KBB - May/June 2012 - (Page 39)

Opposite (left to right): Marchi showed slices of American life in its beautifully designed booth, and Gincinque’s Flute, a prototype, is kitchen as living space with open shelves and freestanding storage units. Minacciolo (above) went back to nature with its Natural Skin kitchen in “cooked” pine. aah, but then they move on.” Moreover, Petrilli said, “The Italian market has gone strictly into the lacquers,” which account for 90 percent of Snaidero’s business and tend to be less expensive than wood. “Italians, in terms of a general market, are downscaling their kitchens because of the economy, and they’re basically choosing lacquer.” Other popular finishes at the show included glass (especially in the frosted variety), metal and laminates, which hold appeal no doubt because of their affordability. Some companies experimented with textured concrete, ceramics or stone on cabinet doors, drawers and sides, and countertops, which were either very thin or very thick, were served up in a variety of materials. Yet despite the selection of finishes, colors in general veered toward neutral with white, gray and wood tones dominating the exhibits. Ilin noted, “From a psychological standpoint, when the economy starts to slow down, things become softer, and colors are less bright and gutsy.” As proposed by exhibitors, solutions for integrating the two spaces ranged from sliding doors, countertops and panels that conceal plumbing, appliances and pantries to islands with pullout tables or motorized shelving that appear when needed and retract when not. Some companies replaced conventional upper and lower cabinets with freestanding wall units and open shelving that are both kitchen- and living-roomfriendly, while others showed leggy islands or peninsulas equipped for cooking, cleaning and prepping that require little space. MAKING A NAME Designer collaborations were popular at the show and, Ilin said, offer a way for companies to distinguish themselves. Scavolini, for example, unveiled its Diesel Social kitchen, which mixed materials to pitch a lifestyle as casual and luxe as a pair of designer jeans, and Foodshelf, a kitchen-and-living-room-as-one creation by French industrial designer Ora-ïto. Aran showed two futuristic Karim Rashid concepts—the all-white Beluga and the all-black Kook—both of which compact the kitchen’s functions into a single workstation plus, in the case of the former, a table with a sink. Snaidero again turned to Pininfarina for an update to its IDEA40 kitchen. Lesser known in this country, Michele Marcon lent his vision to an eco-concrete kitchen for Dibiesse and a series of ventilation products shown by Best in FTK—Technology for the Kitchen, or the appliance pavilion. Elica had several interesting ventilation hoods, one of which, a mix-and-match modular design, bore the creative imprint of Ludovica + Roberto Palomba. Continued on page 41 www.kbbonline.com / May/June 2012 SMALLER AND MORE OPEN Europe’s financial woes may have had a hand in another trend at the show: the merging of kitchen and living areas. Though not a new concept for either side of the pond, in the United States, its popularity reflects lifestyle changes and can translate into roomy open-plan arrangements where different functions are not distinctly defined yet remain well accommodated. In Italy, “Designers and manufacturers are having to contend with ever smaller living areas and the prospect of unique settings that have a kitchen and living space enclosed within the same room,” said Alessandro Melchiorri, marketing assistant for Scavolini SpA. + K BB 39 http://www.kbbonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of KBB - May/June 2012

KBB - May/June 2012
Table of Contents
Online Contents
Editorial
Show Director’s Note
Road to KBIS
Web Savvy
Trends
Products
Abroad
Education
Ad Index
Favorites

KBB - May/June 2012