Kitchen trends in Milan
Fisher & Paykel debuted at EuroCucina this year, showing New Zealand designs to over 300,000 visitors.
General manager of design at Fisher & Paykel, Mark Elmore, noticed a trend of hiding things away in the kitchen to make the space more inviting for social activities.
Sanwa’s Alessandro Mendini’s Stylepark.
Naoto Fukasawa Roundish chair.
Boffi kitchen at EuroCucina 2018.
Partner content: Fisher & Paykel's general manager of design, Mark Elmore, shares some of the trends, ideas and objects of desire he gathered from EuroCucina, Milan Design Week’s biennial showcase of all things kitchen related.
Through the lens of Fisher & Paykel‘s category, which is appliances and kitchen, the increased move towards the kitchen as a social and living space really impressed me. Often, the kitchen is the social part of the house – the design of the kitchen is really starting to transform to reflect that.
I was also impressed by the increasing trend of hiding everything. Again, it ties back to the fact that it’s a living space so you don’t necessarily want your appliances leaping across the room at you. The ability to hide everything and make each item beautiful and discreet is key.
There was also a trend towards nostalgia. It shows up as bold or earthy colours, not just for kitchens but also for furniture, living spaces and products so there’s a lot of that muted, pastel pink, going right back to art deco in some cases. I think it’s a response to too much minimalism, and a rebellion against the colder, harder materials.
Another trend was the use of natural materials. Lots of darker, deeper timbers and lots of texture – showing the grain, dark-tinted stainless steel, copper, brass and stone. It’s very much a move to a softer, more natural feel. There was also marble everywhere. I think that’s playing to luxury but also to quality and longevity. It’s a very classical material: long lasting and durable.
Some of the things I fell in love with in Milan included a Boffi kitchen; in my opinion Boffi designs the most beautiful kitchens. Also, I loved the Naoto Fukasawa Roundish chair.
One of the things I noticed is that New Zealand design is really sought after. We were in a very public exhibition, with an excess of 300,000 visitors, and a lot of people came in and asked us where we were from. They wanted to know our story and, when you tell them you’re from New Zealand and the appliances are designed in New Zealand, they’re incredibly receptive and excited. This is especially true of the European design and architectural community and it’s a really encouraging sign for New Zealand.
ArchitectureNow works with a range of partners in the A&D supply sector to source appropriate content for the site. This article has been supported by Fisher & Paykel and first appeared in Urbis magazine.
