A minimal version of the Atelier kitchen by Abimis
We are in the heart of Milan, in the area delimited between the expansive grounds of Sforza Castle to the North and the buzz of Chinatown. Here, on the top floor of a building dating back to the early 19th Century, is a small minimal-style apartment oozing contemporary design.
The owner, a young Milanese architect, chose to live in this particular area so packed with life and fashionable bars and eateries. This district offers plenty of greenery and is just a stone’s throw from the city centre, and has in recent years become one of the trendiest and liveliest neighbourhoods in the capital of Lombardy.
The apartment is not very spacious, yet the compact space is largely made up for by the spectacular view of the tree-lined park. In a metropolis such as Milan, a view of greenery was of incommensurable value to the owner.
The original layout of the interiors was definitely far from optimal. However, the architect immediately saw the potential there and, after purchasing the property, she transformed it completely.
First of all, she took down part of the wall that separated the tight kitchen from the dining room, to create a bigger, more open living area. In the private part of the home, she created a small office area, a bathroom, a bedroom with a small terrace and a roomy walk-in wardrobe.
Her home is extremely bright and is dominated by just two colours which, mixed together, generate the utmost harmony: white walls and the natural wood colour of the parquet flooring. There are only a handful of choice items of furniture. A Chinese black lacquered cabinet in the hallway, the bed and some ecru cotton covered soft furnishings, and the large stainless steel kitchen.
The heart of the home: an impressive Atelier kitchen by Abimis
In this minimal design room, the genuine starring role is played by the stainless steel kitchen that dominates the living area.
The owner picked out a very impressive peninsula kitchen, that is almost oversized, fully reflecting her needs. The needs of a person who enjoys her home to the full, who adores cooking and sharing food with friends whenever she can.
Her decision fell on a professionally-derived kitchen from the Atelier line by Abimis. A genuine cooking machine which she designed herself. She wanted it to be very big, rich and complete from a functional perspective, but absolutely minimal in terms of aesthetic styling.
So she designed an L-shaped kitchen, with the shorter side against the wall and a large peninsula that separates the workspace from the living room.
A stainless steel monolith
Her ideal kitchen was a monoblock. An understated geometrical volume devoid of any frills; almost an architectural feature. To obtain the desired result, the designer swapped ideas with the Abimis development team who suggested this particular solution.
The solution was to weld the side panels and wall panel of the kitchen to the worktop, in order to create the end effect of a stainless steel monolith.
To emphasise this effect of a pure, squared and minimal volume, instead of a traditional hob, she incorporated three cooking zones flush with the top. The hood too, thanks to a motor-driven system, disappears into the flush-fit hob when not in use.
The result is a contemporary sculpture; a smooth, geometrical stainless steel monoblock devoid of any visible cuts and joints. This solution not only imbues the setting with plenty of character and a minimal design, but it also ensures maximum hygiene and cleanliness in the kitchen.
For the stainless steel, the architect selected a warm, orbitally polished finish by hand, which assumes an even more intense hue when it reflects the honey colour of the wooden parquet floorboards.
Behind the kitchen, she designed a full-height white lacquered wood accessorised wall. A large larder with a concealed door hides away the service area that houses the ovens and the refrigerated wine cellar.
So, in the evening and during weekends, this minimal stainless steel monoblock comes to life and, almost as if under a spell, it is transformed into a highly-accessorised, professional, functional kitchen with superior performance levels. And the young professional can devote herself to her second passion, which is both stimulating and relaxing: i.e. cooking.
