For some years now increasingly demanding lifestyles have been shaping how we live in our homes. Simple but functional furniture is more and more often required not only for the kitchen but also for the living area.
Fueled by the elimination of architectural separators this process has influenced the design of both spaces, transforming the kitchen into a sophisticated space with prestigious wood, glass and chrome details, and modifying the style and purpose of some living room elements (book cases, storage furniture, shelves, etc.) to adapt to this new lifestyle.
The meeting of these once very distinct worlds is most visible in the materials.
The smooth and flat wooden cabinet doors of modern kitchens highlight the aesthetic potential of wood. Combined with other materials like Femix steel or glass, they create refined contrasts.p
In the composition on the left, materials are the undisputed stars of the kitchen and living room: Tussah Walnut with its elegant vertical grain for the large cabinets, Malé White Fenix NTM for the island worktop and base units, and slatted Nabuk Oak for the breakfast bench top. The same finishes and materials are also applied to the “Fluida” wall system for a truly eye-catching ensemble.
In a synthesis of style and function some pieces were designed to play the role of interface between the kitchen and living area, incorporating characteristics that satisfy the needs of both the spaces: the "Fluida" wall-system project witnesses the “natural transition” in furniture, which links rooms together, opening and closing them, with divisions and continuity.
Furniture becomes architecture, free-standing partitions separate rooms with subtlety, establishing links between the various functions.
Though the operative zones are concentrated in the kitchen area this is no longer necessary for storage areas.
Seeing that in the majority of modern apartments there is never too much space, the most up to date kitchens often have a special range of closets which break from the kitchen and discreetly blend into the living area.
In the open space layout, furniture and matching fittings form a single design scheme, with functions and placings mixed and matched; here, the living area composition (one of the three different options available) offers continuity with the low cupboards in the kitchen for added integration.
