A debut with all the honors for Signature Kitchen Suite on the European market. The new premium built-in appliance brand, part of the LG Electronics group, arrives on the Old Continent by way of a new, striking and fascinating showroom in the center of Milan. The capital of design – in a partnership of values and visions – has the task of providing the proper setting for the brand and its “true to food” philosophy, a concept that speaks of authenticity, genuine values and tradition, which is not diminished in relation to innovation.
The heart of the city, Piazza Cavour, hosts this narrative on technology and a true passion for cooking. A narrative that spreads throughout the 1100 sqm of exhibition space, organized on three levels, and immediately meets the eye thanks to 15 windows on the street, triggering indoor-outdoor dialogue. A place to admire and to discover, but also to experience and enjoy in all its multifaceted contaminations and metaphors. We are guided on this experiential pathway, in perfect balance between food and design, by the duo Calvi Brambilla, creators of the interior design of the showroom.
“In the initial briefing, we were asked to make a very communicative project that would reflect a contemporary spirit and a true ‘Milanese’ character: there had to be a reference to Milan’s history as a reference point for design. The space that was then chosen allowed us to develop not only the Signature Kitchen Suite brand and its collections, but also to add products by other brands of the group, in the basement (LG Signature, LG Objet, LGThinQ™): the two levels make it possible to separate the two worlds, which was a possibility we felt was a must.” LG’s ability to offer smart crossover solutions for all the sectors of the home, in fact, emerges clearly in the new facility.
The ground floor: True to Design
“On the ground floor we worked on the dichotomy of ‘artificial-natural,’ themes suggested to us for development in relation to food and cooking – Fabio Calvi continues. – We therefore thought about the space as a sort of art gallery, very neutral, in white tones, where we could create three very iconic episodes that in a certain sense link back to art: a minimalist sculpture, figures of rocks and an installation on the theme of accumulation (an aesthetic device of contemporary art).” In this museum-like space, which for the gaze of an external observer is undoubtedly disorienting and amazing, the appliances form a whole with the installation, emblematic of the keywords of Signature Kitchen Suite: food, design, smart.
The basement: True to Smart
A majestic staircase and an impressive video wall lead to the basement, metaphorically terminating in a large lobby in steel, the main material of the appliances. From this point, an almost domestic panorama opens up: “We have created four settings bordered by semi-transparent walls, with individual and very strong colors (blue, yellow, green, pink). A house, then where the freestanding products of LG Signature can exist in harmony with a refined selection of more or less famous objects by the great masters of Milanese design, including Achille Castiglioni, Franco Albini, Angelo Mangiarotti, Luigi Caccia Dominioni. A little catalogue of design masterpieces, in graphic compositions of rarified, almost surreal prints, providing a backdrop for the LG and Signature Kitchen Suite products.”
The Mezzanine: True to Food
The identifying concept of Signature Kitchen Suite, “true to food,” pervades the entire installation: “Food is a presence in the everyday life of the showroom, starting from the kitchen created for cooking demonstrations on the ground floor, but above all in the cooking school on the mezzanine.” The courses and activities are organized in collaboration with the chef Andrea Vigna, selected by Signature Kitchen Suite as its Food Experience Director. “The theme of ‘true to food’ is thus conveyed in an iconic, visible way in the entire space. The showroom – Fabio Calvi concludes – will become a very active location, narrating the relationship between food and these super-tech objects at the service of everyday food preparation.”
