12 September 2014

There are designs that seem never to go out of date. Vico Magistretti’s Cinqueterre is one of them, thanks to the vision that shaped it at the time and still remains valid today. Designed in 1999, this kitchen—yet another product of a partnership between Magistretti and Schiffini that went all the way back to 1965—is based on a very contemporary idea of space, rooted in reliability of performance, but with a touch of the spectacular too. The designer’s previous experiences, working on a series of models, comet together in this synthesis: in particular the limited use of wall cabinets made possible by tall floor units (introduced in the Campiglia model, 1990) and the transformation of the doors into large drawers for utensils and storage (Solaro, 1995). Cinqueterre introduces another element of design, that of the use of semifinished industrial products for new functions, through the adoption of extruded corrugated aluminum for the vertical surfaces. Light and practical thanks to the use of aluminum as the sole material, it imports a typically industrial and professional look into a domestic kitchen, in line with a demand for performance that is increasingly widespread among nonprofessional customers today. A space in which every element helps you to cook with order and precision, fulfilling the fantasy of those who wish to feel themselves more chef than housewife (or husband).