Cover An imposing yet stately kitchen island dominates at V-Zug’s new Milan studio
An imposing yet stately kitchen island dominates at V-Zug’s new Milan studio
1 / 1
We highlight the standout kitchen innovations at the biennial EuroCucina showcase at Rho Fiera and the greater Milan Design Week 2024
Milan Design Week’s flagship event, Salone del Mobile Milano, has featured many thematic showcases, but two have grown so big that they take turns in alternate years. Odd-year Salone is the Euroluce year, which focuses on lighting products, while even-year Salone is the EuroCucina year, which is dedicated to kitchen products and appliances.
First held in 1974, EuroCucina has become the world’s foremost kitchen showcase, where prominent and prestigious brands unveil their first looks and new technologies. In recent years, however, the Milan Design Week’s city programme has rapidly developed to rival that of Salone del Mobile, leading many of the brands with Milanese outposts to hold their showcases in their own spaces. Here, we highlight the most notable kitchen presentations at the Rho Fiera fairground, and beyond.
In case you missed it: 9 fashion forward home collections from Milan Design Week 2024
1. V-Zug
The ground floor of the V-Zug studio features a chic dining area
1 / 2
The Swiss luxury kitchen appliances brand celebrates its 111th anniversary this year by opening its first Milan flagship store. Located in the heart of the Brera design district and overlooking the Piazza San Marco, the two-storey minimalist studio is the brainchild of architect and interior designer Elisa Ossino.
The space invites visitors to discover an artful fusion of innovative technology and natural materials. Throughout the studio, V-Zug’s high-tech appliances are complemented by sculptural custom pieces designed specifically for the store by Italian furniture studio Henrytimi. With Ossino’s spaces as the canvas, Henrytimi’s furniture and V-Zug’s appliances sing a tune of poetic simplicity that together are more than the sum of their parts. The two designers also collaborated on Time and Matter, an equally poetic installation at the neighbouring Pinacoteca di Brera.
Don’t miss: In conversation with V-Zug CEO Peter Spirig: Celebrating 111 years of innovative kitchen appliances
2. Arclinea
Arclinea’s Milan showroom
1 / 3
Family-owned and operated kitchen brand Arclinea’s star of the show was Proxima, a kitchen system that caters to the American market’s relatively larger living spaces with its new modularity. Other interesting highlights included new kitchen element Hortus, which is a software-controlled indoor garden that allows you to cultivate produce right in your kitchen. Here’s hoping this innovation makes its way to land-scarce Singapore!
3. Molteni&C
Above New finishes for Molteni&C’s VVD kitchen system include this striking oxblood marble
Above Stylish kitchen cabinets at the Molteni&C showcase
New finishes for Molteni&C’s VVD kitchen system include this striking oxblood marble
1 / 2
Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Molteni&C has enhanced its signature VVD kitchen system by creative director Vincent van Duysen with new additions and elements. These include a redesigned snack top, Lepanto Red marble option, eight panel colourways and the PT40 door that is available in push, pull and pivot variants, offering limitless design possibilities for your kitchen.
4. Poggenpohl
Above The kitchen juxtaposed against 16th-century architecture
Above Poggenpohl’s +Modo kitchen with a backlit stone finish
The kitchen juxtaposed against 16th-century architecture
1 / 2
Titled Gravity of Light, the Poggenpohl showcase at Palazzo Landriani in Brera presented the kitchen as an independent sculptural element that enriches an interior and its ambience far beyond its functional purpose. The three bespoke +Modo kitchen systems presented on the palazzo’s ground floor incorporated elements of light, sensors and a myriad minute design touches that took their aesthetics and functionality to another level. Think of a colour-changing backlit lava stone surface, and exquisite details that remind one of a well-tailored suit.
Occupying the palazzo’s library was the piece de resistance: a +Modo kitchen by German company Bernd Kussmaul, which specialises in highly technical customisations for luxury sports cars, and yacht and jet design. The result exists comfortably at the intersection of design, technology, and art.
Read more: Meet the lavish kitchen island with lightweight design and modular pull-out components
5. Liebherr
Above A wine cabinet from Liebherr
Above Liebherr’s new Monolith French door refrigerator
A wine cabinet from Liebherr
1 / 2
A stone’s throw from the Duomo, Liebherr opened a 2,260 sq ft pop-up showroom at the Hotel Rosa Grand to launch its new products. Two of them will make their way to the Asia Pacific region in 2025: the Monolith French door refrigerator, and the freestanding and under-counter wine cabinet, both of which feature innovative technologies that are tailored to Singapore’s climate.
6. Valcucine
Above A playful colour-blocking design at the Valcucine showcase by i29
Above A kitchen by Neri & Hu
A playful colour-blocking design at the Valcucine showcase by i29
1 / 2
Valcucine’s presentation featured spaces designed by internationally renowned practices Neri & Hu, i29, and ARRCC. Neri & Hu’s interior, christened The Hearth, featured the Artematica collection by Gabriele Centazzo, and recounted the familiar Asian narrative of the kitchen’s dual role in the form of a public space facing an open square and also a private space where it was contained within a wooden structure, thus highlighting the versatility of Valcucine’s offerings.
7. Bertazzoni
Bertazzoni’s Heritage series cooker is an all-time best-seller
1 / 3
Known for its freestanding cookers, luxury appliances brand Bertazzoni launched gold-finish versions of its renowned Heritage series, an induction cooktop with precise cooking technology, and a 90cm French door built-in refrigerator column complete with ice maker and water dispenser from its Professional series, expanding its offerings for custom kitchens with typical Italian flair.
In case you missed it: How Italian Kitchen Brand Bertazzoni Created Appliances Inspired By Steam Trains
8. Miele
Above Miele’s sprawling showcase
Above The dramatic backdrop of the German brand’s exhibition space
Miele’s sprawling showcase
1 / 2
Stepping inside German appliances manufacturer Miele’s showcase felt just like entering a hip nightclub, thanks to its remarkable, full digital-screen entrance tunnel. The brand took up 10,764 sq ft of exhibition space to commemorate its 125th anniversary. Among the highlights of its showcase was the launch of two new matte colour schemes—Pearl Beige and Obsidian Black—as well as a slew of smart features that offers greater convenience, indulgence and sustainability in the kitchen.
9. Smeg
Above A kitchen featuring the sleek Isola fixtures designed by Stefano Boeri Interiors
Above Smeg’s new EMC02 Minipro Espresso coffee machine
A kitchen featuring the sleek Isola fixtures designed by Stefano Boeri Interiors
1 / 2
There was an abundance of eye candy on show at Smeg’s EuroCucina showcase, from the twee car-shaped refrigerator co-created with Fiat and the Blu Mediterraneo collection conceived with Dolce & Gabbana to the new colours of its iconic FAB refrigerator. But the star of the show was undoubtedly Isola, created in collaboration with Stefano Boeri Interiors, which is helmed by the architect who designed Milan’s iconic green towers, Bosco Verticale. Isola is a collection of deceptively simple yet innovative cooker hobs and hoods that suits the brand’s aesthetics beautifully.
Jakarta-born, Bandung-raised and Singapore-based, Asih Jenie trained in Visual Communication Design at Bandung Institute of Technology and Architecture at Parahyangan Catholic University. She brings both rigour and heart to design journalism, infused with a distinct Southeast Asian voice.
As a child, she doodled on the edges of her schoolbooks and never outgrew her fascination with all things well-made and well-told. Her 15-year career spans editorial roles and bylines in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Australia, across spatial design titles such as Dwell Asia, Cubes, Design Anthology, Habitus Living, and Home & Decor.
After a brief stint in public relations, she returned to publishing in 2023 to lead Tatler Homes Singapore, where she continues to tell stories about how we shape the spaces that shape us.
