yet sophisticated. Several new ranges were launched, including the Wood Range, an innovative process allowing timber veneer to be moulded to the curves of Kartell ranges.
They also launched Bio, a new sustainable and biodegradable range of pieces in six colours. Likewise, Toy – the iconic Moschino Bear – relaunched as a table lamp from designer Jeremy Scott, interpreting the playful and colourful style both brands share.
Among the other new items, one of the most popular was the I-table – a smart glass top table in black or white, which integrates an induction cooktop into the surface, allowing the ultimate in convenience and flexibility.
Bosch
The European appliance brand launched customisable options for a range of their appliances, including a lightweight magnetic faceplate which allows the front of a refrigerator to be quickly and simply swapped out, along with customisable oven fronts (which, truth be told, I’m still not entirely sold on). This follows a growing trend with appliance manufacturers offering flexibility and choice in items we never thought possible.
De Castelli
Simply beautiful metal finishes for designers specialising in all things metal. Stunning application technology allows for ombré finished panels in sophisticated and warm tones, suitable for a number of applications: cabinet fronts, tiles, table tops and a stunning 3D tile wall, which is completely magnetised allowing for the pattern to be changed as many times as you like.
Most items, such as the tiles and feature walls, are available to be purchased by the square metre and are suitable for artworks, wall panelling or floor tiling.
Grundig
How cool is this? The range hood above projects the controls onto the kitchen bench surface below. There is an induction hob on one side of the bench and wireless power hotspots on the other.
By touching the surface, the movement of your hand is sensed and controls the element if you are cooking or turns on the appliance. As soon as the item is moved away from the hotspot, the power is switched off. As an added bonus, you can also select a cooking or preparation style.
Combine this with the smart screen on your refrigerator door that can plan your daily meals, tell you when you’re running low on milk, send a shopping list to your phone… oh, and don’t forget the camera, so you don’t have to open the fridge door.
Read our report from day one here, and from day two here.
