EuroCucina trends 2018 Salone del Mobile
The standout trend at EuroCucina, Milan Design Week’s biennial kitchen design extravaganza, was the evolution of a formerly functional space into a seamless, multi-functional social hub.
Once strictly the functional heart of the home, the kitchen is the new star attraction. With the rise of open-plan living, it’s become a multi-use space that seamlessly morphs from office to entertainment hub to family dining room. At this year’s Salone del Mobile’s biennial EuroCucina show in Milan — the global barometer for future trends — the humble kitchen has transformed into an innovative, sensory and increasingly social experience. “There’s a multitude of uses that now dictates how a kitchen needs to look,” says Simone Stephens, senior industrial designer at New Zealand premium appliance company Fisher & Paykel. “For some it’s disappearing completely into the home.” Mark Elmore, Fisher & Paykel’s general manager of design, agrees: “Today’s kitchen is on show to guests and family alike, so aesthetics matter more. We’re seeing a rise in kitchen cabinets as furniture, where the bespoke detailing in the rest of the house is carried through into the kitchen. It’s become more of a living space, and as a result many people want to surround themselves with the warmth of natural and tactile materials like wood and stone.” Raw and organic surfaces — and in particular, clever material and texture mixes such as marble with travertine, natural stone, terracotta or concrete; gloss surfaces with matte; translucent with opaque — have been on the radar at EuroCucina for some time but never so directional as this year. Standouts include Belgian designer Vincent Van Duysen’s Ratio kitchen for Molteni & C and Dada, and Piero Lissoni’s Combine kitchen for Boffi.
Also evident was the continued popularity of the seamless kitchen, with such space-saving concepts and hidden features as handle-free, push-to-open drawers and cabinetry. Kitchen islands with built-in dining tables are now a bona fide trend, as are integrated appliances, some of the most sublime being sinks and sleek induction cooktops, elegantly incorporated into one long, unbroken surface of seductive stone or marble. Darker, moodier colours such as charcoal, sage and midnight blue are on the rise — as are more industrial finishes. Cue black steel, patinaed metal, dark and mid-tone stone, marble and timber. Dark or smoky glass was also prevalent, seen at its most sleek in Smeg’s Dolce Stil Novo collection of ovens, which magically transform from a high-gloss, jet-black surface when not in use, to transparent when the temperature heats up. (For more on high-tech trends, see ‘Pure Magic’ on page 204). Conversely, this was also the year for maximalist statements, from sculptural kitchen islands and extravagant lighting to textured splashbacks. And then there were the designer collaborations. Luxury fashion house Fendi teamed up with Scic kitchens to debut Fendi Cucine. Smeg’s pop-tastic partnership with Dolce & Gabbana continued with fresh designs on key pieces in its Sicily Is My Love range. Also new were the tangy hues of its Portofino collection of industrial-style cookers. “They’re colours that define our yearning for positivity and playfulness,” says Smeg national marketing manager Olivia Anderson. “The kitchen has evolved. It’s now a very personal space where people want to reflect their own style. The days of an oven being a black box with a one-size-fits-all mentality are over.” VL
OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP LEFT 1. Kartell by Laufen Boxy soap dish, $40; Space Furniture. 2. Miele TwoInOne cooktop with integrated extractor, $5799. 3. Alessi Special Edition Dry cutlery by Achille Castiglione, POA; alessi.com.
4. New Zealand’s landscape inspired Fisher & Paykel’s installation at EuroCucina. 5. Hay Borosilicate cups, $43 each. 6. Poliform Phoenix kitchen, POA. 7. Smeg Sicily Is My Love oven by Dolce & Gabbana, POA. 8. Bosa H2O Bilbao water jug by Patricia Urquiola, POA; bosatrade.com. 9. Caesarstone Altered States installation by Snarkitecture at Milan Design Week. 10. Daikin air lids kitchenware collection by Nendo. 11. Limited-edition La Cornue x Kongo Paris cooker, $394,798; lacornue.com. 12. Gessi Happy sink mixer, $1243; Abey. 13. Bisazza Pinstripe tiles in Pink by India Mahdavi, POA; bisazza.com. 14. Boffi Combine kitchen by Piero Lissoni, POA; Boffi Studio Sydney. 15. Ilve Versa gas and induction cooktop, $3999. Details, last pages.